Category Archives: Serbian Orthodox Church

Catholics and Orthodox recall Constantine’s Edict of Milan

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May 17th is the 1,700th anniversary of the legalization of Christianity via the Edict of Milan, issued by Saint Constantine the Great. Some links from:

On a personal note, I am saddened by the pettiness of both the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. I do agree with Patriarch Irinej, who hopes for an apology from the Roman Catholic Church for the crimes Croatians perpetrated against the Serbian people during World War II and the wars of the Yugoslavian breakup. To be fair, however, there was much blood spilled by Serbia, and they, too, have much to apologize for. Charity comes from both sides, but the greater man must show that much more humility.

The modern city of Niš, which is in Serbia, is the birthplace of the man who legalized the Christian faith in the Roman Empire. That old wounds haven’t yet healed shows us that we have a long road to go in terms of reconciliation, and we both blaspheme the name of Christ for keeping His church divided due to human pride.

A Word From The Desert, June 18, 2012

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God’s grace always assists a struggler, but this does not mean that a struggler is always in the position of a victor; sometimes the beasts did not touch the righteous ones, but by no means did they not always touch them. What is important is not victory or the position of a victor, but rather the labor of striving towards God and devotion to Him. Though a man may be found in a weak state; that does not at all mean that he has been abandoned by God. The Lord Jesus Christ, according to the worldly view, was in trouble, but when the sinful world considered Him to be completely destroyed; in actuality He was victorious over death and Hades. The Lord did not promise us positions as victors as a reward for righteousness, but told us, “In the world we shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16:33). The power of God is effective when a person asks for the help of God, acknowledging the weakness and sinfulness of his nature. This is why humility and the striving towards God are the fundamental virtues of a Christian.

St. John Maximovitch, the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (1896-1966)

Serbian Church to glorify new saints

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Thanks to pudlasz@yahoo.pl who posted the following link:

(SOC-NASA) – The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, during today’s session rendered the decision to enter two priest martyrs and forty students-martyrs of Momisici and that their celebration (formal declaration of sainthood; canonization) be at the Holy Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the St. Sava Memorial-Church on Vracar on Saturday, May 19, 2012, led by His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia at which their long and prayerful respect among the faithful of the Serbian Orthodox Church will be confirmed.

History of the Martyrs of Momisici

Two priests, serving as religious education teachers, and their forty students, children from the parish mostly from the brotherhood of Popovic were burned alive in 1688 at the St. George Church in the modern day Podgorica suburb of Momisici, at the hand of the Sulejman-Pasha army of Skadar, as a sign of retaliation which the Osmanlija Turks suffered from the hill tribes the previous months, particularly from Kucha.

Their relics were gathered and buried beneath the holy altar table of the St. George Church. During the entire time of Turkish rule, the relics remained in this church until 1936 when, with great honor and the litiya-procession of the people the relics were transferred to the renovated St. George Church in Momisici and placed beneath the holy altar table there. In 2006 the relics were taken out for the faithful to venerate on the feastday of the Holy 40 Martyrs of Sebaste, known commonly among the people as Holy Youths Day, after which Metropolitan Amphilohije, together with the clergy, washed them with wine and anointed them with rose oil according to the ancient Orthodox custom. Since then they can be found in a reliquary on the left hand side of the iconostasis of the Momisici church of St. George, which, since then, has also been dedicated to their holy memory. In commemoration of the last finding of their relics, for some years now in the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Coastlands their liturgical commemoration is celebrated on the feast of the Holy Martyrs of Sebaste.

The Serbian Orthodox Church to her spiritual children at Pascha, 2012

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Irinej, Patriarch of Serbia

By the grace of God

Orthodox Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and
Serbian Patriarch, with the all the Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox
Church – to all the clergy, monastics, and all the sons and daughters
of our Holy Church: grace, mercy and peace from God the Father, and
our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, with the joyous Paschal
greeting:

CHRIST IS RISEN!

”This is the day which the Lord made;

Let us rejoice, and be glad in it”!

The Resurrection of Christ our Savior is, dear brothers and sisters
and all our spiritual children throughout the inhabited world, “The
Feast of Feasts, the celebration above all celebrations” – the Miracle
above all miracles and the Gift above all gifts, which All-Mighty God,
in His immeasurable mercy and love, has given to mankind. In this Gift
are found all gifts; in this Blessing are found all blessings – as
here on earth, so also in heaven (cf. Ephesians 1:3).

The world has been enlightened with the light of God’s truth, and
mankind has been filled with great joy as the greatest treasure sent
to us from above by God’s Providence.

That which the prophets of old and Godly inspired people prophesied
thousands of years ago and communicated to the chosen people of God
has taken place openly, magnificently and gloriously in the presence
of a multitude of eyewitnesses (cf. I Cor. 15:4-8).

“Arise, O Lord, judge the earth!” (Psalm 82:8) – the prophet of God
has written; and we, so many centuries later, sing that very same song
knowing that it really has to do with Christ’s Resurrection.

The Resurrection affirms that man is created for eternity, for
immortality, and not for ephemeral life.

The Holy Apostles, having seen His empty tomb, witnessed with their
lives to that which they had heard, seen and touched with their hands
(cf. I John 1:1), joyously and courageously proclaiming Christ’s
Resurrection to the people in Jerusalem and Palestine (cf. Acts 4:20).
They, with the Myrrhbearing Women, were the first heralds of the news
that the Savior of the world, by His sacrifice on Golgotha and His
glorious resurrection, has opened the door of God’s Kingdom to mankind
“in which mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace
have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:11).

Christ’s Resurrection is not a joy given of this world. The source of
that joy is God’s goodness and love; and it carries the seal of
eternity. That joy’s existence and endurance is not dependent upon on
the will and power of people, but rather on the almighty will and
power of God. That is why the Savior has told His disciples that no
one can take it away from them (cf. John 16:22).

By His glorious resurrection the Savior has given us life eternal (cf.
Rom. 6:23), and the joy of eternal life, because “Christ is risen from
the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen
asleep” (I Cor. 15:20) – joy, because the sacrifice for our salvation
has been offered on the Cross, and we are called to freedom (cf. Gal.
5:13); joy, because we have been cleansed from the ancestral curse by
the Most Pure Blood of the Savior (cf. I John 1:7); joy, because
through the Resurrected Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, we enter
“into the joy of our Master” (Matthew 25:21).

With Christ’s Resurrection the saving mystery of mankind’s redemption
from sin and death has been accomplished. This new Pascha of the Lord
reveals the truth that we have passed from death to life (cf. John
5:24); and that Christ remains with us in all the days until the end
of the world (cf. Matthew 28:20).

When we know that the Lord is with us and in us, we must turn to Him,
confess to Him our sorrow and trials. He will comfort us, strengthen
us and lead us through this earthly life. Let us safeguard this gift
of God within us and ever be watchful, dear spiritual children, so as
not to offend our Lord with any sins.

Out of love for Him, let us not allow sins to blemish us. When
attacked by the enemy, like the Apostle Peter let us cry out: “Lord,
save me!” (Matthew 14:30).

Understandably, in life we will experience many trials, injustices and
sadness. But know that the Lord, so long as we are with Him, turns the
greatest sadness into joy, because He said to His disciples and
Apostles: “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

The God-Man Himself has experienced much sadness, tribulation and
suffering. On Great and Holy Friday the greatest and the most fearsome
dual in the entire historical struggle between good and evil took
place, the battle between truth and untruth, between life and death.

The most mysterious question asked by every man, which a few thousand
years earlier was asked by the Righteous Job, is: “If a man dies,
shall he live again”? (Job 14:14) Before this eternal question the
greatest minds of the world bow their heads in silence. But we
Christians know the meaning of our life, and have our hope – and our
hope is in the Resurrected Lord. “I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, yet shall he live.” – said
the Savior of the world (John 11:25)

It is written somewhere that man begins to die the very day that he is
born. But he also begins to resurrect to eternal life when he receives
Christ as his Savior and Lord, that is, when he begins to live life
according to Christ.

So that we may live according to the Gospel, dear brothers and
sisters, it is necessary to arm ourselves with the whole armor of God,
to put on the breastplate of righteousness (cf. Ephesians 6:13-14);
but above all things to put on love, which is the bond of perfection
(cf. Colossians 3:14).

“This I command to you” – said the sweet Christ – “that you love one
another” (John 15:17); “By this all will know that you are My
disciples, if you have love for one another”, (John13:35); “Greater
love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his
friends” (John 15:13); “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you;
abide in My love” (John 15:9).

This is the kind of commandment Christ has given us. No other law-
giver, no other worldly wise man, could have brought more perfect and
more salutary law: clear, simple, beneficial and all useful. This law
is the basis for life, for where there is no love, hate, evil, vice,
chaos, jealousy, malice, revenge, and the annihilation of life rule.

This law of Christ is attainable by all: learned and unlearned, rich
and poor, healthy and sick, powerful and weak, genius and uneducated,
old and young.

By His glorious Resurrection the Savior at the same time has revealed
the steadfastness and life-creating nature of His Holy Church on
earth, in which the Holy Spirit lives and works. She is a living
organism of God and our Savior, Who personally manifests Himself in
the Holy Liturgy through the sacred Mystery of Holy Communion, because
the Holy Spirit guides and leads the Church, and not the spirit of
this world.

All of us who ar baptized and enlightened by the Spirit of Truth have
become the members of Christ’s Church. Therefore, all of us through
the power of the faith given to us by God can say: “I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), always
asking: what kind of member of Christ’s Church am I? Am I obedient to
my Church which teaches me and my children towards goodness, chastity,
holiness and nobleness?

By His resurrection Christ unites our loved ones, both living and
those departed in the Orthodox faith, with us. With Him we know and
feel that they are with us and we are with them connected with the
unbreakable bonds of God’s eternal love.

This great day, this holy day, this the day of the Resurrection of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, through its meaning, its message and its
teaching obligates all of us to safeguard and rightfully confess our
Orthodox faith. Above all, it obligates us to safeguard human
dignity, in everyone, and in ourselves. For the Son of God took upon
Himself the sins of the entire world, suffered and resurrected, to
make all people children of God (cf. Ephesians 1:5).

This Feast Day requires that we live our life in full awareness of our
responsibility. The duties that we are to accomplish – whether in the
home, or field, or in a factory in front of a machine, as educators
and teachers, as clergy and preachers of Truth, as statesmen and
leaders of this nation, must be done properly and responsibly. Always
in the name of God Who has indebted us to redeem the time of our life
with love and sacrifice, while being watchful that no one is brought
to tears or becomes sorrowful because of us. Thanks to the Resurrected
Lord, every innocently shed tear of man is saved in the bosom of the
God-Man.

Therefore, dear spiritual children, lovingly safeguard the mystery of
life established and sanctified by God Himself. Do this for our
tranquility and the reputation of our nation, for our children – our
biggest treasure, for whom you live and work. Of course, do this
without leaving out true faithfulness and mutual forgiveness.

Respect and safeguard the sanctity of Christian marriage, because it
is the foundation of an uplifted, healthy and upright family.
Abortion, the greatest crime of this age, is spreading throughout our
nation as a plaque. It is awful to even imagine that half of million
unborn babies every year are deprived of life, and thus have never
seen the light of the world. Husbands, have in mind the words of the
Lord: “You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of
the judgment”. (Matthew 5:21)

On this great day of joy and life we greet our mothers, who with their
love, day and night watchfully guard the cribs of their children. We
greet the sick, despised, humiliated and imprisoned; we greet all the
laborers and workers, travelers and those who intend well; teachers
and students; we greet founders and donors, builders and benefactors.
We pray with faith and hope for all those persecuted and driven from
their homesteads, that the Lord may wipe away their every tear (cf.
Revelation 7:17). We offer our unceasing prayers to our Resurrected
Christ for our brothers and sisters in Kosovo and Metohija. We ask
them to never give up in spirit and to remain faithful to their
Orthodox faith on their and our ancestral homestead.

Presenting to you, dear brothers and sisters, the meaning of the Holy
Resurrection of Christ for all mankind, in fraternal love, we ask you
to carefully and soberly discern the events and times in which we
live. Let us discern good from evil, the temporary from the eternal,
the permanent from the transient.

We pray to our Resurrected Lord that we may experience His
Resurrection as our own resurrection and as deliverance from every
kind of spiritual and moral illness and temptation!

May the luminous rays of Christ’s Resurrection illumine all of you in
our Homeland, those of you living abroad and all people of good will.

“Do not be afraid, for I have overcome the world. I am the
resurrection and the life, everyone who believes in Me, even if he
dies, shall live”, the Resurrected Lord tells us so that we may know.

Christ is Risen!

Indeed He Is Risen!

Given at the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade at Pascha 2012.

Your prayerful intercessors before the Risen Lord:

Archbishop of Pec,
Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and
Serbian Patriarch IRINEJ
Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana JOVAN
Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Coastlands AMPHILOHIJE
Metropolitan of Dabro-Bosna NIKOLAJ
Bishop of Sabac LAVRENTIJE
Bishop of Zvornik-Tuzla VASILIJE
Bishop of Srem VASILIJE
Bishop of Banja Luka JEFREM
Bishop of Budim LUKIJAN
Bishop of Canada GEORGIJE
Bishop of Banat NIKANOR
Bishop of New Gracanica – Midwestern America LONGIN
Bishop of Eastern America MITROPHAN
Bishop of Zica CHRYSOSTOM
Bishop of Backa IRINEJ
Bishop of Great Britain and Scandinavia DOSITEJ
Bishop of Bihac and Petrovac CHRYSOSTOM
Bishop of Osijek and Baranja LUKIJAN
Bishop of Central Europe CONSTANTINE
Bishop of Western Europe LUKA
Bishop of Timok JUSTIN
Bishop of Vranje PAHOMIJE
Bishop of Sumadija JOVAN
Bishop of Slavonia SAVA
Bishop of Branicevo IGNATIJE
Bishop of Milesevo FILARET
Bishop of Dalmatia FOTIJE
Bishop of Budimlje and Niksic JOANIKIJE
Bishop of Zahumlje and Hercegovina GRIGORIJE
Bishop of Valjevo MILUTIN
Bishop of Raska-Prizren TEODOSIJE
Bishop of Nis JOVAN
Bishop of Western America MAXIM
Bishop of Gornji Karlovac GERASIM
Bishop of Australia and New Zealand IRINEJ
Bishop of Krusevac DAVID
Retired Bishop of Zahumlje and Hercegovina ATANASIJE,
Vicar Bishop of Hvostno ATANASIJE
Vicar Bishop of Jegar PORFIRIJE
Vicar Bishop of Moravica ANTONIJE
Vicar Bishop of Lipljan JOVAN
Vicar Bishop of Remezijan ANDREJ
THE ARCHDIOCESE OF OCHRID
Archbishop of Ochrid and Metropolitan of Skoplje JOVAN
Bishop of Polos and Kumanovo JOAKIM
Bishop of Bregal and locum tenens of the Diocese of Bitolj MARKO

Vicar Bishop of Stobija DAVID

[Path of Orthodoxy translation]