Irenical letter of the Patriarch of Romania at the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord Irenical letter of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church addressed to His Holiness Bartholomaios, Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch. According to the Romanian Orthodox tradition, on the occasion of the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church sends similar irenic Paschal Messages to the other Primates of the Autocephalous and Autonomous Orthodox Churches, as well as to certain leaders of Christian Churches and international Christian organisations.
His Holiness BARTHOLOMAIOS,
Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome,
Ecumenical Patriarch
Your Holiness,
CHRIST IS RISEN!
“Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4)
These words of Saint Paul the Apostle, as well as whatever the Holy Fathers of the Church teach us, reveal the basic truth of our faith, namely that between the Mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Christ and the Sacrament of the Baptism of Christians there is a holy spiritual life giving relationship. It is through Baptism in water and the Spirit that the believer re-establishes his relationship of eternal life and love with the Holy Trinity, because he was created in the image of the Holy Trinity when God said: “Let us make mankind in Our image, in Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).
Today, we must know more and better what it means to be baptised, namely to be Christian or bear the name of Christ, in a world faced with the phenomenon of secularisation, with religious pluralism and syncretism.
Therefore, let us pray Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord, to help us live throughout all our life the joy of Baptism as a joy of the resurrection of our soul from the death of sin and make fruitful the gifts of the Holy Spirit which we received at Baptism! Let us multiply, through prayer and good deeds, the fruits of the Holy Baptism and, thus, bring joy wherever there is sadness! Let us help those fallen to raise and strengthen the weak ones! Let us feed the hungry, both materially and spiritually, and consider every human being as an Easter candle, loved by God the Father of Lights, Who calls us to the peace, joy and glory of the Heavenly Kingdom!
In the holy light of the Resurrection of the Lord, in the communion of the Orthodox faith and of prayer, we wish You peace and much joy in the Holy Spirit and assure You of our fraternal love and esteem in the Risen Christ.
† DANIEL
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
