THOUGHTS ON PALM SUNDAY

The end of the Great Lent is soon to be counted. Before we enτer the Holy Week, we actually
celebrate a much known Sunday. Is the Palm Sunday. I will try to address few words on the
Palm Sunday and its significance. In the ancient Israel, the capital of the state of Israel was the
city of Jerusalem. Israel according to the ancient traditions was the country of the “elected
nation of God.” In the Old Testament, God has made explicit His will for the election of a
special land or nationality. Until the year 1 AD this nationality was, whether we agree or not,
Israel. Of course at the time of ancient Israel, there were different nationalities grouped on the
map. At the time of the ancient Israel there were very much in fashion Mesopotamia, Persia,
Assyria, Chaldea, Phoenicia and many other Semitic countries. These are countries and
civilizations that today do not exist. We know of them only from the history handbooks.
Thus, we must know that the times of our Lord Jesus Christ were very unlikely like our times.
Customs, thinking, mentality were of a different kind. In the Palm Sunday we actually celebrate
the triumphant entry of our Lord Jesus Christ in the city of Jerusalem. Why is called Palm
Sunday? Is called Palm Sunday due to the fact that Israelites in order to show their exaltation
for a person and their sense of reverence used to make shown this sing by having Palm
branches set in front of the person that was celebrated. This was very much a Semitic custom
that does not exist today any longer.
Palm Sunday is actual for something else in fact. As our Lord Jesus Christ was the Messiah
expected in the Old Testament, and foretold by the wisest among the ancients, at the time of
His exultation He has shown a very keen sense of humility entering in triumph in the city of
Jerusalem, the capital of the country of Israel very humble sitting on a donkey. The “triumphal”
entrance on a donkey was a very controversial issue for those days, when probably most used
horses and camels. Evidently, our Lord Jesus Christ did not wanted to be considered a
“powerful ruler and a state authority” as the Israelites were thinking of the prerogatives of
Messiah.
The entrance of out Lord Jesus Christ in the city of Jerusalem on a donkey has remained deeply
into the memory of humankind. Son of God was marching very quiet and very lax so to say to
the main city of the Israelites for the last encounter with the Jerusalem Temple. At the times of
Christ, Jerusalem was the residence of hardcore Judaism. From Jerusalem was directed all the
religious life of ancient Israel. Today there still can be seen the ruins of the main religious
edifices of ancient Israel.
There is much that we can learn from the Palm Sunday lesson. I would say, that what we can
learn the most is humility. Son of God Jesus Christ did not consider an injury entering a capital
that was rumoring with men of all human condition very meek and humble. The entrance of
our Lord in the city of Jerusalem was “triumphant” only in the exterior appearances. As the
past attested Our Lord Jesus Christ did not make a case out of this, like our modern day
officials do when they visit a capital or a famous metropolis.
The contrast of a “accepted and recognized Messiah” who just at those times rose his friend
Lazarus of Bethany from the dead, was very much contrasting with the appearance on a
donkey. This would be in our modern days like the entrance of a state or country president into
an official visit of a different country by a bicycle [at the times of Christ there were not
invented bicycles] or a foot.
What is the most striking element in the Palm Sunday topic is the entrance of Christ on a
donkey. As we can see crowds were in frolic exultations exclaiming Hosanna and many Judaic
typical exclamation for a moment they have expected very much. The entrance on a donkey
into the city of Jerusalem of our Lord Jesus Christ was not well seen by the state authorities of
Israel. The state authorities of Israel were expecting eventually something of a “kingly royal
march or so.” It is most likely that they wanted something more impressive or something more
with glamour and grandeur. This was eventually one of the reasons that made Israelites in a
matter of few days to sentence to death our Lord Jesus Christ. The donkey in the biblical
narrative of the Palm Sunday was seen as a defying act to the prestige of the land of Israel. For
Christianity donkeys are sacred animals actually. As Christians, every times we see a donkey
we actually think to the Palm Sunday.
Theologian Radu Teodorescu

RESSURECTION OF CHRIST
End of suffering

None of us we like to suffer. Whether there is a “physical suffering”, a soul suffering, an inner
suffering most men run away from the issue of suffering. Is the same with women, none of
women do not like to suffer. But unfortunately as we can see suffering is common in our
environment. Whether there is an illness, a sickness, a misfortune we all suffer of something.
There is no man as we have come to know who did not encounter the sense of suffering in his
life. Evidently not too many would like to write today on suffering. We think that those who are
accustomed with suffering are the physicians and the doctors in our emergency rooms.
In orthodox theology there are theologians that are concerned with the issue of suffering.
Thus, there are many theologians who tell us that suffering has spiritual causes not only
material causes. A famous modern theologian who deals with this issue of suffering in
orthodox understanding is the French theologian Jean Claude Larchet. He has a major book on
the Orthodox sense of suffering.
Suffering is unfortunately a conduction of human nature. We can see this from hospitals to car
accidents that take place very often in our days. There is not much that we can actually say to
a man that driving with some 200 miles or so per hour gets amputated for the rest of his days.
This is suffering and tragedy. But we must know that all suffering that we encounter has
“causes”. There is no lack of cause in the suffering that we see. We can ask thus what was the
cause of the suffering of our lord Jesus Christ on the cross? There must have been a cause of
this great suffering. Theologians respond to this question that the cause of the suffering of our
lord Jesus Christ was His great love for humankind. Bible tells us that God so much loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son for it.
The condition of human suffering, pain, sickness and the like are having new understandings in
the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. In our Lord Jesus Christ actually suffering becomes a blessing.
As we know our Lord Jesus has assumed the condition of suffering. The assuming of human
suffering of Christ is a very hard theological issue for theologians. Orthodox theology tell us
that our Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross voluntarily. As a human, our Lord has feared the
cross. As the Son of God, He was beyond the human notions of suffering.
The “understanding of the cause of suffering” in humankind, can be discovered and solved
only in our Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ human suffering becomes understandable. Our
Lord Jesus Christ did not speck only of physical suffering, but above all of moral suffering.
Moral suffering in case of Christian is the lack of the presence of God. The lack of the presence
of God can create suffering in human beings. In the measure we are near our source of
existence we are very much happy. A life with God is not a suffering one, a life without God is
very much a suffering one.
There is as the cross of Christ has shown us a pedagogical aspect of suffering. Many times God
leaves us to suffer so we do not forget of the essential things in life. There are many who
actually value religion only after some serious suffering. Orthodox Christianity does not believe
in a “sadistic” aspect of suffering. But there are many cases that we know of men who actually
came to be good and honest persons only after some serious suffering in their lives. When
men live in great sins and careless for the word of God, God allows suffering for those men.
The famous example that we have in the Bible of suffering is the righteous Job. Holy Fathers
tell us that Job from the Old Testament is a prefigutation of the suffering of Christ on the cross.
From among one of the most healthy and rich men of the ancient times, Job comes to loose all
his health and income. The word of righteous Job in front of suffering “God gave, God took
away, may the name of God be blessed” are very much the same with the words of our Lord
Jesus Christ while on the cross has said to God: Father forgive them for they do not know what
they do.” IN the Bible, righteous Job and our Lord Jesus Christ have many in common. God
allows human suffering to tempt and to test our love for Him. The testing of our love for God is
made by many means but mostly there is a aim in all the sufferings that we encounter in our
lives. Many times God is asking us to come to Him by the sufferings that we endure. In this
way, what seems to be a “depressing” aspect of the human life, may come to be blessing.
Suffering with God is not the same with suffering without God.
Theologian Radu Teodorescu

ECCE HOMO
The Pontius Pilate theological typology

The trial and final condemnation of crucifixion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ are very
common and very debated subjects. They are subject to famous movie industries such as the
super production of Franco Zeffirely Jesus of Nazareth or more recently the Passion of Christ by
Mel Gibson. There are many movies and super productions made with the life of our lord Jesus
Christ. We can mention here the famous Martins Scorsese Production: The last temptation of
Christ. I do not know if someone has actually measured all the movie productions made with
the life of Christ.
Anyway, in all the famous movie productions, that some of them take us far away from the
Bible epic, the role of Pontius Pilate, the roman procurator of Judea seems to be one of the
most controversial. Is not my aim to write here on the history or the biography of Pontius
Pilate, although we know many things on him, but about his sense of guilt in the trial and final
condemnation of our Lord to death.
It is very true that by not studying carefully the Bible we all come to condemn Pilate for the
crucifixion of Lord Jesus Christ. But theologians do not think that Pilate can be blamed
completely for the crucifixion of Christ. As we can read the New Testament, Pontius Pilates has
made many attempts to save our Lord Jesus Christ from such a “shameful death.” Even in front
of the huge crowd of men gathered in front of the Roman Pretoria residence of Jerusalem,
Pontius Pilate did have the courage to ask the rioting masses of men: do you want me to
crucify your king? I find no blame in Him.
Roman procurator Pontius Pilate can be said that is innocent for the crucifixion of Christ. As a
proof of this as well as all know he has washed his hands in front of everybody telling them
that he is innocent of the “blood of this righteous.” Pontius Pilate is actually the only person
that during the lying trial procedures of the crucifixion of Christ took some attitude.
Evidently, in the context of those times, Pontius Pilate was very much strange of the Jewish
culture. While the main aim of the Israelites was the expectation of Messiah, Romans did not
have any “messianic expectations.” Secondly Romans that were the masters of Israel at the
time of Christ were not Judaic as was the religion of Israel. It is true that most public religious
faiths of the Romans were very much polytheistic, but as we can read the Latin classics of
some 2000 years ago there were among Romans monotheists and men of faith.
In the context of Israel of 2000 years ago theologians do not think that Roman Procurator
Pontius Pilate can be thought of being the cause of the crucifixion of Christ. Who was the main
cause of the crucifixion of Christ were the Israelite religious leaders, especially the Sanhedrin,
the gathering of the elders and of the main religious authorities of ancient Israel. While the Old
Testament spoke of the coming of a spiritual Messiah, the Israel Sanhedrin of the times of
Christ was expecting the coming of a “state Messiah” meaning a Messiah of governing power
who eventually in that context would set them free from the Roman occupations. The Israel
Sanhedrin wanted too see Lord Jesus Christ as a “patriotic Messiah.”
Fortunately, as we can read the New Testament, Pontius Pilate, the roman procurator had a
clue about this or from his contact with the person of Lord Jesus Christ he realized that he is
not dealing with a common man. This had made him to use the famous historical words: ecce
home, this is the man, behold the man. Pontius Pilates, had remained in the memory of
humankind as a “aggressor” for condemning to death a innocent man. The way to condemned
our lord Jesus Christ was not actualy a fair and just one. The main religious authorities of the
land of Israel were “jeopardizing” Pilate actually to make his commit this monstrous deed by
“sophistic maneuvers.” While our Lord Jesus Christ has founded the New Covenant the New
Testament, the Sanhedrin of Israel presented Him to the Romans as a kind of “detractor to the
imperial state authority of Roman rule.” In this sense, the Israelite made Pontius Pilate to
believe that out Lord Jesus Christ was actually an enemy of the Roman Empire wanting to
make Himself a king of Israel, beyond the established roman rule. May God save us all from
such a great sin of confusion.
Theologian Radu Teodorescu

ON DISCIPLINE AND SPIRITUALITY

In the present lines I will try to address few words on the need for “discipline” and mostly
Church discipline. As we know, Orthodox Church is a Church that is known for its discipline.
Why the Church does supports discipline and mostly order in her activity? I will like to answer
to this by the fact that the opposite of discipline and order is chaos. Orthodox values are not
“chaotic values.” Sainthood and life with God is not by any means a life of chaos and lack of
order. We can speck thus about a very broad notion of orthodox discipline. First we must have
discipline when we stay with our fellow men in Church.
Orthodox Churches are open to the large masses. But before we enter and a attend a liturgy in
a Church we must know well all the main points of the ritual that we attend. Thus, for instance,
if we attend a Vespers service we cannot be like the same like attending a liturgy. While we
attend vespers and we are familiar with the end of the day, attending Matins [Orthros] we
attend a service that celebrates the beginning of the day. Orthodox Church addresses a warm
asking to all those who are not “seriously involved” in Church discipline not to disturb during
the lent and the Pascal period orthodox services. Especially in the urban areas there are many
who are doing lots of harm to the Orthodox liturgical services in this period. We must
understand that orthodox prayer is common but there is orthodox prayer that is private. When
we attend orthodox services we must be sure not to disturb our fellow men who eventually
attend orthodox services for prayer.
It is necessary for us to learn the orthodox discipline and be submissive while we stay in
Church. In the same way we have discipline in schools and the place we work we must have a
discipline in our Orthodox Church. Thus, while we enter a church we must make sure we do not
enter and leave the Church and make noise to not let other who want to concentrate to the
service. We would like to address that those who do not have a regulate religious Church life
are not welcomed to the orthodox services. Thus, Orthodox Church does not encourage the
great affluence of on men during the Easter and Pascal Period while the rest of the Lenten
times, orthodox churches are very much empty.
We must have a discrete and organized behavior while we attend an orthodox church service.
Orthodox Church addresses the need for decency and understanding for those who attend
orthodox services. The Lenten and the Pascal periods are major periods for the Orthodox
Christians. IN these periods we commemorate all that took place of the person of our Lord
Jesus Christ, especially the passion and the resurrection. Those, who attend orthodox services
must have a valid orthodox baptism, most make sure they do not visit the Church only to make
noise and to disturb others. Orthodox liturgy is open for any one, but mostly for those who are
baptized in the Orthodox Church. Thus, we must know that we cannot take communion if we
do not have a valid orthodox baptism.
Orthodox Easter is a celebration mostly of the Orthodox Christians. Thus, in this period we
must all learn the discipline of the orthodox spirituality and try to accept what the Church is
trying to teach us. In this sense, when we all sing during the Pascal period Christ is risen from
the dead, we expect to see singing this Pascal song mostly those who have constantly
attended the services during great lent.
The orthodox discipline during lent is very somber and grave. During great lent we all repeat
most text that take us to the need of repentance and compunction in front of God. During this
Period of time Orthodox Church has “Great Canon of repentance of Saint Andrew of Crete” who
is asking us to come to our senses and have a honest and good life. Orthodox Church teaches
and advises us to be open and good with our fellow men in this period of time and to try to be
forgiving. We all must forgive and ask God to forgive us all. Orthodox lent is thus a asking to
come to have good relations of peace, understanding and well being one with the other. This is
why orthodox services are open to the large masses so we can learn and accept one another in
the communion of love. A divided mankind, a hating human society is not the aim of the
Orthodox Church. This is why the Orthodox services are trying very much to teach us to love
one another other than using the bad choice of hatred and lack of acceptance for our fellow
men. The period of the Great Lent is a period that we must use to learn about God and about
the causes of our own discipline.
Theologian Radu Teodorescu
ON HOW THEOLOGIANS SEE THE CONCEPT OF ODYSSEY?
Odyssey and the Great Lent

Starting with the Hellenic literary and erudite Homer (Ομερος) ancient world had developed
very much the concept of Odyssey. For many erudite persons the concept of Odyssey was very
much a myth, a fairytale while for others Odyssey is a legend. Obviously many of us we love
the Odyssey although we think is just a Hellenic epic story. Odyssey is very much e literary
epic and it does not have much theological content outside the many “divinities” that we
encounter that were something typical for the ancient times.
What is peculiar to Odyssey and what is to remember for the theologians, is its “trial and
attempts” character. The main personage of this epic is the imaginary Odysseus, a man who
actually goes to war with the Trojans and finally defeats them. The genius of Homer we find in
his “intellectual constructions” around this historical truth, the wars of Troy. There are no
questions that the war conflicts of Troy existed as most historians agree. Odyssey starts
actually when Odysseus comes back from battle with the Trojans. While the way home to the
island of Ithaca was to be made in few weeks, Odysseus comes back actually only after some
10 to 15 years. His arrival home is delayed by many trials and ordeals events, such as the
seeing of the SYRENS, [women that were half human half fish and who were asking and
tempting him not to come back to his home].
In the Odyssey of Homer we find a very basic orthodox and Christian notion: the one of
temptation. Odysseus as any Christian in his way to God is actually tempted. We all suffer of
temptations, trials and ordeals on our way to God. Our way to God can be described as an
Odyssey. But our way to God is not any Odyssey is the way to the source of what is created
and made.
Great Lent and all that we do during lent is so to say an Odyssey to God. Lent and Odyssey
have very much in common the fact that we are all tempted and subject to trials. This is why
we ask God in The Royal Prayer: “and lead us not into temptation.” We can say in this way that
each person that is under the search of God is so to say into a kind of Odyssey.
We could be said that Odyssey is probably not a very good literary example for the period of
the Great Lent. I think that we need to stress today the “ordeal” and tempting character of the
“Odyssey” into a modern world that actually does not have too much knowledge of the notion
of “limit.” We can see in that in our modern days the need for speed and as much as it can be
depravity is very common. The message of the great lent is very much the message of the
Odyssey so to say. We all need to have the sense of renouncing to what is useless in our way
to God.
Each man has a kind of Odyssey to God. The massage of the Odyssey as seen by theologians
is that God is the one that in the process of looking for Him is taking us to the “peaks of
contemplation and fullness of life.” There are many today who read the ancient epics of the
ancient times without seeing connections with the modern lives. In our modern lives we have
very much in common the notion of temptation. Great Lent is a way for us to educate our
spiritual sense and make us receptive to superior stage for the life of God.
Orthodoxy Christianity is so to say an Odyssey to God. We start with the orthodox baptism and
we end with the prayer for the departed ones. Orthodox Christian Odyssey is not an Odyssey
of war [the going to the Trojans] and a returning to the native lands [the coming to Ithaca],
God is the main aim of this “spiritual Odyssey]. In fact we all Orthodox Christians are into a
kind of Odyssey into this life. For orthodox Christians, Odyssey is the journey to God which
takes place in out lives. Each of humans is asked to come to God. This asking of God to come
to Him is can be actually seen as an Odyssey.
In present lines I was trying to present an Orthodox Christian understanding of the concept of
Odyssey. Great Lent can be a possibility of Odyssey for each and all of us. Coming to meet
with God can be in many instances an Odyssey, meaning the meeting with God is not going to
take place immediately, but when God considers that the time is proper. Christianity can be
seen as an Odyssey since Christianity encountered so many trials and ordeals in his historical
way. In the case of the Great Lent, the final aim of Odyssey is to attain the Easter or the
Resurrection of Christ feast.
Theologian Radu TeodorescuPERMANENT STATE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD OR JUST A
PARTIAL ONE?

Orthodox theology tells us that there is just one God. From an theological point of view, the
affirmation of the existence of just one God is what we call MONOTHEISM who is opposed to
POLYTHEISM that means the affirmation of the existence of many Gods. We affirm the
existence of just One God who is the creator of all things visible and invisible. Material world
according to theology was not created by itself but by God.
A most permanent role of God is that of creator. Theology tells us and teaches us that we are
the children of God. This is why theology has a moral aspect that of loving kindness and
goodness. There is no real knowledge of God were there is hatred and evilness. Thus, first of
all we must affirm that a man who has come to the knowledge of God is a man of goodness,
virtues, kindness and a man of peace. A man who lives in the presence of God cannot be a
man that loves hate, violence, evil and all the rest that are related with this kind of behavior.
First of all we must know that only after the times after Christ mankind was somehow ready to
agree that there is just one God. Ancient times were very much polytheistic. It is very famous
the many distorted religious teachings that some of them culminated in the burning of the
library of Alexandria accused of having “UNORTHODOX” and “POLYTHEISITC” writings of
theological doctrines.
The burning of the Library of Alexandria, one of the greatest depositary of knowledge in the
ancient world, has in many instances theological causes. The burning of the Library of
Alexandria is not actually the only case of burning a famous library in the ancient times. For
very good theological reasons, Saint Apostle Paul has asked the burning of the Library of the
city of Ephesus one of the greatest centers in the ancient world. Actually there are 2 major
ancient libraries that were burned in antiquity for major and serious theological reasons.
What was the problem with the library of Ephesus, a city that was one of the most flourishing
cities in the ancient times? Well the owners of this library owned a huge quantity of books on
orgiastic religions. Most of the religious convictions of those near Ephesus were very much
orgiastic. This has actually became a problem that entered in the canon of the New Testament
were we have a book on the Ephesians.
Monotheism is a very debated theological issue since not all affirm the existence of just one
God. Thus we know of the religions of the far Asia who affirm the existence of many Gods such
of Hinduism. Hinduism is not actually a monotheistic religion. The existence of any theology
affirms the existence of just one God. There cannot be any kind of theology with persons that
do not affirm the existence of one God. In practice there were many attempts made to
dialogue with the polytheists. Most of modern polytheistic religions are actually pantheistic,
meaning that between the person of God and the created cosmos there is no difference.
As God is one, we think that God create multiple universes. Thus there is in orthodox theology
the theory of the UNIVERSE and the theory of the MULTIVERSE. Theologians agree that is
possible that God did not created just one universe, the one that we see. The theory of the
multiversity is actually a possibility in theology. We do think that is possible that God created
multiple universes.
What we need the most today is to make real the sense of knowledge of God. Theology tells us
that we cannot attain complete knowledge of God. But still we can know something of God.
The great theologians of the Orthodox Church tell us that God is inaccessible in His essence
but He is accessible in His creation. Our main quest is the search for God and the knowledge of
God. We must all ask God to show His person to us and to reveal to us what is His main aim
with each of us.
In our modern days we need to quite as much as we can the sense of the presence of God and
of a life with God and not separate from God. As seen by orthodox theology God is the giver of
all that is good and positive. Today we need to cultivate the love for God and the love for the
source of all goodness. As seen by theologians God is the One that has founded the
permanence of the cosmos and the complexity of all that is made. To reach a state of
permanent presence of God means to “contemplate the life and the intentions of God.” The
ones who fail to attain the state of the knowledge of God are very much faling to find the
meaning of their existence.
Theologian Radu Teodorescu
WHY WE MUST STRIVE TO MEET GOD?

Theologians have the duty to inform us that God is the One that must be sought and not God
must search for us. In the contemporary times, we all think that God must come to us and we
do not have to go to God. This is actually a very mistaking thinking. There are many who think
that God is obliged to reveal Himself as we want to see Him. Theologians tell us we must come
to know God and to love God in the way He presents Himself to us. For theologians, God
reveals Himself as love and as the creator.
Today, there are many who are trying to adapt theological truths to their convictions. Thus,
there are many who deny the person of our lord Jesus Christ and more than this they deny the
basic theological truth: God as creator of man. Theologians tell us that God has created all out
of love. In no orthodox text we find lines on the fact that actually God hates His creation. There
are many theologians, even from the ancient times, that speck of the “plan of creation of
God.” God did have a plan of creation from the beginnings. We actually do not know exactly
why God has created for instance so many planets and all the cosmic space. Many of us we are
aware that God has created universe with all his complexity. But we are not aware what had
determined God to create so many things that at present we cannot even think to explore. For
modern day science is very improbably the possibility that we may see what is next to few
galaxies away from us. In fact, we barely know what is beyond our solar system.
Evidently, theologians are not astronomers. But then what are theologians? Theologians are
men who are aware of the presence of God of His creative will. Theologians, consider that the
last Creator of cosmos, the Universe is God and that universe in all its complexity was not
created by itself. In fact, is very comforting to think that universe is under a “superior cause”
that regulates all that takes place. In this sense, man has a role so to say “in administering
universe, cosmos.” But is very sure as science shows that man by itself cannot control all the
cosmos energies that the universe contains.
Theology sets God in the center of the universe and not man as does science. We do not think
that a limited being as man can control all the movements of the billions of solar systems and
satellites. In our times there is a great conflict that is trying to replace God from the “center of
universe.” Thus, theology and religion sees God in the center of universe and the created
cosmos, while science and the rest of knowledge set the man in the center of the universe.
This is actually a cause of the “intellectual collapse” of our modern days. Science teaches us
that universe was created by itself and without God. Theology is very much against this
opinion. Theology thinks that universe was created by and through God.
The alternative of decresing the role of God in our modern day is a very poor choice. Only in
recognizing our limits and our incapability we can actually come to know who God is. Thus,
from a theological point of view a atheist man of science values much of nothing as compared
with a man of religion and a man of faith. As in total opposition with the opinions that universe
if “self created, “ and self existent, theology and theologians agree that universe is created
and support by God. The action by which God supports universe is called in theology
“providence” [Latin] or “pronia” [Hellenic] By providence we understand that God supports the
universe according to His own will. Man can assist God in this action of His. Man cannot impose
God what to do with the universe and with all that is created.
These problems are the “difficult problems” of our days when modern science experiences the
lack of the need for a sound theology. Thus there are many great savants who study universe
and cosmic space without thinking that God is the One that through His “providence” takes
care of the universe to exist as universe must. Modern science and religion are in a great
conflict, a conflict that lasts of some few centuries actually [18th century or so].
As theologians we must make aware our contemporaries to try to see God in the complexity of
the universe and not to try to offer us “intellectual surrogates” where we do not see the need
for the existence of God in the world that surround us. We must think that if God created
universe then He has a reason and a will with this creation. All we can do is to ask God to
reveal to us this reason of His creation of such a grand thing.
Theologian Radu Teodorescu
THEOLOGY LAST AIM OF THEOLOGIANS

Each human branch of knowledge has some kind of top makers. This is so in physics, in
linguistics, in mathematics, in biology, in anthropology, in law, in juridical sciences and so on.
Evidently, theology is a science that deals with deeper values. What are these values? Well, we
can mention here that in the orthodox understanding, theology is very much something that is
beyond our expectations. Orthodox sayings tell us that if we make a step towards God, God is
going to make few millions towards us.
As seen in the Orthodox theology, God is not a God of terror and the one that creates suffering
in His beings. But we must know that God is not in the same time a God that indulges our most
depraved feelings and manifestations. Thus, our main motivation in what we do is very much
God. A good theologian is asked to his theological calling by God. In the Old Testament there
were some 12 prophets called by God to know His person and the like. IN the New Testament
we have some other 12 apostles who were called by Christ to theology. Thus, we have reasons
to believe that God is asking us to make His will.
We could be said that the 24 main persons that the Bible is setting in front of us is too less as
compared with the large scale of humans that we exist today. Theologians know that many
times God make His will known not in direct way but by indirect means. The number of 12
apostles of Christ, we exclude from here Judas the Iscariot who we know has kind of sold Our
Lord Jesus Christ, is very much of “symbol for us” that God is willing to be open to men. As
theologians we must use any occasion to be near God. The time that we spend with God has
no other equivalent in human enterprises.
Most of humans want to know God and be near God. This is actually the hardest problem of all
times: the presence and the knowledge of God. The last level of theological knowledge is the
acquirement of the permanent presence of God. Evidently, we must assume in God’s presence
what God want us to make with us and not what we want to make with God. God as creator of
our human nature and as our last aim of existence is actually what we are called finally.
Avenues to reach God are many. What we understand in practical terms to reach God: to be
good persons, to be honest, to be gentle and kind, to love our fellow men, to accept others, not
to condemn, not to lie, not to be evil and so on.
We cannot think that a person that is in the presence of God, can be in the same time evil,
with his fellow men. The sense of unconditional goodness comes most of the time from true
relations with God. We must be sure and not neglect our spiritual calling. Our main spiritual
calling is to come to the knowledge of God and above all to be in the presence of the
knowledge of God. Evidently, we do not think that God is going to solve all our financial and
economical issues. But there are many Holy fathers of the Church who attest that if we search
or have a permanent search for God, our lives are much better.
Searching God is a aim of human nature from the beginnings. Our modern times need more
and more the sense of permanent of communion with God. Most theologians want to reduce
man to the life of God. Theologians do not think that man is a person that is created by itself.
Human person does not have the ability of create itself. Thus, orthodox creationism attests the
fact that human persons are created by God. There are many who deny today to fact that we
are created by God.
In the same time we are called to fulfill what God is expecting of us. God has created each of
us with a aim and with a will of His own. In usual lives we must ask to see what is the aim of
the creation of God? What does God intent with each of us. Only if we think what is God willing
from each of us we really can know what is God willing with all of us.
There are many today who lack the sense of the “will of God.” Most us we think that we are
“masters of our life.” The one who must come to master our lives is God. The sense of
“assurance” that many are looking for in our times can be offered only by God. We all want to
be “assured” that God is near us and we are near God. Orthodoxy is a way to make this
assurance of the presence and the will of God real and permanent. Oance we are “assured” by
the presence of God there is no coming back.
Theologians Radu Teodorescu