Pastoral Message of His Grace Ioan Casian at the Beginning of the New Ecclesiastical Year 202001-09-2020
† IOAN CASIAN
by the grace of God
Bishop of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Canada
To the beloved Clergy and Christian worshipers, peace and joy from Christ the Lord, and from us pastoral blessing.
Reverend Fathers, Beloved faithful,
The Apostle of the nations says: “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle - I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying - a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth” (1 Timothy 2, 5-7).
The beginning of the ecclesiastical year, September 1st, is an occasion for renewal and blessing. in the spirit of what St. Paul said to his disciple Timothy. There is a renewal and blessing that comes from the one God through His Son Jesus Christ who is the Mediator. God the Father sent the Son to become man in order for man to be deified according to the grace. The beginning of the ecclesiastical year gives us an opportunity to strengthen and reaffirm our understanding of the central role of the Savior Jesus Christ in our human history. The beginning of the ecclesiastical year is an important occasion to emphasize the Christological character of our path to salvation and to the kingdom of heaven.
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Let us dare to put our hope at the beginning of this new ecclesiastical year in the mediating action of the Son of God and open our hearts by faith to the Holy Spirit in order to be guided and helped to grow spiritually in family and in society.
With joy and love in the Lord Jesus Christ,
+ Ioan Casian
The Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada
Saint-Hubert, September 1st, 2020