For the Holy Feast of the Entrance of the Lord to Jerusalem we were blessed with the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae in our parish, the Resurrection of the Lord, in Sacramento. His Eminence arrived on Saturday night. The Great Vespers service was held for the feast of the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem, and then a fraternal agape took place.
The next morning, the Parish Priest Teodor Gîrlonța, accompanied by Father Emanuel Sigartău and Father Aurel Zmeu, welcomed His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae for the Hierarchical Liturgy. At the time of the sermon, the Metropolitan urged the faithful to read the Holy Scriptures and to pray more in the forthcoming Passion Week:
"The Savior enters Jerusalem on the donkey’s colt, comes to bring peace, peace meaning the reconciliation of man with God, the reconciliation of man with himself in the depths of his soul, the reconciliation of man with his neighbors. The Savior comes to announce that He has come to bring and to show the peace between God and His creation. He enters like a king of peace fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah chapter 9, verse 9: ‘Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion, for behold, your king humbly enters the colt of the donkey’ ...
During this week we should spiritually follow the Lord’s steps toward the crucifixion, desire to defend Him before the judges, show steadfastness in the faith, and refrain from rejecting Him. Let us also suffer with the Man Jesus who suffered for us and gave his life on the Cross as a ransom! With the confidence that He passed through death overcoming it as God, with the joy that the powers of hell have been shattered, with the belief that we share in the light of the Resurrection at every Holy Liturgy, and with the hope that if Christ is risen, we too will be risen!”
After the sermon, Father Teodor thanked him for his presence and especially for the encouragement we feel as a parish with this pastoral visit, as well as for the prayers of HE, to help us understand the purpose and place of our parish in our Mother Church. After the Divine Liturgy, we had a fraternal agape with all the faithful present.
We give thanks again to the Most Reverend Father for the long journey and the effort made with this pastoral visit. Glory to our God!
Written by
Pompiliu Gîrlonța
