The full measure of God’s power is united in the saintly person of Saint Peter of Cetinje, stated Fr. Jovan Vasić during the Holy Liturgy held in the church dedicated to the saint in Prčanj.

“Today is a feast day that brings joy to the earth, but even more so to the heavens. We celebrate the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke—whose ancient church, dating back to the Middle Ages—the era of the Nemanjić dynasty and even earlier—stands in the heart of the old town of Kotor. And here, in more recent times, we have this magnificent church—a ‘tear of Njegoš,’ as it is called—dedicated to Saint Peter of Cetinje, whom we honor on this very day.

How wondrously the Lord has ordained things—as reflected in the Holy Gospel we have just read—so that the biblical truth is manifested through God’s saints: ‘Great art Thou, O Lord, and wondrous are Thy works; no word is sufficient to sing the praises of all Thy miracles.’ And, furthermore, there is the other scripture which says: ‘God is wondrous in His saints, the God of Israel.’ Indeed, this holy day—commemorating the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke and Saint Peter of Cetinje—serves as a testament to that very truth.” In the saintly person of Saint Peter of Cetinje, the entire fullness of God’s power is united. How vast are the depths, heights, breadths, and lengths of his character—much like what the Apostle Paul speaks of: coming to know the depth, height, breadth, and length of Christ’s love, symbolized by the Cross, with its vertical and horizontal dimensions. Such was Saint Peter of Cetinje: a military commander, a bishop, a statesman, and an ascetic. He fought with both sword and pen; he offered up prayers, yet he also invoked solemn curses (anathemas) when the situation demanded it. Indeed, his person embodies the full measure of the Christian life—the truth that the Christian faith is a living faith in the living God. Such was Saint Peter of Cetinje; such, too, were the Holy Apostles—including the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, who was simultaneously a physician, an iconographer, and an evangelist.

Thus, wherever the Lord wills, He transcends the laws of nature. Just as the Most Holy Mother of God—by giving birth to the Son of God, who is also the Son of Man—transcends the earthly order and the logic of nature, so too do the saints, who—following Christ, the Good Shepherd—heeded His voice, set forth, and "entered through the door," as today’s Holy Gospel tells us. Here, the order of nature is transcended, for God acts and does as He wills. This is precisely the testimony of the person of Saint Peter of Cetinje, who, even after his death—as a peacemaker and a wonderworker—continues to manifest his power. Such is also this holy temple, erected in our own day through the labors of our father of blessed memory, Momčilo, and his parishioners. As the thought—a true one, indeed—goes: "That single stone, which tumbled down during the destruction of the Lovćen Chapel, landed here—right here in Boka—and from it sprouted that 'tear of Njegoš,' taking the form of this holy temple and the power of God that resides within it."

May Saint Peter of Cetinje and the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke be a source of aid to us all, helping us to fulfill the words of the Holy Apostle Paul—himself a witness to this living faith in the living God: "I can do all things in Christ Jesus, who grants me the strength." Nothing in this world is possible without God, yet with God, all things are possible; for let the words of the Holy Gospel always remain in our minds: "What is impossible for men is, in truth, possible for God."

The only thing that truly matters—and it is not even a matter of our own skills or gifts, for the Lord is the Giver of gifts, the One who bestows wisdom, and the One who strengthens us—is that the Lord will ensure everything works for the benefit of the righteous. This is something a person could never achieve on their own. Although the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke was, by all accounts, an exceptionally gifted man—both as an artist and as a physician—the supreme power of God was most fully manifested through his apostolic and evangelical witness.

And what can be said of Saint Peter of Cetinje, who bore no less a witness to the faith of Christ—a living faith in the living God?

Let us, then, take as a summary of all the lessons we can draw from the lives of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke and Saint Peter of Cetinje—both of whom bore witness to the faith of Christ in their own times—these words of Christ from the Gospel: “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; do not rejoice that you have been sent in My name—for whoever receives you, receives Me. Do not rejoice merely in these visible deeds; rather, rejoice in the very essence for which we are born here on earth—that your names are inscribed in the book of eternity, that your names are written in the book of the Kingdom of God in the heavens.”

And what is this truth, and to whom is it revealed? “I praise You, O Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent”—that is, not through one’s own intellect, not through one’s own wisdom, nor through one’s own success and mere effort—but rather, I praise You, O Father, that You have revealed them to the simple-hearted; for such was Your will. Therefore, whatever we carry in our hearts and souls to do, the Lord will turn toward the good—for, in the end, all things work together for the good of the righteous.

May the prayers of God’s mighty saints—those who are the great glory of the city of Kotor: the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke and Saint Peter of Cetinje, united in today’s feast—serve as a source of support, progress, blessing, health, and salvation for us all. May the Lord grant the Kingdom of Heaven to those who labored in the Lord’s vineyard before us, and may He open a path for us and for those who will follow, so that we may attain the glory of praising His holy, eternal, and imperishable Name in the unsetting day of the Kingdom of God. May our names be inscribed—let this be the hope of our lives, our very birth, and our existence—in the book of eternity, in the book of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the heavens, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen, may God grant it,” said Fr. Jovan Vasić.