Divine Liturgy in Vodoca ( 07.03.2009 )
Today on the first Saturday of the Great Lent when we commemorate St. Theodore Tiro, His Eminence the Metropolitan of Strumica Nahum celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the chapel of Saint Gregory Palamas and Elder Joseph Spilaioti in the Monastery of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God in Vodoca. Interpreting the words of today’s Holy Gospel: “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2, 27), Father Nahum said that this means nothing else but, out of everything we see, hear, touch, smell and taste in the church (apart from the Holy Eucharist) or all that we read in the church rules of conduct, nothing is more sacred than Man. All this was created and given for the salvation of man, and not the other way around. And it is only a shadow or an icon on the way to the Truth. And it is but a pedagogical means through which we lead the man to the whole Truth - it should not become an idol to which man should serve and which becomes more important than man himself. For example: if we see that there is a church on fire somewhere with a helpless man inside it, naturally we will first save the man, and the rest, whatever that might be, afterwards. And if we realise that a certain church rule cannot be followed through completely, and insisting on it wouldn’t be salvific to the man in question nor to the church community (this is why the mind-and-heart prayer i.e. the illumination of the mind is needed), it naturally ensues that the rule will be modified. For God became man, in order for man to become god by grace; for the Godman Christ identifies Himself even with the least worthy of His brothers (whatever you did for them, you did for Me – Matthew 25, 31-46); for “the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2, 28). Glory to Thee, o Lord! according to the records of the Sisters from the Monastery
