NGO against faith

Searching for something to talk about, i saw this article. This article that made my head burst into annoyance. Why? Of all the groups that will make this stupid statement, an NGO named Movement for Enlightened Society is against the celebration of Saint Sava as the patron saint of schools in Serbia.

Here is the article from B92:

The NGO also protested over Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) priests taking an active part in school celebrations, "with prayers and inappropriate sermons, and performance of religious rituals," in this way "additionally stressing the religious importance of the holiday." 

"By celebrating patron saint day of schools as a religious holiday, the Constitution of Serbia is being directly violated in Article 11 that mandates the separation of churches and religious communities and the state," said a statement. 

The NGO, which earlier this month criticized President Tomislav Nikolic for sending his Christmas message and taking part in Christmas rituals held at the presidency building as "impermissible abuse of the holiday and violation of the Constitution," reminded headmasters of state schools and "responsible persons in the government" that there are members of other religions, "as well as atheists," among schoolchildren and their parents and teachers.

According to the statement, they are denied the right to celebrate St. Sava's Day as "a true school holiday open to everyone, regardless of their religious and ethnic orientation."

This is the disease of ultra-liberalism in Europe and the discontent of some pro-EU trying to destabilize the Serbian state, that cannot recover in a hurry because of the events in it's history that made them bad in most states by means of false propaganda.

Veza sa Sveti Knez Lazare

I sense always a strong connection with Car Lazar often. I prayed to God with the saint's intercession. It is somehow mysterious for me to implore his holy name then and now every nightly prayer, to which i decided to have a Slava for the future every June 28(Julian Calendar of June 15) and this is good for my spiritual life.

A Slava for me is the remembrance of a saint by having a prayer beside the food prepared. It may be more wider than my own explanation but a slava is a slava. It is generally a Serbian Orthodox feast.

I will be baptized in a Japanese church but since my saint is from Serbia, i will celebrate it every time the saint's feast day falls.

Saint Nicholas, the true Santa Claus

Who could not think of the spirit of Christmas? Of course, a lot knows about Christmas but most people doesn't know who is Christ, or if they knew, they would disregard him as the true source of Christmas. Saint Nicholas is also commercialized by greedy people so that people will not see who he is really.

But to those people like me that believed in true Christianity, Saint Nicholas is a defender of Orthodoxy, against the heretical Arian. He is also the saint of sea-farers and miners. Why is he so?

His feast was being celebrated by the time of St. Justinian two centuries after his death. After Methodius' life of Nicholas became available, Nicholas was acclaimed and honored throughout Europe and especially in Italy. When Myra was captured by the Saracens in 1034, many Italian cities planned to "rescue" his relics. In 1087, forces from Bari, Italy, attacked Myra and carried away his relics from the lawful Greek guardians in Myra to Bari where they were enshrined in a new church. His fame increased. The story of his rescue of sailors in the Aegean Sea during his lifetime established him as the patron of mariners. His popularity in Russia rose to the point that almost all churches had some sort of shrine honoring St. Nicholas.

He is a well known saint in Russia, Greece and some Slavas in Serbia are dedicated to him. With that said, would you still believe Santa Claus is fiction amd is just a gift giver to children?

Danas Vidovdan

I will always remember this date. Vidovdan. It is not just the political celebration of the but also the Slava of St. Vitus as well and the memorial day of Saint Prince Lazar and his soldiers during their sacrificial battle at Kosovo.

Many events that occured coincidentally from the sacrifice at Kosovo to the Montenegrin independence happend all throughout history. If I would be asked why in the future, i would celebrate Vidovdan, one thing is what i would amswer. The feast day of Saint Prince Lazar according to the Srpska Pravoslavna Crkva, marked this day if the Julian Calendar would be used but if i prefer June 15, i may as well.

I may ask my Srpski prijatelji more when i get there to properly celebrate Vidovdan in honor of my future patron saint. Despite my turbulent week and emotional distress, i pray continually to God for Saint prince Lazar's intercession and to give me strength throught the many challenges that will unfold in my life. If there would be a one time i may visit Srbija, i hoped it will be Vidovdan week and go on a pilgrimage that will make me a strong person by heart. By all means, Vidovdan is not just a political but more on religious celebration as well. We have options but i will prefer the religious one.

May this day as a whole be a source of strength to the Serbian people and to those who looked upon their medieval heroics and spiritual strength all through out the years.