The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the sign of victory of his humbled love and gives meaning to our lives, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said in his sermon for the Easter Vigil on Saturday night.
"Christ's love is stronger than death, meaning He did not respond to evilness by evilness, to violence by violence. He did not respond to sin by sin, but won over sin through holiness and prayed even for those who crucified Him, saying, 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.' This crucified love proves victorious through the resurrection," the Patriarch told the faithful at the Patriarchate Cathedral in Bucharest after the Mass, also attended by President Klaus Iohannis and his wife and broadcast by Romania's public television and some private stations.
Deeds in the name of love for God never perish, the Patriarch reminded Romanians, among which Orthodox Christians are the overwhelming majority.
"The Resurrection gives a meaning to our lives, showing us that this life on earth, although ephemeral, has infinite value. Each human person, called to resurrection and immortality, has a unique and infinite value. This is God's love to humans; not the mere forgiveness of sin, but the rising of Man to the glory of eternal life, in love for the Holy Trinity," he explained.
He urged everyone to spread acts of charitable love, and also mentioned Romanians abroad, for whom the faithful should also pray. "There are many children without parents in some villages, and many parents are helpless because their sons or daughters are far away, not near them as they had hoped, to give them support in their old age," he insisted.
In 2017, Orthodox and Catholic Christians will again celebrate Easter on the same day, as it happened in 2010, 2011 and in 2014, but not last year and this year.