With the opening remarks of His Holiness Patriarch of Serbia, Mr.. Porfirije this evening began the presentation of the book "Epistles and Sermons of Patriarch Barnabas" in the crypt of the Church of St. Sava on Vračar.
Here is the speech of His Holiness Patriarch in its entirety:
Behold the day created by Gopspod, let us rejoice and be glad in it! (Ps 117, 24)
The day when 87 years ago the bells of Serbian churches and monasteries rang out the blessed passing of Patriarch Barnabas, the fortieth heir to the throne of St. Sava. What a paradox: the day of death is cause for rejoicing; the anniversary of death is cause for joy. But not someone's anniversary or any death, but the death of Blessed Patriarch Barnabas is in fact the anniversary of his immortality, because dying for Christ's truth and justice makes a man immortal both in this world from which he leaves and in the one he enters (Fr. Justin ). That such a man is alive and active on earth is best confirmed by the fact that we are gathered here this evening, right here, around his grave and at this sacred cremation site. For us Orthodox Serbs, there is no higher geographical point, no stronger existential pillar that we have reached as a people than the place where we are now. The sole credit for this belongs to St. Sava, whose relics were cremated here and whose his ashes he collected with his own hands and laid them in the foundation of this most magnificent temple created by Serbian architecture, so that it would become a staircase leading from earth to earth. heaven and the city standing on the mountain.
He was born in old Herzegovina, in Pljevlje, in 1880, and was given the name Petar. He was educated in Prizren, then in Petrograd, where he was ordained a monk with the name Barnabas, and in Constantinople. At the age of thirty he was elected and ordained a bishop, at the age of forty a metropolitan, and at the age of fifty a patriarch. On the throne of St. Sava, Patriarch Barnabas would remain comparatively short. His capture regulated the legal position of the Orthodox Church in the state; the first Constitution of the Serbian Orthodox Church was adopted; two dioceses were formed. In Belgrade he built the building of the Patriarchal Palace; he repaired several churches and built a few, among them the small church of St. Sava; the church of the monastery of Vvedenje in Senjak, of St. Bartholomew and St. Barnabas in Rakovica, of St. Lazarica in Zvezdar, of St. Alexander Nevsky in Dorchol, but his main gift was the human souls of the godly clergy and pious people, for whom he cared incessantly in a fatherly manner.
Patriarch Barnabas' apostolic and archpastoral ministry was marked by tumultuous times, in which he, like Good As a shepherd, he preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of God through his epistles and sermons. Filled with inexhaustible pastoral love, he always and everywhere by personal example most eloquently preached the love of Christ, which never seeks its own (1 Cor 13, ); it does not know how to calculate and always knows how to give. For seven years," says St. Nicholas, "Patriarch Barnabas steered the wheel of our holy Church along the path indicated by St. Sava. He turned neither to the left nor to the right. And the road to Svetosavsky is free. It is the application of Gospel principles to the whole life of the people ... With this program of Svetosava he as patriarch traveled the nation from Srem to Pelagonia and from Timok to the Adriatic, never knowing fatigue or boredom.
Tonight the unquenchable light of the immortal personality of Patriarch Barnabas presents to us all the pages of this book, which is a rich treasury of his sermons and epistles. As far as his word, even more fully and perfectly, the Christian life and death of Blessed Patriarch Barnabas joins us to the evangelical path of St. Sava. Fearlessly, like him, remaining on the same path, because there is no other way, strengthened by the word of Christ: Let not your heart be afraid (Jn 14:1), we thank all those who have made efforts to make the book of the Epistles and sermons of Patriarch Barnabas see the light of God, prayerfully turning to the to St. Patriarch Barnabas with the words: Holy Bishop, never forget us, your children, in the kingdom of Christ's love. Amen. Thank you.
***
The authors of the book presented the great publishing enterprise of the Diocese of Milesevo to the large audience that filled the crypt of the Church of St. Sava: His Eminence Metropolitan of Milesevo, Mr.. Athanasije; Prof. Bojan Strunjaš, professor of Serbian language and literature and librarian of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Pljevlje; and Prof. Velibor Pupović, director of the secondary vocational school in Pljevlje.
Prof. Bojan Strunjas expressed his joy that the book about Patriarch Barnabas was being presented under the vaults of the cherished church of the Serbian people, emphasizing that the book was written with the blessing of Metropolitan Athanasius and dedicated to Blessed Archangel Vladislav (Veljkovic). He is the former abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Pljevlje. Prof. In an inspiring letter, Prof. Strunjaš presented the deeds and greatness of the personality of Serbian Patriarch Barnabas. The next speaker was Prof. Velibor Pupovic, analyzing one of Patriarch Barnava's teachings, which reads: Never hate anyone, he very successfully observed the dramatic social, political and ecclesiastical circumstances through which Patriarch Barnava wisely and fearlessly steered the ship of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Very The successful presentation of the book was concluded by Metropolitan of Mileshevsk Mr. Athanasius, who noted: -Why did we decide to collect the sermons and messages of Patriarch Barnabas? This is exactly what he wanted! He wanted us to gather here, as we do today, in the name of Christ. Our intention with this book is fulfilled: we are gathered and united by a common desire that no one be alienated from the One Shepherd Christ! Let us adhere to this Barnabas-Svetosavos spirit!
Present at the book launch were: the Most Reverend Vicar Bishop of Liplansky, Mr. Satisfied; Hegumen Zosima, Abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Pljevlje; Archpriest Djordje Stojisavljevic, Head of the Serbian Patriarch's Cabinet; Archpriest-Stavrophor Nikola Perkovic, Minister of the Milesevi Monastery; Archpriest-Stavrophor Marko Papic, Archpriest of Pribojski; Dr. Marko Nikolic, Deputy Director of the Office for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities of the Republic of Serbia; Mr. Milan Lekic, director of Rudnik Pljevlja; Mr. Darko Vranješ, President of the Municipality of Pljevlja; and Mr. Darko Gačević, Director of Vodokanal Pljevlja.
Share:
