Homily of His Grace Bishop Partenij of Antania, delivered at the Vespers Service in honor of the Holy Great-Martyr George the Trophy-Bearer at the Bigorski Metochion in Rajchica, on May 5th, 2025, the Year of the Lord
Christ is Risen!
Very Reverend and Honorable Fathers,
Venerable Monks and Nuns,
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,,
We offer thanksgiving to the God Who loves mankind, Who has deemed us worthy once again this year to celebrate the honorable memory of the Holy Great-Martyr George the Trophy-Bearer—that most glorious diamond among the saints, an adornment of Christ’s Church and a constant intercessor for the faithful.
Great indeed is the glory of Saint George, and immense are the love and reverence that Christians from all corners of the world show toward him. Truly, the Church’s love for this Great-Martyr is manifest through the countless churches that have been built in his honor. And not only churches, but entire lands and states bear his glorious name. Thus, for example, the ancient land of Georgia—which we traditionally call Gruzia—is rightly considered the land of Saint George. Likewise, the state of Georgia in the United States also bears his name, as yet another witness to his universal glory and veneration.
Why is the Holy Great-Martyr so beloved and glorified? Because his glory in the heavens is radiant and powerful; because his love for Christ was all-consuming fire and uncompromising devotion. As we learn from his martyrology, he spared neither his youth nor his life, but surrendered himself and all things out of love to Christ. He gave himself entirely—his whole being—with heartfelt determination into the hands of the risen and living God and became a living witness to His Resurrection, a witness to the faith that does not perish, but lives through the ages and beyond all ages.
Saint George is one among the multitude of witnesses to Christ’s rising from the dead, one of those who testified through their lives and their blood to the truth that the Lord is alive, and that whoever denies himself for His sake shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. The heavens are filled with martyrs—stars of love—among whom shines Saint George. Yet this Great-Martyr possesses a particular glory, because he is among the first who sealed his testimony in the days when the Risen Christ was still being fiercely persecuted, when the newborn Church was still living in the sorrow of those first and brutal persecutions.
Just as the holy Apostles gave their lives for the Savior Whom they saw, Whom they touched, felt, and preached with all their hearts, so too their followers—their spiritual children—among whom was this noble and courageous soldier of the Roman army, tribune, and witness—proved themselves to be invincible defenders of the faith. His martyrdom, as his Life attests, did not remain fruitless nor without newly enlightened witnesses: Empress Alexandra herself, the wife of Emperor Diocletian, upon seeing the sufferings of the Saint, turned to Christ—together with many other eyewitnesses who were present. They too, like him, sealed their faith with a martyr’s death, becoming citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem.
And every time we come here, on this radiant day, to this holy monastery, and remember and honor the life and martyrdom of the Trophy-Bearer, we feel—in the silence of the heart—that the Saint is here with us. He always comes. Especially on his feast day, on his glorious commemoration, his presence is palpable—grace-filled, quiet, yet alive.
And we, who live in his house, in his holy monastery, are called to give a spiritual account of his glory. You see, for those who dwell in the monastery of Saint George, time is not measured by the worldly calendar, but from one feast to another—from one yearly commemoration of the Saint to the next. For he is truly the master of this place. And it is to him that we must give an account of what we have been like, how we have served him, with how much love, with what sacrifice we have labored. How much we have exerted ourselves—whether beyond our strength—because only when a person strives beyond what he can, does it become an ascetic struggle; only then does God strengthen our desire for a God-pleasing life and fill our weakness with His power.
In one of the processional stichera we chanted this evening, we heard that “the radiant warrior George, in his glorious martyrdom, rejoices the heavenly hosts and, exulting now with them, gathers a festive assembly of the faithful on earth and calls us, who are gathered for his sake, to celebrate together, for he has shown himself to be a servant of Christ.” The Saint, therefore, comes from heaven to summon us, to gather us all in honor of his annual commemoration. But not for his own sake—rather, to gather us around Christ. Not to leave us scattered, but to bring us into unity. Tomorrow we shall celebrate the Divine Eucharist, and we shall all gather around the King, we shall be united with Him and with one another, we shall become one in Christ. For that was precisely the Lord’s prayer before His voluntary Passion, in the Garden of Gethsemane: “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us” (John 17:21). And through the Holy Liturgy, we truly become one with Christ—practically and ontologically. Our soul becomes united with heaven, with all the saints, with all the righteous spirits, with all who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection and eternal life. In the Liturgy, we are all one. Time and space cease to exist—there is only unity in the Holy Spirit. And tomorrow, by the grace of God, we will serve the commemoration of Saint George and accomplish the most sublime of offerings: we will offer the Holy Eucharist—that Mystery above all mysteries—in which the Saint becomes united with us, and we are united with Christ.
This holy temple, my beloved, which for a long time stood neglected and forgotten, like some desolate and sorrowful corner of the world, today bears witness to a great miracle. It bears witness that Saint George, the mighty and fearless one in the Lord, obtained from Christ this spiritual resurrection. He interceded for his sanctuary—for the house in which he dwells and is glorified. And the Lord heard his prayer. Once again He gathered His people, once again He filled the monastery with prayer and monastic tradition, with renewed spirit, with life. And behold, for more than twenty years now, almost every day, the bloodless sacrifice of Christ is offered here—on this place, which until recently was a place of desolation, even of mockery, turned into a stable, forgotten by men. But not by the Saint—not by God. Therefore, this church and this monastery are not merely buildings, but a powerful testimony to the presence and action of Saint George among us. To his countless miracles, which occur quietly, but undeniably and continuously. For the martyr who offered his life for Christ, who poured out love unto blood, has great boldness before the Throne of God. And he uses that boldness not for himself, but for us—to entreat mercy, to implore forgiveness, to beseech protection for his holy dwelling.
And the Holy Places, my brothers and sisters, are not sanctified merely because they are built or adorned in honor of a saint, but because they are places where divine services are offered—where the Body and Blood of Christ are sacrificed. In them, in the houses of God, we are sanctified and blessed. Through them we receive strength for life, light for the soul, and peace for the heart. Therefore, every restoration of a church, every resurrection of a Holy Place, is not merely an act of construction, but a work of the Holy Spirit, who tirelessly gathers His people around Christ.
And once again, we offer gratitude to the Holy Great-Martyr George, who, since the time of the renewal and reconsecration of this, his monastery, in the year 2001—a time of hardship, of uncertainty and danger—until this very day, for nearly twenty-five years, has not allowed the lamp of his Holy Place to be extinguished. On the contrary, it shines brightly, it burns, it bears witness, it raises high the banner of the Orthodox faith—the faith of the Cross, which is the faith of victory, of resurrection, of love. And that banner does not wave for some and not for others. That banner is an embrace for all. The Saint, who himself is a martyr for the love of Christ, spreads that love among us and toward everyone—regardless of faith, nationality, or any other affiliation. For Christianity, as we know, is cosmopolitan—not in the sense of worldly indifference, but in the divine desire that all may be united in one. Christ came to gather all peoples into one Body, into one Kingdom, into one Heart. And here, in this region filled with diverse peoples and tongues, we are witnesses of that miracle. Even though, sadly, today the Orthodox in Debar can scarcely be called a minority—so few are we—still, together with our Albanian brothers, with the Macedonians of the Islamic faith, with Turks, with Roma, and with others, we live in peace, in mutual respect, in shared solidarity. And this is not merely the fruit of human effort; it is, above all, the fruit of the Saint’s prayer. It is his invisible but mighty hand that holds us together and softens the hearts even of those who do not know Christ but sense something sacred and majestic when they draw near to this place.
Therefore, once again, let us give thanks to the glorious Trophy-Bearer, who willed and obtained from God that we reach this eve of his radiant, blessed, and beautiful commemoration. Let us thank him for being our intercessor, for guarding us, for not forgetting us. Let us pray that he may continue to be our helper and protector, just as he has shielded us until now.
May his prayers and blessings be with you all! Amen.
