Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church addresses, in the Christmas pastoral letter, a call to merciful love and solidarity towards all people, but especially towards those who suffer because of the war, told Agerpres.
"Let us cultivate the peace of our hearts received from Christ, through prayer and good deeds, and let us pray for peace between peoples. Let us show merciful love and solidarity towards all people, but especially towards those who suffer because of war, let us bring the joy of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ to the homes of orphaned children, to the homes for the elderly, to the bedside of the sick, but also where there is a lot of sadness, loneliness and depression, in poor, bereaved and grieving families. Wherever we can do good, we should do it by carrying, in soul and deed, the joy of the angels, shepherds and magi who came to Bethlehem!," affirms His Beatitude Daniel, in the pastoral message sent on the occasion of the Nativity, according to the Basilica News Agency of the Romanian Patriarchate .
The Patriarch points out that "the Son of God, Jesus Christ, comes down to the world to be born, to grow up and save us, to reconcile us with God (according to. 2 Corinthians 5, 18-19), thus uniting heaven and earth", " in this sense, the gift of peace of the soul or the reconciliation of man with God, with himself and with his fellow men, is requested through prayer and is cultivated through good thoughts, words and deeds, so that the inner peace of the soul becomes a source of social peace, of peace in family, in the community and in the world".
"The Holy Fathers of the Church teach us that selfish passions, such as greed or the obsessive love of wealth, power and pleasure and other similar things, produce disorder in the soul, and this disorder then is reflected in the relationships between people, which become tense, confrontational and even violent, especially because of the injustices and sufferings created by greed or by the desire of some peoples to rule over other peoples. When human thinking is darkened by selfish passions, it produces disorder and much evil in the soul and in society, instead, the wisdom that comes from God is "pure, then peaceful, gracious, dutiful, full of mercy and good fruits, unquestioning and righteous. And the fruit of justice is sown in peace by those who work for peace," Patriarch Daniel further said.
The head of the Romanian Orthodox Church calls for us to remember in our prayers the Romanians outside the country, those around Romania's borders and from the Romanian diaspora, "so that we preserve, with much brotherly love, the unity of faith and nation".
On the occasion of the Holy Nativity Feast, the New Year 2023 and the Baptism of the Lord, the Patriarch addresses to all "paternal blessings, wishes for health and salvation, peace and joy, happiness and much help from God in all good deeds, together with the traditional greeting: Manyy Happy Returns!."
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