Australia’s Romanian Bishop has issued an Easter Encyclical – ‘We are called to respond to God’s love by following Christ’.
Bishop Mihail, who heads the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, noted in his Easter encyclical that “we are called to respond to God’s love by following His Son Jesus Christ. Just as Christ’s humility was complete, so too the discipleship we humans must go through must be to the end, calling at all times for his help in our lives, in our spiritual work.”
Bishop Mihail urged that when we try to do God’s will, “we should put aside selfishness or vain glory, and leave the worldly cares that separate man from God, in order to give our lives to God, concentrating on the spiritual work to walk in faith on the path shown to us by Christ, so that we may acquire the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“Let us stand aright, let us attend how we spend our lives, following Christ who rose from the dead. Let us not worry about passing things: food, drink, expensive clothes, and riches. Neither be partakers of feasts and parties in drunkenness and sinful revelry.”
“Let no one boast, despising the poor and needy, and let him who is tempted subdue the lust of vain glory by humility and Christian mercy.”
In his pastoral letter, Bishop Mihail stressed the need to support the elderly who “need help from those close to them, the young, children and grandchildren. With the elderly, we must be patient and understanding; for them, we must pray and protect them, showing them understanding and Christian love.”
The Romanian Bishop of Australia and New Zealand concluded his pastoral letter for Holy Pascha by urging the faithful “to offer prayers of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord God and to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead for our salvation.”
Photography courtesy of the Basilica.ro Files
Source: basilica.ro