His Eminence Archbishop of Cetinje, Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, Joanikije, today, December 4, on the feast of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos, celebrated the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy in the church in Gornji Ostrog, where the relics of Saint Basil of Ostrog are kept, on the occasion of the temple salamia of this holy monastery.
The Metropolitan was concelebrated by the abbot of Ostrog, Archimandrite Sergius (Rekić), Archpriest Nikola Pejović, the elder of the Cathedral Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica, and Hierodeacon Sionije (Zorić), in the prayerful presence of the faithful.
Speaking after the dismissal, His Eminence Metropolitan Joanikije congratulated everyone on the feast of the Presentation of the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos, and to Father Abbot Sergius and the brotherhood of this holy family, the baptismal glory of the Ostrog Monastery: “May God grant that, just as the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos, after her presentation into the temple, in her childhood, gradually advanced, she became a temple of God, living, true, and this means that the grace of the Most Holy Spirit overshadowed her, that God’s truth, justice, love, goodness, mercy, and honesty settled in her soul, and that her heart became a temple of the living God, the dwelling place of God, and therefore the Lord from ancient times, from the beginning, contemplating the salvation of the human race, deigned to organize the salvation of the entire world through Her. Out of love for the human race, He received human nature from Her, and in His human nature, the Lord Jesus Christ established our salvation and immortalization and renewal of our nature,” the Bishop instructed the assembled people.
Recalling that this great holiday is celebrated by the entire Christian world, especially us Orthodox Christians, as well as the great monasteries dedicated to this holiday, including the monasteries of Chilandar and Ostrog, the Metropolitan emphasized that this is not the only connection between these two holy places, as well as the Holy Mount Athos, but that Saint Basil established this connection for all time. As Archimandrite of Herzegovina, and already appointed by his predecessor to be Metropolitan and his successor, he went to the Holy Mount Athos, to the Hilandar Monastery, to be even better prepared, educated, and qualified for the holy hierarchal service that he received through ordination from the Holy Patriarch of Peć, Paisius Janjevac, from whom Saint Basil of Ostrog himself learned pastoral service and love for the Church of God and his people.
“Saint Basil took on the burden of his people in the most difficult times, by the grace of God and the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos, who drew him here, to this holy family that was established even before Saint Basil, and here he was strengthened by God’s grace and grace, and from here he went out to the people and enlightened and strengthened them, encouraged and inspired them with the holy Orthodox faith, and as an apostle of Christ he showed himself as the new Saint Sava. And God’s providence so arranged that soon after the burning of the relics of Saint Sava and our great national misfortune, God sent Saint Basil of Ostrog to his people as the new Saint Sava and a miracle worker and a pleaser of Christ, to unite and comfort his people, to strengthen them and give them the strength to endure and win,” the Metropolitan said.
With the help of God and our holy fathers, such as Saint Basil, Saint Peter of Cetinje, and Venerable Stefan of Piper, we, he emphasized, have always been courageous, strengthened, and walked the path of God, and have gone through many trials, and thank God, we have maintained the holy Orthodox faith, and in our time we have confirmed it.
"Therefore, congratulating the brethren of this monastery and all of you, dear brothers and sisters, on the great feast of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos, may She be of help to all of us."
Milorad Gogić, decorated – in serving justice, he was guided by divine and human laws
A special joy of today's gathering at the life of Saint Basil was that Metropolitan Joanikije, Mr. Milorad Mića Gogić, former judge and president of the Constitutional Court, was awarded the Order of Saint Peter II of Lovćen, First Class, the highest decoration of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, precisely because Mr. Gogić dispensed justice as prescribed by the laws of this state, and not under the influence of any politics or earthly powers, and who in his service to justice was guided by divine and human laws:
“It is always enough for us that justice is applied and that everyone is equal, and it has not been equal for a long time. Only the Serbian Orthodox Church could not obtain a fundamental agreement for many years, while other churches and religious communities obtained it without any problems. "And that sinister law that was passed in the Parliament of Montenegro under pressure from the then regime, it was passed only to be applied to the Metropolis of Montenegro and the Littoral and other dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, because all other faiths had regulated their position through fundamental agreements. God willing and Saint Basil of Ostrog, that sinister law remained a dead letter on paper and returned like a boomerang to those who conceived it and who passed it in such an inhuman and dishonorable manner," said Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, Mr. Joanikije and concluded:
“And as you can see, we did not take the Ostrog Monastery to Šumadija, nor did we occupy Montenegro, but we are where we have been for centuries, and we do not intend to go anywhere from here. And we think that the Church that created so many holy places, erected them for the glory of God and renovated them in the new era, which in more recent times erected cathedrals that are the pride of the cities of Podgorica and Bar and Berane, and decorated everything anew as much as it could, should only work for the good of Montenegro, both for its present and for its future. Of course, taking great care not to distort our history, because for all that we have, our ancestors shed their blood and laid their heads on the altar of the homeland.”
Previously, Fr. Nikola Pejović spoke on the Gospel passage, which is read whenever we celebrate the feasts of the Virgin Mary, which reads: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it,”
After the intercessory prayer, the slava gifts and the broken cake were blessed, after which the communion continued with a meal of Christian love.
Vesna Dević
Photo: Željko Drašković