Thursday, June 6, on the occasion of the Lord's Ascension Bishop Ioan Casian served the Divine Liturgy at St. George's Cathedral in Saint-Hubert.

Also on this occasion a commemorative religious service for all the Romanian heroes who fought over time for the Orthodox faith, for the defense of the homeland, for the unity of the people and for freedom, was held.

In the sermon pronounced His Grace said:

The Ascension of the Lord is the event that ends the time when the disciples receive from God in Christ the assurance that the mystery of the salvation of man is fulfilled. During the forty days the encounters with the risen Christ confirms, strengthens and proves the truth of those already announced in the course of his earthly life - His Resurrection. We find in the Gospels read in this period many of the encounters of the disciples with the risen Christ.

Jesus Christ once again invites the disciples before the Ascension to the belief proven by sight. He further strengthens their belief that what is happening with them is the fulfillment of a promise. God remain true to His word. He holds His promise to save man in his Son. He remains consistent with all that has been said by Him over time by patriarchs, kings, prophets and righteous of the Old Testament. The New Testament is nothing more than the story of the fulfillment of this long history of struggle to reach the saving purpose of human history.

At the same time He opens their minds to the divine things. Without the opening of mind, man remains opaque in understanding the work of God. If the minds of the disciples are open at the Lord’s ascension to understand the spiritual things, they are still invited to have patience until they receive the power from above which would give them the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the mission they were called to. Without the help of the Holy Spirit their work cannot be fulfilled because salvation is not in the power of man but of God. Man is invited through the general and sacramental priesthood to participate in this saving purpose.

At the end the hierarch blessed those present.