After the many-hour vigil, when the night flowed into morning and the rays of the sun were already embracing the summit of Bistra, with great honor and respect, before the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, we also welcomed our esteemed Metropolitan of Debar and Kičevo, George, who arrived together with the Abbot of the Monastery of “Saint Naum of Ohrid,” Archimandrite Nektarij, and Protodeacon Nikolče Gjurgjinoski.
And in a conciliar concelebration, Metropolitan George, together with Bishop Partenij and the brother clergy, celebrated the greatest of all mysteries, the Divine Eucharist, in which both heaven and earth become one altar, and the Lord Christ gives Himself to the faithful, without ever being diminished.
In addition to the holy hierarchs and the monastery clergy, the following highly esteemed fathers also concelebrated at the Divine Liturgy: Archimandrite Matthaios from the Metropolis of Veria, Elder Antipas from Mount Athos, Archimandrite Nektarij from Ohrid, Archimandrite Prodromos from the Metropolis of Karpenisi, Archimandrite Philaretos from the Metropolis of Thebes, Protopresbyter Themistoklis from Athens, Hieromonk Theodosios from Mount Athos, Protopresbyter Ioan from Romania, Presbyter Naum from Australia, Presbyter Ilija from Radoviš, Presbyter Pavel from Ohrid, Hierodeacon Chrysostomos from Mount Athos, and Protodeacon Nikolče from Ohrid.
With his prayerful presence at the Divine Liturgy, His Excellency Mr. Alkiviadis Stefanis, Civil Governor of the Holy Mountain of Athos, Archon of the Great Church of Christ and of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, also honored and graced the Bigorski Monastery.
A special joy at today’s divine service was also the prayerful presence of a blessed group of faithful from Albania, who, together with the guests from Mount Athos, Greece, Romania, and Serbia, enriched the festal celebration with yet another radiant mark of brotherly conciliarity.
Besides the vigil, which their heavenly singing adorned, the Divine Liturgy too was beautified by the members of the Romanian Byzantine chant choir “Nektarij Protopsalt” from Bucharest.
At the end of the divine service, His Eminence Metropolitan George of Debar and Kičevo addressed the faithful with an appropriate festal homily.
In his inspired address, Metropolitan George expressed his gratitude to all: to His Grace Bishop Partenij, and to the guests who had come from various corners of the world to celebrate this great day together in conciliar festivity. He thanked the choirs as well for their beautiful singing, and then invited everyone, through the prayers of Saint John, to pray together: that the Lord grant us the patience of Elizabeth, the obedience of Zechariah, and the boldness of Saint John, so that, through his prayers, we might walk the path of repentance which he unceasingly proclaimed until his last day, toward the Kingdom of Heaven. And he wished everyone a blessed feast day and many years.
Our beloved Elder, for his part, personally thanked all the esteemed guests, and on this occasion presented Metropolitan George with a monastic hierarchical encolpion depicting the Theotokos enthroned as Queen, with Saint John the Baptist and Saint John of Debar, the first ktitor of our monastery, standing in prayer to her left and right.
In the midday hours, His Eminence the Metropolitan of Tamasos Isaiah of the Archdiocese of Cyprus also came to pay honor to Saint John, accompanied by a group of around sixty pilgrims from Cyprus. The esteemed guest was warmly received by our Elder and the brotherhood, in a spirit of brotherly love and ecclesial joy.
A multitude of people. Great joy. Joy strong and deep, radiant and conciliar; joy that could be read on faces, heard in prayers, and poured forth in every doxology. A joy like that once shared by the neighbors and relatives of Elizabeth, when they heard that the Lord had magnified His mercy toward her, and came to rejoice with her. And just as then one house was filled with wonder and thanksgiving because of the birth of the Forerunner, so now the entire Monastery, together with the people of God, became one house of joy, one heart gratefully glorifying God for His great servant.
For the feast of Saint John the Baptist has for us a deep spiritual meaning. Saint John is the friend of the Bridegroom, the one who does not keep glory for himself, but points to it: “Behold the Lamb of God.” He is the man of the wilderness, but also the man of the deepest ecclesial fullness. He is silence that becomes voice, fasting that becomes joy, humility that becomes witness, strictness that becomes love. He does not draw the people to himself, but to Christ. Therefore today we feel that Saint John teaches us once again: the Church lives when she bears witness; monasticism lives when it burns; pastoral ministry lives when it becomes sacrifice; the episcopate lives when it is an icon of Christ’s humble service. And precisely such a witness is needed in our time: a time of many words, but little silence; much information, but little wisdom; many connections, but little communion; much outwardness, but little inner man.
Therefore, my soul, rejoice today as well. For if the Forerunner, still from the womb, recognized joy and leapt, how much more should you, who have baptism, and the voice of the Bridegroom, and His table? Bow before this holy feast, receive the blessing of the gathered shepherds, and learn from the Forerunner the one thing that saves: that He must increase, and we must decrease, so that glory may be rendered to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
