Beloved sisters in Christ, honorable priests representing the Macedonian Orthodox Church, dear guests, and friends of our gracious Lord, first and foremost, allow me, on behalf of our Elder and Abbot of the Holy Bigorski Monastery, Archimandrite Parthenius, to greet you with the most joyous of greetings: Christ is Risen! I would also like to thank you for your numerous presence here today.
In our contemporary lives, we are witnessing an intense push towards embracing modern liberalism, which inevitably leads to the distortion, if not the complete abandonment, of Christian and, consequently, traditional moral principles. The greatest victim of this trend is precisely the young person, who enters society without having developed a robust value system. It should not surprise us, therefore, that when faced with numerous negative influences and lacking discernment regarding what the world offers, the young often choose the wrong path for self-expression. The European modern and negative view of religion as something outdated, the teaching of tolerating distorted values, the empty materialism, and success as the highest value—all these spiritually wound the young, pushing them into disappointment and despair. As a result, young people begin to distance themselves from each other, becoming increasingly rebellious, manifesting their need for originality in an extremely negative direction. Therefore, it often happens that those who should be the bearers of our future become a problem for society rather than its hope.
This, unfortunately, real depiction of today’s youth is so contrary to the natural spirit of the young person, who not only needs to express themselves and be noticed but also to leave a positive impact on the world around them, even to change it for the better. For children, our most precious treasure, although they strive to live here and now, in this and only this moment, they also have their gaze set towards the future. Perhaps more subconsciously, they search for values that will provide them with lasting joy and a good life. Therefore, it is high time for all of us to take responsibility for our young people and bring them closer to the faith, through which they will gain the much-needed virtues in the best and easiest way. But we must act immediately! We must help them joyfully hurry into God’s embrace, to build that much-needed and proper relationship with God and with all those they will encounter on their life’s journey, and to become individuals who can more courageously and steadfastly face the difficult obstacles in the outside world. We must not allow the formation of generations that will live without responsibility, without a vision for the future, young people who will be driven by the pursuit of temporary pleasures, which not only fail to provide fulfillment and comfort but further increase dissatisfaction.
Indeed, if we briefly turn our gaze towards the history of our people, we will see that they have survived through the centuries only because they were nurtured in the Church of Christ, where they acquired their firm and unwavering faith, courage, and perseverance, where they cultivated true patriotism and an unashamed hope for a better tomorrow. For centuries, our ancient Orthodox faith has produced not only beneficial, peace-loving, constructive citizens of society, healthy and self-sacrificing individuals, but also true giants, masters of the word and educators, heroes for the Fatherland, wise scientists, and enlightened artists, of whom we still speak with pride today.
Yes! Our people once had very strong faith! But… it gives me great hope and fills me with joy to share with you that today, among many young people, there is a growing desire to return to God’s embrace, to fellowship with God. An increasing number of them, confronted with growing spiritual impoverishment, begin their inner journey in search of true joy, and on that path, they find Christ. They feel Him as something closest to their soul, as Someone they can completely trust, and they quickly become aware that only He, because He is a Good God, can establish harmony in their spirit, can make them radiate with immense positive energy, and provide them with an enthusiastic drive. They immediately recognize that God is a God of boundless love and mercy, not Someone eagerly waiting to punish those who sin.
That is why none of us has the right to ignore, hinder, or stifle a child’s desire to believe in God and to love the Church. On the contrary, such noble desires should be further encouraged and nurtured because when a young person encounters Christ, they actually encounter goodness, peace, joy, and love.
And now, here is your opportunity to glimpse into that special, joy-filled world that radiates from children’s souls when they meet God. With us here are some of the children who have attended the summer religious education camps at our monasteries, who, above all, have learned to love their neighbor as they love themselves. Through a dramatized version of the Gospel parable of the Prodigal Son, they will show you how inexhaustible God’s mercy is toward everyone who sincerely repents and turns to Him, and that no sin can shake God’s love for humanity. This life drama, which unfolds daily around us in our modern life, will be performed by the students of “Kocho Racin” Primary School from Prilep, led by their teacher of “Ethics of Religions,” Monika Dervenovska.
I believe now is also the time to present to you the mission of the Bigorski Monastery, which, above all, is a sacrificial effort in every way to respond to the human soul’s yearning for God, so that it may open to God’s love and be filled with Christ’s incomparable joy. I trust that most of you have already heard about the hospitality that is the hallmark of our monasteries. From the very beginning of his monastic life at the Bigorski Monastery, inspired by God’s boundless love, our Elder and Abbot Parthenius embraced this noble endeavor—the care for the salvation of human souls. Because, believe me, there is nothing more precious than the human soul, and there is no nobler and simultaneously more responsible occupation than spiritually shaping and winning souls for God. For our Elder, these were moments of great fulfillment and joy, but also of suffering and struggle. For it was truly painful to witness the sorrow of a human being searching for some happiness and deeply desiring to do good, but who, not knowing of the Good and loving God, had already become entangled in various evils. A person who suffers feels their helplessness to escape the deceitful traps and therefore seeks help. And the one who has dedicated their life to serving God and people cannot disregard that sincere plea. It was precisely this selfless love that led Father Parthenius to open the doors of the Shrine of the Forerunner and its metochion in Rajcica, and as a result, even today, streams of people come to us to hear something that will instill new spiritual strength, new hope, something that will awaken their faith, for which they later themselves proclaim, “We are witnesses of miracles!” And we, the monks, taught by our Elder, are daily participants in this joy, seeing how people are saved, how they seek Christ, and bear witness to His love wherever they go.
Now, a bit about our work with the youngest, which occupies a significant part of our activities within the overall Bigorski spiritual mission. It began several years ago when our Monasteries gradually became favorite places for children to stay, especially during the summer, winter, and holiday breaks. And as the number of children increased year by year, the need for more thoughtfully organized activities arose, to ensure that their time spent in the monastery would bring them greater spiritual benefit and knowledge. We started with introducing the basic truths of the faith, then gradually included various workshops, games, and engaging discussions to deepen their religious experiences during services. But what was particularly beneficial and appealing to them were the sincere and instructive conversations with Father Parthenius, through which they had the opportunity to draw from his deep spiritual experience and learn much about life, love, virtues, and the eternity for which man is created. Of course, their positive experience did not remain hidden from others. Returning to their homes, schools, they bore witness through example to the knowledge and good habits they had acquired and spread their satisfaction and joy, which filled their pure childlike souls, like apostles wherever they went.
Later, inspired by the good fruits of these spontaneous gatherings of children, our Abbot wished and firmly believed that it was necessary and of great importance for the future of our people to start organizing religious education camps, which from the very beginning have garnered great interest. This summer, too, many children from various cities in our country have registered. In fact, the interest grows with each passing year because children have an insatiable need to constantly participate in God’s joy and love. Their interest in our wondrous Orthodox faith, their sincere and innocent approach, their broad smiles enrich and make the atmosphere in our monasteries even more blessed, but above all, they bear abundant fruit in their open hearts.
We are endlessly grateful to be entrusted with such a beautiful way to bear witness to God to these young generations who come to us, grateful for the opportunity to contribute, even just a little, to their inner formation, passing on to them the most important lesson—the ability to rejoice and to speak the one language through which they can understand all peoples: the language of love.
And now, allow me to introduce the children from Bitola, led by their teacher in the subject of “Ethics of Religions,” Dragi Anastasovski, who are frequent visitors to our camps and who tonight will try to speak to your hearts in the language of love.
Few places have been so generously endowed with natural beauty by the hand of God as this picturesque region at the foot of Mount Deshat, where the construction of the first summer camp for religious education in our country is currently underway, within the Bigorski Skete dedicated to the two brothers and Enlighteners, Saints Cyril and Methodius. For those who wish to learn about God, there is no better or more authentic place than one that, by its very existence, bears witness to God’s presence. That is why we wanted to provide our future camp participants with an encounter with God that would be enriched with recreation, games, and companionship amidst untouched nature, which, while contributing to their physical health, will simultaneously nurture their spirit. From the very beginning, God’s providence brought forth a pious benefactor who zealously undertook the fulfillment of this noble task. This is the family of Djikovski, who for nearly three years have been tirelessly working towards the completion of this valuable project.
The church that will rise here in honor of the Thessalonian brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius, through its services, will fill the children’s hearts with pure faith and love, and the conversations and wise teachings, inspired by the grace and intercessory prayers of our Slavic teachers, will build within them a strong inner awareness of the legacy of our glorious ancestors, the dignity of the nation to which we belong, and the duty of love towards the Fatherland, family, and neighbors. And this should be our constant guide in life and motivate all our future actions.
Therefore, we believe it will be pleasing to God if each of us, to the extent possible, participates in the fruit borne by this significant mission. With this event, we aim to acquaint you with what is already happening in our monasteries, and we hope that soon, through the efforts of all of us, it will find its true fullness in the picturesque Bigorski Skete in the village of Bitushe. In this way, we all become builders of a more beautiful, healthier, and more spiritual future for our generations.
Today, there is no more important mission for us than the spiritual education of the youngest, who as the future of our Holy Church and Fatherland are the hope and comfort for all of us. In fact, we sincerely hope that the message we are sending will reach many hearts and that many of you will desire your children to experience the joy and beauty of fellowship with God and with their neighbors. We would be greatly delighted if, in the future, the Bigorski Skete of Saints Cyril and Methodius constantly resounded with the chatter of children and became too small to accommodate all the children and young people whose sincere desire of heart will bring them here to share the experience already lived by the children you have seen tonight. Teacher Dragi Anastasovski will tell you just how wonderful these experiences are.
No matter how much we speak of joy, it would be in vain if we do not try to feel it. Today, not by chance, but by God’s providence, we celebrate the memory of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women, who first learned of Christ’s Resurrection. Because of their love for the Savior, their courage, and their unwavering faith, they were deemed worthy to be apostles even before the Twelve Apostles, being the first to hear the news that God had conquered evil with His incomparable love, the first to hear the greeting “Rejoice!” ALWAYS REJOICE! These are words that have forever and for all time become the essence of Christian strength. That heavenly greeting, that wonderful news which wiped away the tears and sorrow of the world up to that point, the Myrrh-bearing Women passed on to the Apostles, and through them to all humanity.
We need guardians and apostles of Christian values.
Therefore, this gathering is, above all, a call to give our children the opportunity to be brave apostles of peace and love; to allow them to spread the message everywhere, especially among us adults, that life is very beautiful, that to live means to rejoice, that it means to embrace the whole world, to love all people deeply, regardless of who they are. The neighbor is the criterion of our spirituality. And yes, there is nothing more beautiful than to love, to constantly love, for love has conquered, and continues to conquer evil: CHRIST IS RISEN!
