His Eminence the Archbishop of Cetinje, the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral and the Exarch of the Sacred Throne of Pec, Mr. This morning, on the feast day of Saints Cosmas and Damian, Ioannikije served the Holy Service of God in the Cetinje Monastery.

He was served by clergy and clergy from several dioceses of the Serbian and Russian Orthodox Church.

In the archpastor's homily after his dismissal, Metropolitan Ioannikije said that the Lord Jesus Christ gave his Holy Spirit an abundance of gifts to the Church.

"The Holy Apostle Paul says that we should work hard, emphasizing how important our work is in order to show our love for the Lord, because He will give us because of love, because of our work, and because He wants salvation and the Kingdom of Heaven for all of us more gifts. He says that we should strive for even greater gifts," he said.

In another place, Bishop Joanikije continued, the apostle Paul says that love is the bond of perfection.

"It is the sum of all virtues, but it is also above all other virtues," he said.

Speaking about Saints Cosmas and Damian, Metropolitan Ioannikije recalled that they were great miracle workers.

"We call them penniless because they didn't charge anything for the treatment of human infirmities. They knew the art of medicine, but it is said that they healed primarily by invoking the name of God by laying hands on the sick. They also knew how to heal animals, which was always very important to people who were engaged in animal husbandry and lived from their labor. And in the Church of God they are extremely respected", reminded Metropolitan Joanikije.

The bishop especially emphasized that we should take care of mental health.

"And when we talk about healers in the Church, such as St. Cosmas and Damian, such as St. Vasilije Ostroski, Naum Ohridski, Joanikije Devički, we first of all think of mental infirmities and mental weaknesses and illnesses. How much effort people put into their physical health! This is understandable, because it is important for a person to be healthy, but we put much less effort into our mental health. "Isn't every sin that a person is burdened with a serious illness," said Metropolitan Joanikije.

Radosav Rajo Vojinović

Photo: Nikola Joksimović