Principles and Practices of Diakonia in the Romanian Orthodox Church
Principles and Practices of Diakonia in the Romanian Orthodox Church

Summary/Abstract: The Primitive Christian life revolved around three key activities: diakonia (social service), marturia (the profession of faith) and leitourgia (public work). Accordingly, diakonia would become primarily missionary work, i.e., a salvation ministry with personal dedication, while carefully avoiding becoming social activism. Perhaps it was this concern for the mystical and celebratory dimension of the diaconate that caused the deacon to become, relatively early, the servant of the bishop and coordinator of leitourgia, the liaison between the altar (the hierarchy) and the faithful (the laos). While the essence of Christian ministry is to preach the Gospel of forgiveness, resurrection and eternal life, such preaching is valid, credible and effective only as long as it is not isolated from the Gospel of love. The Gospel of love recognises that Christians, as disciples of Christ, by their acts of compassion and sharing in the physical sufferings of others, wherever these may occur, must act to alleviate that suffering. In this study, both from an historical and phenomenological perspective, I will try to point out that the main force behind social diakonia is the will to follow Christ or being Christ-centred. Christ advocates service to his disciples, practises humility with dignity and obeys the Father to his own death, being moved by love. This love must become the driving force of any form of diakonia, which is why Eastern theology has favoured the term philanthropy, as the present paper will show.

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