Patriarch of Romania: Christ transforms suffering into hope and weakness into victory

Patriarch Daniel of Romania reflected on the meaning of the Holy Cross on Sunday, September 20, stressing that Christians are called to carry the difficulties of life with faith in Christ.

“The Cross unites us with Christ, who transforms pain into joy, suffering into hope, loneliness into communion, and weakness into spiritual victory,” Patriarch Daniel said during the Divine Liturgy at the Chapel of Saint George the Great Martyr at the Patriarchal Residence.

Referring to Christ’s call to take up one’s cross, the Patriarch stressed that salvation requires a free response from each person.

“God wants people to respond freely to the call to salvation because salvation means love for God and for one’s neighbor,” he said.

Patriarch Daniel also explained that self-denial does not mean denying one’s personhood. Rather, he said, it means freeing oneself from egocentrism and becoming open to communion with God and others.

“Every person carries a cross” The Patriarch said that the suffering and trials people face can be understood as the cross each person carries in life.

“Every person carries the cross of their life, lighter or heavier, according to the strength of their…