The loving spiritual embrace of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, which last Wednesday, on the feast of the universal Exaltation, embraced us with abundant grace at the Monastery of the Holy Great Martyr George in Rajchica, repeated the same in the Holy Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos—Prechista near Kichevo this Sunday. And just as it did there, so too here, the blessing of the Holy Cross came to us through the liturgical mysteries presided over by our esteemed guest from the Great Church of Christ, His Eminence, Kyrillos, Metropolitan of Imbros and Tenedos.
After the revered hierarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, on Saturday, during the commemoration of the Holy Martyrs Sophia, Faith, Hope, and Love, concelebrated with our esteemed ruling hierarch, His Eminence Timothy, Metropolitan of Debar, Kichevo, Plaosnik, and Struga, in the majestic and ancient Church of the Wisdom of God in Ohrid, he concluded his several-day visit to our God-protected diocese with the Holy Eucharist this Sunday after the Exaltation of the Precious Cross, at which he himself presided, in concelebration with our brothers: Archimandrite Kyrillos, Hieromonk Makarios, and Hierodeacon Porphyrios. The Divine Liturgy was also prayerfully attended by our beloved Elder, His Grace, Bishop Parthenius of Antania.
As the sacred rites unfolded in prayer, devotion, and thanksgiving, the grace of God deeply imprinted itself in the hearts of the faithful who were present. The Monastery of Prechista, a place where heaven meets earth, became a shelter where souls, touched by Divine grace, gathered around the love of the Crucified One, bearing the radiant imprint of the Cross and the ineffable touch of eternal joy.
At the conclusion of the liturgical harmony, Elder Bishop Parthenius, on behalf of our entire monastic community, presented the Holy Hierarch of Imbros with a pastoral staff, expressing deep gratitude for his sincere love, great effort, and sacrifice for the well-being of our holy Church. In response to this gesture of thanksgiving, His Eminence, Metropolitan Kyrillos, addressed those present with the following inspiring words:
“Your Grace, Holy Bishop of Antania, Parthenius,
Venerable Fathers,
Holy Abbess, and revered mothers,
and beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
We find ourselves in the Sunday following the Exaltation of the Precious Cross. Once again today, our Christ offers us a gift. He tells us: ‘I want you to be My children, to be My disciples, to follow Me. And whoever desires—whoever truly desires—to follow Me, let him take up his cross and come after Me.’ And the Apostle Paul, explaining what Christ says, adds: ‘We Christians have been given a great honor, a gift, to believe in Christ. But not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for Christ.’ That is, to suffer, to endure, to bear witness for Christ—this is the great gift that has been given to us.
The movement of the Church through the centuries, my beloved brothers and sisters, is the movement of Cross and Resurrection. And the life of each one of us is the same—Cross and Resurrection. If we bear the Cross with love for Christ, then we are His disciples. This local Church, once the illustrious and historical Archdiocese of Ohrid, is found in this same crucifixional and resurrectional movement. It has always been so in the movement of the Church—Cross and Resurrection. Let us never forget that in the first three centuries of great persecutions, the great Cross of the Church was carried, and as a result, the Resurrection came through eleven and a half million martyrs—saints. The venerable Chrysostom says: ‘The Church is like a ship, and the helmsman is Christ. Amidst the waves, the ship rocks back and forth, left and right, but it never sinks, it is never submerged, never lost, but always steered toward the safe harbor.’ So too, this local Church may have endured much suffering over the years, but that great father of ours, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, opened his arms—just as the Cross of our Christ is an open embrace—and gathered your Church within it, granting canonicity to all the clergy and laity of this land.
The movement of the Church through the centuries, my beloved brothers and sisters, is the movement of Cross and Resurrection. And the life of each one of us is the same—Cross and Resurrection. If we bear the Cross with love for Christ, then we are His disciples. This local Church, once the illustrious and historical Archdiocese of Ohrid, is found in this same crucifixional and resurrectional movement. It has always been so in the movement of the Church—Cross and Resurrection. Let us never forget that in the first three centuries of great persecutions, the great Cross of the Church was carried, and as a result, the Resurrection came through eleven and a half million martyrs—saints. The venerable Chrysostom says: ‘The Church is like a ship, and the helmsman is Christ. Amidst the waves, the ship rocks back and forth, left and right, but it never sinks, it is never submerged, never lost, but always steered toward the safe harbor.’ So too, this local Church may have endured much suffering over the years, but that great father of ours, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, opened his arms—just as the Cross of our Christ is an open embrace—and gathered your Church within it, granting canonicity to all the clergy and laity of this land.
From my position, I convey the brotherly kisses, love, and respect of our Patriarch to His Grace Bishop Parthenius, and we thank him for everything he is doing to lead us to where we need to be. Of course, our Patriarch also sends his greetings to all of you, clergy and laity alike. He prays and offers his best wishes for all and is prepared to do everything necessary for us to reach, as we have said, the fullness of autocephaly.
We pray, dear fathers, mothers, and beloved brothers and sisters, that the grace of our Most Holy Theotokos and the protection of the Precious Cross will lead us there. And then we will be able to proclaim: In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I thank the holy Abbess, Mother Haritina, for the warm reception and hospitality, as well as for today’s liturgy here, with the blessing of your shepherd, His Eminence Timothy, and in the presence of your beloved Elder and spiritual father, His Grace, Bishop Parthenius. We also await you in Constantinople and Imbros, to reciprocate your love. Pray for us, brothers and sisters, and many years!”
