On the Feast of the Resurrection, May 5, 2024, His Holiness Father Andrei, Archbishop of Vad, Feleac and Cluj and Metropolitan of Cluj, Maramureș and Sălaj, officiated the Holy Paschal Liturgy, surrounded by a council of priests and deacons, at the Metropolitan Cathedral “Assumption of the Mother of God” from Cluj-Napoca.
Cathedral servants and teachers from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in the city took part in the cathedral.
After the reading of the Gospel passage, Father Metropolitan Andrei read the Pastoral Letter of this year, entitled “True love is sacrificial”, starting from the scriptural verse “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, as anyone believe in Him not to perish but to have eternal life.” (John 3, 16).
“The Lord Jesus Christ is absolute love. Out of love for us He was sacrificed on the cross. He emphasizes this in the Gospel according to John: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3, 16). True love is sacrificial.”
Father Metropolitan Andrei said that “The Savior also teaches us to love God and to love our fellow men. He says in the Gospel according to John: “This is my commandment: Love one another as I have loved you”” (John 15, 12). So, the measure of love is sacrifice. Subterfuge does not stand before God. The evangelist John also says in his first epistle: “If someone says: I love God, but hates his brother, he is a liar! Because he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, God whom he has not seen, cannot love him. And we have this commandment from Him: He who loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4, 20-21)”.
In the pastoral letter, the Metropolitan of Cluj draws attention to the fact that “theoretical declarations of love have no value, because true love is sacrificial. It materializes in deeds”, and in this sense he quotes the Holy Apostle Paul, who tells us: “love is long-suffering; love is kind, love does not brag, it does not boast, it does not boast. Love does not act unseemly, it does not seek its own, it does not get angry, it does not think evil. He does not rejoice in injustice, but rejoices in the truth. He suffers all, believes all, hopes all, endures all. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13, 4-8).
“The supreme model of sacrificial love is the Lord Jesus Christ. He also teaches us: “This is my commandment: Love one another as I have loved you”, that is, to the point of sacrifice (John 15, 12). Love lays down its life for its neighbor: “No one has greater love than this, that he lays down his soul for his friends” (John 15, 13), affirmed His Eminence.
The hierarch also called for prayer for world peace and for the end of wars, which until now have claimed many lives and brought much suffering.
“Looking around us, we see that in a secularizing world, sacrificial love is ignored. Otherwise, how would the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East be explained?” His Eminence asked rhetorically and said that “sacrificial love should embrace the whole man, all the peoples, the whole humanity and the whole world. It is true that these words are too big and we are too small to implement them. But great is God, to whom we pray for peace. Christ, whose Resurrection we celebrate, is the Lord of Peace. On the day of His Resurrection, appearing among His disciples, “he said to them: Peace be with you!” (John 20, 19). He is the Lord of peace and sacrificial love.”
His Eminence ended this year’s Pastoral with the exhortation of Saint John Damascene: “Day of the Resurrection! And let us lighten up with the celebration, and embrace each other. Let’s say: to the brothers and those who hate us; to forgive all for the Resurrection. And so let us cry: Christ has risen from the dead, treading death upon death, and giving life to those in the graves”, exhortation followed by the wish: “May Christ the Risen from the dead fill you with sacrificial love and may the Easter holidays be yours full of joy”.
The pastoral was read in all the churches and monasteries within the Archdiocese of Vad, Feleac and Cluj, on the first day of Easter. At the same time, it can be read in full HERE.
The liturgical responses were given by the Choir of the Metropolitan Cathedral, directed by Fr. university professor Dr. Vasile Stanciu, director of the Doctoral School of Theology “Isidor Todoran” within the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Babeș-Bolyai University in the city.
At the end of the service, as a sign of appreciation and gratitude, for the entire administrative and pastoral activity, Metropolitan Andrei ordained a Stavrofor icon, with the right to wear the pectoral cross, the priest Prof. Dr. Silviu Cristian Rad, the director of the IT High School “Tiberiu Popoviciu ” from Cluj-Napoca.
The Easter Liturgy was performed in the presence of military and civil officials, numerous Cluj residents, people of culture and representatives of the academic environment, led by the academician Emil Burzo – the honorary president of the Cluj-Napoca Branch of the Romanian Academy, Mr. Mircea Abrudean – the general secretary of the Government of Romania, with the rank of minister, and colonel Sebastian-Florin Cliţan – commander of the “Ştefan Cicio-Pop” Mobile Gendarmerie Group from Cluj-Napoca. Many of those present participated in the service in front of the Cathedral in Avram Iancu Square, praying with the hierarch for those in trouble and suffering, for the end of wars, for peace, health and salvation of the world.
The service was broadcast live on TVR 3, TVR Cluj and on the Radio Renașteare frequencies: 91 MHz in Cluj, 99.1 MHz in Huedin and 102 MHz in Bistrița, as well as on the radio’s Facebook page.
More photos HERE
Text and photo: Darius Echim / Mitropolia Clujului
Tags: Holy Bishops Liturgy day Easter Metropolitan Cathedral ClujNapoca
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