Abbot Metodije: Serbs in Kosovo bear witness to suffering for faith and truth

Archimandrite Metodije (Markovic), abbot of the Serbian Kovin Monastery, which belongs to the Eparchy of Buda of the Serbian Orthodox Church, stated that Good Friday is the saddest day for all Christians, and that Serbs in Kosovo today, by their example, bear witness to suffering for faith and truth, showing how Orthodox Christians should behave in the most difficult circumstances of life.

In an Easter interview for Kosovo Online, the abbot of one of the oldest Serbian Orthodox holy sites outside the territory of Serbia, dating back to the 12th century, said that everyone admires the Serbs living in “much-suffering Kosovo and Metohija.”

“We admire them and they are always in our prayers, to persevere and remain on the sacred Serbian land. Through the prayers of holy martyrs and God's saints who glorified God, may you also glorify God and emulate them in goodness. Wherever we live, we are on God's estate, and we should always strive to be who we are, Serbs of the Orthodox faith, rich in our traditions, which are especially expressed at Easter,” Archimandrite Metodije said.

He told the Serbs in Kosovo that through firm faith it is possible to persevere “on the path of truth, justice, and piety.”

“With firm faith, you will persevere on the path of truth, justice, and piety, in this great victory of the risen giver of life, when the light of His resurrection fills all with the radiance of eternal life. In prayer, we wish you inexhaustible Paschal joy and constant help and grace from Christ the Savior, risen from the dead,” he emphasized.

He stressed that everyone in the world who wants to know the truth is aware of the difficult conditions under which Serbs in Kosovo live.

“They are an example to all of us of how we should act and how to remain true Orthodox Christians in the most difficult life circumstances, following the example of our holy ancestors,” Archimandrite Metodije emphasized.

"The feast of feasts"

Speaking about the upcoming Easter, he emphasized that it is the “feast of feasts and the celebration above all celebrations.”

“What humanity lost through Adam’s fall into sin, it regained in the Risen Savior Christ. The Apostle Paul writes in his epistle to the Corinthians: ‘For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.’ The achievement of eternal life is realized by the faithful through the Church – the Body of Christ. At the foundation of Christianity lies faith in Christ risen from the dead,” said Archimandrite Metodije.

He explained that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the greatest event in history.

“It is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions. The founders of all other religions are mortals, while the Head of the Church is the risen Christ,” Abbot Metodije noted.

He explained that the “Pascha of the Lord,” or Easter, is the holiday toward which all church feasts are directed.

“In the Church's liturgical celebrations of every feast, the light of the Resurrection and the future eternal life is reflected. The feast of the Resurrection calls all believers to begin the future life already here on earth. From the birth in Bethlehem to the sacrificial death on Golgotha, the God-man moved toward one goal – the resurrection from the dead. That is why the Resurrection is the ultimate goal of all Christian endeavors and aspirations. In the words of Saint Justin of Celije, ‘The Resurrection of Christ is a cosmic event, visible and evident even to the heavenly powers; that is why angels appear as witnesses to Christ’s resurrection,’” the abbot of the Serbian Kovin Monastery said.

The struggle of redemption and salvation

Through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, the God-human struggle of redemption and salvation of the human race was completed, Archimandrite Metodije said.

“Through it, the Savior finally conquered death and granted us eternal life. The sinless Lord, through His resurrection, shows and confirms to us that His loving sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world has been accepted. In Christ’s resurrection, human nature received its true, divine meaning and significance, for the darkness of sin and death was removed from it, and it was revealed in its original sinless beauty and immortal light. Christ’s resurrection is the only justification and the true meaning of human life on earth. Through it, the human being clearly feels, understands, and sees that it was created in this world for an immortal and eternal life in holiness, love, and righteousness,” Abbot Metodije of the Serbian Kovin Monastery said.