His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian: the saints are the concrete example

of true humanity to which we must rise

Saturday, October 26, 2024, on the feast day of St. Martyr Demetrius, the Myrrh-Streamer, His Grace Ioan Casian, Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada, was present among the faithful of St. Demetrius the New Parish in Montreal, Quebec. The group of priests present included: Rev. Fr. Ioan Ceaușu, the parish priest of this church, Rev. Fr. Constantin Ciubotariu, Rev. Fr. Aurel Sas, Rev. Fr. Ioan Iancu, Rev. Fr. Dumitru Proca, Rev. Fr. Andrei Crețu, Rev. Fr. Ion Bogdan and Rev. Fr. Valerian Badan

In the sermon delivered at the end of the Holy Liturgy, HG Bishop Ioan Casian highlighted some of the important aspects of the life of the two Saints Demetrius celebrated in these two days: « Although they lived at about 1000 years difference, the two saints are linked by the life of holiness they lived, by the life with God. St. Martyr Demetrius lived in the 3rd century, towards the end of the period of great persecution against Christians, a period that ended with the Constantinian freedom in 312-313. We must not forget the fact that Emperor Constantine gave freedom to Christians, freedom that did not mean a privilege for Christians at that time, but the right to freely manifest their faith, to no longer be persecuted, imprisoned or killed because of their faith, to be able to build their own churches and places of worship, to be in line with other religious cults. Looking at Emperor Constantine and the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, for example, we see and can understand what it means to do your duty in your own generation. The decisions and deeds they have done remain as a mark in society. They mark the society and the following generations. The date and method of calculating the date of the Easter holiday were established by the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. Sunday was established as a feast day by the Emperor Constantine. This means doing your duty in the time and generation in which you live. »

Speaking about the witness that Christians can have today, the hierarch said:

« We must think very carefully about the impact that we, as Christians, can have today. God does not ask us to change the face of the world because we cannot do it; but what we can do is to humble ourselves to contemplate God's creation. Humility introduces us to the knowledge of this world as a work or result of God's creation. Contemplation removes the man from the bad ideas, from the arrogance and all the attitude of permanent contestation of the fact that the world has a divine foundation, that it has in it the seed of God's thought that stands at the bottom of the harmony by which it exists and moves. »

The hierarch of Canada further recalled the importance of the hope in God that the saints had: « St. Martyr Demetrius courageously professes the Christian faith and ends his life very early.

St. Demetrius the New, the Protector of Bucharest, lived during the time of the faithful Romanian-Bulgarian emperors, and not much is known about his life.

If we are concerned about our posterity, let us not forget the attitude we see in the life of St. Demetrius the New. Knowing that his end near, he builds his cave and dies in it. He did not take care of his posterity because he knew that the One who would remember him was God. Likewise, we must think that each of us is present in God's memory. Hope in God, in His care is what will remind to our fellows about us. »

Speaking about the 16 canonizations of the new Romanian saints, the hierarch emphasized the importance of this event:

« With the 16 recent canonizations of Romanian Saints, we understand more clearly that we lived and live among the saints. Many of us have personally known those saints canonized during our lifetime, and others we will know in the Kingdom of Heaven. In this way we see that the Church is alive; she is present through her saints among us today. It is a continuous presence over centuries in the society in which we live. She inspires, guides, and protects us. The saints are the brightness of God's face among us. »

Holiness is the nature of the human condition, said HG Bishop Ioan Casian:

« The saint is a person in the fullness of his being for which God created him. Holiness does not mean rising to a supernatural state. The holiness is the nature of man said Father Rafail Noica. If we want to be truly what God intended us to be, we must be like the saints. They are not superhuman. They are the true people; the saints are the concrete example of true humanity to which we must rise. »

The celebration ended with a traditional Romanian festive meal organized by Presbytera Mihaela Ceaușu together with the ladies of the community. The children’s choir of the parish delighted all those present with songs dedicated to St. Demetrius.

(notes by Nun Ana)