The Holy Liturgy on the occasion of the greatest Christian holiday, Easter, was celebrated today in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Kotor.
The Liturgy was attended, in addition to numerous believers, by the Mayor of the Municipality of Kotor Vladimir Jokić, the President of the Assembly of the Municipality of Kotor Vojin Batuta, and the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Kotor Stojan Milović.
The Liturgy was led by the Archbishop's Vicar of Kotor-Tivat and the parish priest of Kotor, Archpriest-Staurophorus Nemanja Krivokapić.
Priest Vojislav Mijatović read the Easter Epistle of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
“The Orthodox Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovac and Patriarch of Serbia, with all the hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church – to the clergy, monasticism and all the sons and daughters of our holy Church: grace, mercy and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, with the joyful Easter greeting: Christ is Risen!
The Word of God, the Gospel of Christ, the spiritual treasury of the Church of God, from which the seeds of eternal life are sown in our hearts by the right hand of the Lord, is full of the truths hidden in God. These are not abstract ideas but words that are fulfilled in our lives. Among them are the words with which the Lord warns us of the times in which peace will be taken from the earth, when we will hear wars and rumors of wars, for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.
These words, which have sounded to many generations of our ancestors as a warning of future times and their announcement, are today the reality in which we live. We see unrest among nations, we hear rumors of wars and we witness wars, suffering and uncertainty in the world. While the sky is torn apart by the traces of death missiles, and the sounds of sirens that announce destruction and suffering echo in the ears of anxious humanity, from the depths of Christ's empty tomb the voice of an angel is heard, a witness to the Resurrection, who tells the myrrh-bearing women, and through them to all of us, as well as to every human being: "Do not be afraid!". Fear is not driven away from us only by an angel, but, before and more than him, by the One who abolished the fear of death, which is the essential reason for all fear. Having conquered death by death, the Risen God-man Christ also addresses us with the words: "Do not be afraid!". Thus encouraged, we know that the terrifying events of our days are not the last word of history, but a call to vigilance and fortitude in God.
What do today's signs of the times tell us? Although the empty tomb of Christ defeated the power of every tomb and showed that no tomb has the last word, in history and in our reality there are still living tombs filled with hatred, selfishness, passions and self-love. We recognize them in the dark hearts of people, in unlimited selfishness, in the media that spread untruth, in wars, in all our passions and sins against the love of God. These tombs, despite the Resurrection of Christ, constantly distort and desecrate life itself as an endless gift of God's love,” reads, among other things, the epistle read by Father Mijatović.
In conclusion, Archpriest-Staurophorus Nemanja Krivokapić wished everyone well-being and peace, as well as a happy Easter, with the traditional words: “Christ is Risen – Truly He is Risen!”
During the liturgy, members of the choir of the Serbian Singing Society "Jedinstvo" (1839) Kotor sang.
The service in the Church of St. Nicholas began this morning at 5 a.m. with Matins, while Easter Vespers will be served at 5 p.m. in the Church of St. Peter of Cetinje in Prčanje and
at 7 p.m. in the Church of St. Nicholas in Kotor.
Text and photo: Tamara Vuković
Radio Kotor