His Eminence Archbishop of Cetinje and Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, Mr. Joanikije, served today, on the feast of Saint Alympius the Stolpnik, with the clergy, monastics and faithful people of God, the Holy Hierarchical Liturgy in the Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos in Dragalje.

During the Holy Divine Service, Metropolitan Joanikije ordained Hierodeacon Michael, a confrere of the Monastery of Saint Seraphim of Sarov in Dragalje, to the rank of hieromonk.

In his archpastoral sermon, His Eminence Metropolitan Joannikije referred to the life of Saint Alympius the Stylite and taught that ascetics like him, even far away in the desert, separated from people, were actually closer to people than those who were with each other every day.

“He could help more – Saint Alympius the Stylite, because the Lord endowed him with great spiritual gifts, because of his love for God, because of his sacrifice, because of his exploits, of course, but most of all, because of his great humility,” said the Metropolitan.

Recalling that this holy man of God gathered around him a large number of spiritual children whom he guided towards the Kingdom of Heaven, the Metropolitan emphasized that great spiritual fathers are distinguished precisely by the fact that they do not bind their spiritual children to themselves, but rather bring them to the Lord.

“Christ the Lord is the source of eternal life and we should be attached to Him, and great spiritual fathers have always distinguished this well and strictly.”

The Bishop wished the new hieromonk, Father Mihailo, that the Lord would give him strength for his asceticism – to become, as he said, “a pillar of the Orthodox faith.”

“That the people may gather around him, as around the shepherd of the Lord; that he may shine with his virtues, his good deeds, his mercy, his kindness, and above all with his humility, like that lighthouse that is lit in the darkness so that people on the seabed have a guide as to where to go and to whom to go. That lighthouse actually points to the Kingdom of Heaven. ‘So that your light may shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify our Father who is in heaven,’ Metropolitan Joanikije wished.

He added that this word of the Lord is addressed to all Christians, and that every priest, by the grace and mercy of God, is an intermediary between God and people.

“May we, dear brothers and sisters, clothe ourselves as much as possible with the virtues of Christ. May we be filled as much as possible with the grace and mercy of God. This, in fact, is the secret of the priestly ministry – that the priest, offering his prayers, his exploits, his labors to God, does not do it for himself, but for the sake of the Church of God and for the sake of the people of God, because he becomes an intermediary by the grace of God, by the mercy of God, by the arrangement of God, between God and people. His holy ministry is such, more exalted than that of the angels, and brings the grace of God to all those for whom he prays.”

The Metropolitan said that the holy saints of God were adorned with freedom from selfishness and self-love, and a readiness to sacrifice for their neighbors.

“Even if they are freed from their self-love and self-love to the extent that when they see that someone else is not quite right, but if it is not terrible, if it is ordinary human flaws, human sins and so on, and he sees all this, and he is right, he will not say: I am right, and you are not. You are a sinner, you are like this, you are like that, because they will always keep in mind the word of God, that we should first remove the beam from our own eye, and then we will have the ability to remove the mote, that is, to point out some sins in our neighbors.”

The Bishop emphasized that every priest should strive to have a clear conscience and awareness that he is a co-servant of God, and that every Christian, through his life in the Church, becomes a participant and co-servant in the Holy Service.

“At this Holy Service, not only priests serve and participate in this Holy Service, but also the faithful people of God, and together we glorify the Name of God: We do not know exactly whose prayer God will accept first. Of course, the service performed by priests at the altar is presided over by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, but everyone’s prayer during the Holy Service, every amen, every Lord have mercy, every spiritualized, enlightened feeling, from anyone, from that little child in the temple, to the old man and woman – all of this is an offering to the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

The Metropolitan wished Father Michael to persevere in his priestly service.