The Serbian Sisters' Group in Kotor celebrated its patron saint, Saint Petka, today.
At the Liturgy in the Church of St. Nicholas in the Old Town, addressing the members of the Group, the archpriestly regent of Kotor-Tivat, the parish priest of Kotor, archpriest-stavrophor Nemanja Krivokapić, said that they had chosen Saint Petka as their patron saint and that, following the example of the saint, they help those in need.
"May it be for health and salvation, may it be a happy holiday for all of us, and especially for the members of the Serbian Sisters' Group in Kotor, who celebrate Saint Petka as their patron saint," said Father Nemanja.
He continued by saying that today's Holy Gospel speaks of the wise virgins who were waiting for the Bridegroom, Christ the Savior, while the Church reminds us again of how important it is to strive for God and seek Him with all our souls throughout our lives, caring for the virtues that we need to acquire and thus await the Judgment of God.
"Today's Gospel and this feast remind us that our whole life is a constant care for salvation, for our soul, and a constant enrichment with virtues and gifts, because the oil that the wise virgins had is our virtues and good deeds. Those virgins who were not well prepared are those people who think "there is time, I will repent later, now I can live as I want", although we never know when the Savior will come. Those wise maidens remind us that we should constantly guard our souls and constantly elevate and strive to improve our virtues. It is never enough, there is no limit that needs to be met in order to gain the Kingdom of God,” said Father Nemanja.
All our lives, until our last breath, he continued, we need to strive and guard our virtues, and the one who is an example to us that this is possible and that it is salvific is precisely Saint Petka, whom we celebrate today.
“God crowned Saint Petka with a crown of glory precisely because of her pious life, but also virtues. Above all, because of her love for God, but also for her neighbors. These two virtues are inseparable from each other, because we cannot love God if we do not love our neighbor, who is next to us. How will you love God in heaven, Whom you do not see, if you do not love your brother who is next to you? This is precisely the virtue that Saint Petka demonstrated, who shared everything she had from a young age. Her parents were rich, fortunately Christians, they loved the Church, they took her to church services,” said Father Nemanja.
For the gifts she gave, sometimes against their will, they considered it to be God-pleasing, to share what we have with others, especially if we have too much, as Saint Petka did.
"With such a life, she became like God and the saints who before her deserved the Kingdom of God and thus was crowned with a crown of glory. This saint and this Holy Gospel constantly remind us of the purpose of our lives. The members of the Circle of Serbian Sisters from Kotor have chosen Saint Petka as their patroness, because by helping others they engage in beautiful and pleasant deeds. This is the service they themselves have chosen, service in the Church, to help others, those who need help, and this is what today's Gospel is talking about and what we should strive for. May Saint Petka be your helper and prayer book before God and a guide to how to continue striving in such a way of life and that, praying to the Holy Mother of God and Saint Petka, you may continue your God-pleasing work for the benefit of everyone around you but also for your own salvation, amen," he said at the end of his speech to the members of the Circle of Serbian Sisters. Father Nemanja.