The Serbian Patriarch Porfirije congratulated the believers on Easter in his Easter encyclical and said that with special attention and concern we pray for our brothers and sisters in Kosovo and Metohija, without whom, as he emphasized, there is no better life for us either.
“Today, with special attention and concern, we pray for our brothers and sisters in Kosovo and Metohija, the centuries-old and historical source and spiritual center of the Serbian people, directly sharing with them all the trials and challenges they constantly face and strengthening them to persevere in their witnessing and to remain faithful to their church, faith, and themselves,” said Patriarch Porfirije in the Easter encyclical.
He reminded that it is not enough to love Kosovo and Metohija only in words.
“That love must be translated into deeds, into concrete care for our neighbors, into brotherly acts of mercy, into caring for children and all those for whom help is necessary. It must not be allowed that in the consciousness of our people, Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija are presented as an obstacle or hindrance to some future, supposedly better life. Without them, without our Kosovo-Metohija Serbs, without the Serbs of Old Serbia, there is no better life for us either,” Porfirije emphasized.
The Patriarch pointed out that the word of God, the Gospel of Christ, the spiritual treasury of the Church of God, is full of truths hidden in God, which, as he said, are not abstract ideas, but words that are fulfilled in our lives.
“Among them are the words with which the Lord warns us of times in which peace will be taken from the earth, when we will hear of wars and rumors of wars, for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And these words, which to many generations of our ancestors sounded like a warning of future times and their announcement, are today the reality in which we live. We see unrest among nations, we hear voices of wars and witness wars, suffering, and uncertainty in the world, while the sky is pierced by the trails of death rockets, and in the ears of restless humanity echo the sounds of sirens announcing destruction and suffering,” stated Porfirije.
Living graves filled with hatred still exist
As he said, the signs of today’s time show us that although Christ’s empty tomb conquered the power of every grave and showed that no grave has the last word in history, in our reality there are still living graves filled with hatred, selfishness, passions, and self-love.
“We recognize them in dark human hearts, in unlimited selfishness, in media that spread untruths, in wars, in all our passions and sins against the love of God,” said Porfirije.
Those graves, he added, despite the resurrection of Christ, constantly distort and deface life itself as a priceless gift of God’s love.
“One of the most poignant examples of such a reality is the fact that the consequences of today’s global crisis are, unfortunately, measured by cold economic indicators, the standards of earthly merchants, financial losses, disruptions, and drops in stock exchanges and markets, while human tragedies remain in the deep shadow of those calculations: the death of the innocent, the suffering of children, and the misfortune of millions of people. It is precisely such a perspective, in which material gain is placed ahead of human life, that has not only led to wars and injustices, but is also strengthened by them. This is a great defeat for us humans,” the Patriarch said.
Man is increasingly frightened
He pointed out that the world in which we live is increasingly unstable, and man is increasingly frightened.
“Systems of values are being changed in an organized and forced manner, and in the direction of anti-values. Promises and contracts that were solemnly signed are brutally trampled upon; the knowledge of such betrayals causes violence and increasing divisions among nations, while the political and cultural gap deepens. On the ruins of dying civilizations, spiritual uncertainty and a loss of meaning flourish,” stated Porfirije.
He emphasized that miracles are not just unusual events, nor just great God’s interventions in history.
“The parting of the Red Sea was a miracle, but it is also a miracle when we forgive and break the cycle of hatred. That is not just a moral requirement, nor an abstract principle. It is an appearance of the resurrection and participation in its power and glory. Revenge is crucifixion without resurrection, and non-forgiveness and hatred are death and a forever sealed grave,” said the Patriarch.
We choose life instead of death
Therefore, he added, the resurrection is not just an event that belongs to the past, but a reality into which we enter every time we forgive, when we do not return a blow for a blow, and when we recognize a brother in an enemy.
“Then we choose life instead of death. Then the stone is moved from our inner grave as well. We recognize the Lord in every human suffering, of which, unfortunately, there is plenty, as well as in every poor, rejected, and despised person, meeting Him in them through active love. It is precisely in this that it is shown that faith in the resurrection is not just an inner conviction, but a force that shapes our relationship toward our neighbors, toward every person as an icon of God,” said Porfirije.
We are all one people and one body in Christ
The head of the SOC pointed out that we are all one people and one body in Christ, connected by the same faith and the same suffering, but the same hope and the same glorification.
“From such faith and such communion, dear spiritual children, let us enter into the joy of the resurrection. We greet you all with the all-conquering and all-joyful greeting: ‘Christ is risen!'” Patriarch Porfirije said.
Source: RTS, Photo: Printscreen Youtube