These days Ss. Constantine and Helen Cathedral of Chicago was adorned with joy for the feast of its heavenly protectors. The patron saints of the Cathedral were honored with great reverence this year. The feast started on Thursday, May 20th, with Vespers service officiated by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae and the priests of the Cathedral. On May 21st, the day of their commemoration, it was served the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and His Eminence gave a sermon on the mission accomplished by the Holy Emperors.
The Feast day of the Cathedral continued on Sunday, May 23rd, the 4th Sunday after Pascha, with the celebration of the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. In his sermon, HE Nicolae first interpreted the Gospel of the Day about the healing of the Paralytic Man:
The Church Fathers see in the situation of this sick man of 38 years the very humanity that after Adam's sin was sick, weakened, departed from God and waiting salvation. The whole history of mankind from Adam to Christ is the history of man's attempt to regain God. From Adam to Christ we have a story of man's failure to find God. If man failed to find God by his own ability, God himself came. God Himself descended to earth, God Himself took the human body to heal the sick human nature, to reconcile man with God, to pass him through death, and to overcome even death. Death marked the failure of man's life apart from God. God himself came to raise him up. We see that this history of fallen mankind waiting for its Savior is very much condensed into the story of this sick man for 38 years who was also waiting for salvation.
This patient had a lot of patience, his illness together with patience turned into repentance. In repentance for his sins, because after he has healed him and they are reunited in the temple, the Savior draws his attention to "Henceforth ye sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto you" (John 5:14), a clear sign that his 38-year-old illness was the result of sin. Patience along with prayer turned into repentance for sin, and this repentance showed him ready to receive God Himself to heal him. At the fullness of time the Messiah came when mankind was ready to receive his Savior.
Then HE Nicolae spoke about the patron saints of the Cathedral: about the consciousness of his election from above of the Emperor Constantine to lead peace and unity in the Empire, the freedom granted to Christians by the Edict of Milano and the many laws favorable to Christianity, laws by which he established the beginning of a Christian Empire. All this was accomplished with the advice of his mother, St. Helen, which brought them the honor "Equal to the Apostles:"
We can now better understand, after many months of restrictions on service in the Church, this favorable attitude towards Christians shown by St. Constantine. Until recently, it seemed like a beautiful story from history books. Now it acquires the deep meaning of understanding the choice from above and fulfilling a special mission to spread Christianity in the world, as opposed to the "restrictive" understanding of the rulers of our world.
The feast of Ss. Constantine and Helen Cathedral ended with the festive meal and the program offered by the children of the Cathedral. In the opening of the program, Father Viorel Vîlcu from the Dormition of the Mother of God parish, Nicolae Bălcescu village, Tulcea district, a parish paired with our Cathedral, addressed a word of greeting to His Eminence Nicolae, the priests and the faithful of the Cathedral on the occasion of the patron saint. Then he presented a short program prepared by the children from the parish with Daria Irimia, a first-grade girl.
The children of the Cathedral have prepared a program of songs and poems dedicated to the Solemn Year of the Pastoral Care of Romanians abroad. HE Nicolae then handed diplomas to the winners at the 2021 Religion Olympics, local phase: prizes 1, 2, 3 for the age groups 7-13 years and 14-18 years. Also, the Diploma of honor and distinction Mother of the Year 2021, offered by the Association of Ladies of Our Metropolia (AROLA), together with several books, to Mrs. Ana Gabriela Iuhaș, member of the Cathedral.
In conclusion, His Eminence Nicolae thanked all the volunteers who prepared this celebration, the teachers from Sunday School, the kitchen team and all the donors. Then he congratulated all those who bear the name of Holy Emperors, Constantine or Helen. The celebration was also attended by Mr. Tiberiu Trifan, Consul General of Romania in Chicago together with his wife.
