Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church delivered a message of spiritual renewal and hope to thousands of faithful gathered on Saturday afternoon for the Palm Sunday procession in Bucharest.
Addressing pilgrims who took part in the annual event marking the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, the Patriarch of Romania described Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday as a “radiant gateway” into Holy Week, calling believers to deepen their faith and prepare for the celebration of Pascha.
In his message, Patriarch Daniel emphasised the theological significance of the Raising of Lazarus as a foretaste of Christ’s Resurrection and a call for believers to rise from spiritual indifference. He urged the faithful to move beyond a self-centred life and to rediscover the joy of living as children of God through grace.
The Patriarch also highlighted the communal dimension of the procession, noting the presence of families, clergy, and monastics as a visible expression of ecclesial unity and shared faith.
Encouraging participants to carry forward the spiritual meaning of the feast, he called on them to enter Holy Week with humility, prayer, and a renewed commitment to Christian life, expressing hope that the pilgrimage would bring blessing to families, parishes, and the wider community.
The full text of the Patriarch’s message reflects on the spiritual journey from the raising of Lazarus to the Resurrection of Christ, inviting the faithful to embrace the light, peace, and joy of the Paschal mystery.
The Raising of Lazarus – Foretelling of the Death and Resurrection of Christ and a Prophetic Icon of the General Resurrection
From the interpretation of Saint John Chrysostom (†407), Saint Cyril of Alexandria (†444), and the great Latin preacher Peter Chrysologus (†451), Bishop of Ravenna, concerning the raising of Lazarus, we retain the following principal ideas:
- Unlike the raising of Jairus’ daughter and of the son of the widow of Nain, which were performed by the Lord Jesus Christ shortly after their death and before their burial, the raising of Lazarus was accomplished by the Lord Jesus with a specific purpose, only after four days from his death, when his body had already begun to decay and emit a strong odour.
- The Lord Jesus Christ raised Lazarus from the dead on the fourth day in order to help His sorrowful and perplexed disciples believe in His own Resurrection, after He had previously told them that He would be mocked, beaten and killed in Jerusalem, but would rise again on the third day (cf. Matthew 20:17–19).
- The Lord Jesus Christ also raised His friend Lazarus of Bethany to console and bring joy to his grieving sisters, Martha and Mary, and to help them believe that He Himself would soon pass through death, yet would rise again, granting life to all the dead at the General or Universal Resurrection.
- The raising of Lazarus is a prefiguration or image of Christ’s own Resurrection, since He who raised the man Lazarus from the dead is also able to raise His own human nature, being God incarnate, who became man precisely in order to save humanity from sin and death.
- The raising of Lazarus is, in a particular way, a prefiguration or mystical icon of the Universal Resurrection of all mankind at the end of the ages, since it also concerns the decayed bodies of all people, in every time and place. This universal resurrection was foretold by great prophets of the Old Testament, such as Isaiah (26:19), Ezekiel (37:1–10), and Daniel (12:2), and was later proclaimed and confirmed by Christ Himself (cf. Matthew 10:8; Mark 12:24–27; Luke 20:35–38; John 5:28–29). Saint Cyril of Alexandria says that when Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth,” He foretold the trumpet of the Archangel that will announce the resurrection of the dead at the end of the ages (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:52).
- The Lord Jesus rose from the dead on the third day because He is the Lord of life, whereas Lazarus was raised on the fourth day, being a servant. When Jesus wept for Lazarus (cf. John 11:35), as a sign of compassion for His friend and to console his sisters Martha and Mary, He also wept for the whole of humanity, which ends in death, for man was not created by God for corruption (cf. Wisdom of Solomon 1:14), but for eternal life. “The Lord weeps, seeing man, made in His image, fallen into corruption, in order to deliver us from our tears. […] The Jews thought He wept for Lazarus’ death, but He wept out of compassion for all human nature, grieving not only for Lazarus, but reflecting on the ancient fall whereby all humanity came under death, justly subjected to this punishment.”
- The raising of Lazarus was the miracle that most deeply impressed the crowds who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Passover, so that many “spread their garments on the road” (cf. Matthew 21:8), and the whole “city was stirred” (Matthew 21:10). Those who welcomed Jesus with great joy and enthusiasm, bearing branches of palm and olive, “held Him in higher regard than a prophet and cried: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord” (John 12:13).
- On the other hand, the raising of Lazarus hastened the decision taken by the high priest Caiaphas, along with other chief priests and Pharisees, to put Jesus to death, because He performed many miracles, and also to kill Lazarus, whom He had raised (cf. John 11:45–50), as he was a living witness to the miracle performed by Jesus of Nazareth.
- Thus, after the triumphant Entry of the Lord Jesus into Jerusalem, the week of His Holy Passion, death, and burial begins, followed on the first day of the next week (Sunday) by His Resurrection from the dead (Holy Pascha).
Beloved pilgrims,
Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday constitute the radiant gateway into Holy Week, as we praise the Lord Jesus Christ, like the children of Jerusalem, as the Conqueror of death and the Sun of Righteousness.
Before His journey from Bethany to Jerusalem and His triumphant entry into that city, the Lord Jesus performed “a new procession”, namely the Raising of Lazarus, in order to bring all people out of the darkness of death: “And today I have seen Christ, the Sun of Righteousness and Maker of the lights, performing this new procession,” says a Byzantine theologian.
Just as Lazarus was called back to life by the Lord Jesus Christ, out of love for His friends, so too are we called to come forth from the “tomb” of a self-centred life, in order to live with joy as children of God by grace—a dignity bestowed upon us at Holy Baptism.
This holy calling transforms our pilgrimage from a mere historical commemoration into the joy of the resurrection of the soul, from the death caused by sin, so that we may receive, with a childlike and pure heart, the unwaning light of the Kingdom of the love of the Most Holy Trinity.
The presence of families from the parishes at this pilgrimage—grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren—together with their spiritual fathers, hierarchs, priests and deacons, as well as monks and nuns, manifests a communion in procession, an ecclesial gathering to receive a heavenly blessing.
In conclusion, today’s pilgrimage, accompanied by prayers and hymns, brings blessings to married families, parish communities, monastic communities, and the whole city. In the forthcoming Holy Week, we are called to receive into our souls the love of Christ, Who is humble and meek, self-sacrificing and forgiving.
Carrying in our hands the blessed branches of Palm Sunday, let us spiritually feel that each of us is, in truth, a pilgrim of the Light of the Resurrection. Let us lay before Christ the Saviour our good thoughts and our desire for the renewal of life, so that, walking together with Him on the path of the Cross, with humble and merciful love, we may be made worthy to receive the joy of His glorious Resurrection.
We congratulate all of you present at this Palm Sunday Procession in the Solemn Year 2026, dedicated to the Christian family. We pray to the Lord Jesus Christ to bless your homes and families, to grant help to parents, health to grandparents, and spiritual growth to children.
Prepare yourselves with joy for the feast of Holy Pascha, for the holy encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ, Who has conquered death and granted us eternal life, unto the glory of the Most Holy Trinity and our salvation. Amen!
† Daniel
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
