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Easter is not just something, is someone, is Christ Himself, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church told those who attended the Saint Vasile Liturgy, he held jointly with the Vespers at the Patriarchal Cathedral, alongside the members of the Holy Synod.
"The new Easter is not something, is someone, is Christ Himself. That's why, the Holy Apostle Pavel said: 'Our Easter, Christ, sacrificed for us. So Christ is the mystical content, secret content of the Holy Easter. But this secret of His sacrificial love, humble until the end, was shown through the Holy Eucharist. The Lord's Supper or the Holy Eucharist shows the whole love of Jesus Christ until the end. (...) So the Lord's Supper means the humble and forgiving love, which is stronger than any sin, stronger than the hate and violence of those who crucified Christ, it's stronger than any power in this world, for it is His humble love and the strongest at the same time," explained the Patriarch.
He brought to mind that today we celebrate "four special moments" in the life and the work of the Savior, and we need to pay a special attention to emotions and His lessons.
The Patriarch underscored that "we no longer have wine and bread before us, we have Christ's body and soul."
During the service, after the consecration of the Eucharistic Gifts, it took place the consecration of the Holy Oil.
At the end of the service, each diocese of the Romanian Patriarchy received five liters of the Holy Oil that is used in the consecration of churches and in the service of the Holy Chrismation.
We celebrate four things on the Holy Thursday: the washing of the feet, the Lord's Supper, that is, the teaching of the terrifying Mysteries, the supreme prayer and the sale (the betrayal) of the Lord, says basilica.ro.
The Holiness of the Holy Oil takes place in the Romanian Orthodox Church for the 22nd time since it was granted autocephaly. The event takes place on the exact day when there are celebrated 134 years since the issuance of the Tomos of Autocephaly the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The last time when the Romanian Orthodox Church consecrated the Holy Oil was back in 2010.
