Saint John Jacob of Neamț was specially celebrated this year at the Protection of the Mother of God Monastery in Allegan, Michigan. Friday evening, August 4, 2023, the faithful arrived at the monastery where they could enjoy the beautiful scenery, reminding them of their native land, Romania. The monastic community performed the Vigil service (Vespers, Blessing of the Loaves, Matins) in honor of the protector of the Monastery. The next day, Saturday August 5, the feast day of Saint Ioan Iacob from Neamț, the Divine Liturgy was performed.
His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae joined the celebration on Saturday evening by participating in the Vespers service with the Blessing of the Loaves in honor of the royal feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. After the service, HE Nicolae spoke about the meaning of the Gospel that was to be read on Sunday had it not been the feast day. The Gospel was on the miracle of walking on the sea and the calming of the storm (Matthew 14, 22 -34, 9th Sunday after Pentecost).
The Hierarchical Liturgy was performed on Sunday, August 6, by HE Metropolitan Nicolae and the ministers of the Monastery. The pilgrims had the opportunity to cleanse their souls through the Sacrament of Confession and they also had the joy of partaking in the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, as it should be, especially during this period of the Fast of the Dormition of the Mother of God.
At the time of the sermon, IPS Nicolae interpreted the event of the Transfiguration of the Lord:
Christ took Peter, James and John, up on the mountain and revealed Himself to them as God. The troparion says that He revealed His glory “insofar as they could comprehend”. It was granted to these three Apostles to behold the glory of God as much as they were humanly able. They had begun to understand something of the mystery of their Teacher, from His words and the miracles He performed. In a moment of divine inspiration, Peter had recognized Christ as “the Son of God”. But only on Mount Tabor did the Apostles understand what these words meant. Only when they saw His face shining like the sun and heard the words, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him” (Matt. 17:5), only then did the disciples understand the mystery of the “Son of God”: that the Kingdom of the Father had come, that they were participating in it, and that they desired to remain in it through communion with the Son of God. “Lord, it is good for us to be here.” It is good for man to remain in the light of God…
The Transfiguration of our Lord on Mount Tabor is the assurance of the coming of the Messiah. For on the face of Christ we see not the reflection of the divine light, but the Light itself. The shining Image of Christ is not only the image of the prophet chosen by God, but is the image of God. From the Lord’s Transfiguration man can truly say that he has seen God; and this vision changes his destiny: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We who see the image of Christ with faith that He is God and man makes us worthy of a “transformation”, a direct sight, face to face, of the glory of God foretasted in this life and fulfilled in the eternal Kingdom.
Then, HE Nicolae recalled the life of St. Ioan Iacob of Neamț and emphasized the saint's connections with America. First through Archbishop Victorin, the archpastor of the Romanians in America between 1966 and 2001, who recommended St. Ioan Iacob for ordination as hierodeacon and then hieromonk in 1947, when he was the Abbot of the Romanian Settlements in the Holy Land. After his ordination, St. Ioan Iacob served as abbot of the Romanian Hermitage of St. John the Baptist in the Jordan Valley. During the 5 year of this obedience, St. Ioan formed a spiritual friendship with Archimandrite Victorin; a friendship that continued after Father Victorin's departure to America in 1958, as evidenced by the correspondence between the two. The saint's second connection with America is through the Greek Father Panteleimon, former servant at the Holy Sepulcher during the earthly days of St. Ioan. Thanks to Father Panteleimon’s insistence, the relics of St. Ioan Iacob were discovered in August 1980.Throughout this weekend, the pilgrims listened several poems and edifying words of St. Ioan Iacob, primarily the verses dedicated to his Romanian compatriots:
"Wanderer sons of my country,
Troubled among strangers,
Don't forget your purpose
By Romanians and Christians."
At the end of this beautiful celebration, HE Metropolitan Nicolae announced the date of the consecration of the monastery church for Sunday, October 1, 2023, the first feast day of the Monastery, the Protection of the Mother of God, and urged all those present to participate in the organization of this event.
