“Go therefore and teach all nations…” (Mt. 28:19)
Founded upon these Saviour’s words is the Church’s mission as an expression of the evangelical and equal-to-the-Apostles work. Our contemporary Athonite elder, the venerable and God-bearing Father Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia, likens mission to the liturgical service—a common work of many for the good and salvation of all. According to the profound ascetical-theological thought of this God-pleasing servant, every true missionary is a co-liturgist, one who, by spreading the word of God, concelebrates with the liturgist. Mission is not proper solely and exclusively to members of the clergy; rather, every member of the Church is called—first and foremost by deeds and by the entirety of his life, and thereafter by the written or spoken word—to be a true missionary.
Our holy and God-bearing Father Nicholas, Bishop of Žiča and Ohrid, a saint from our own nation, marvellously actualised in his life and archpastoral work the Saviour’s call to spread His word. Everything in this saint’s life served the proclamation of the word of the Incarnate Logos, our Lord Jesus Christ, as is witnessed by the ecclesiastical hymnographer who, in the central liturgical hymn, names him a new—or renewed—Chrysostom. One of the precious fruits of the wondrous missionary work of Saint Bishop Nicholas is the periodical Žički blagovesnik, the missionary organ of the Diocese of Žiča, which he founded in 1919. Throughout its long history, the periodical has fulfilled its mission, becoming like fertile soil upon which, from issue to issue, the precious evangelical seed is sown. On this fertile spiritual field, wholly at the service of spreading the good tidings of God’s love, notable editors have left their mark—among them the then Protopresbyter Hranislav Đorić, later Serbian Patriarch German. This equal-to-the-Apostles work, grounded in the prayers and blessing of the spiritual founder of Žički blagovesnik, is continued by today’s Editorial Board, which strives to ensure that the periodical, even in our own days, be like the small flame of a wax taper which, in the form of the written word, illumines the path of our spiritual steps, ever leading us to the only true goal—to our Lord who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (Jn. 14:6).
That the missionary work of Žički blagovesnik in our own day also bears blessed fruit and finds its place in the hearts of all who are truly hungry and thirsty for the eternal and imperishable word of God is witnessed by the event I shall now present. In one of my classes on Orthodox Catechesis—Religious Instruction—I spoke to my pupils about the significance of mission, with special emphasis on the rich publishing endeavour of our local Church, which serves the mission. After my presentation, numerous questions followed, together with a lively discussion which, in its own way, confirmed the importance of the topic. Among the pupils who asked to speak was a young woman who had recently moved from the town of Požega to Novi Sad. She testified that Žički blagovesnik had a profound impact upon her and her spiritual growth, as well as upon her desire to attend religious education classes and to become an active participant in the liturgical life. According to her, it often happened that the texts she had read in Žički blagovesnik made a great impression on her, after which she was prompted to penetrate their deeper meaning—something that undoubtedly contributed to her spiritual edification. The same pupil mentioned that she had followed, on a local television station, the presentation of the new issue of the periodical in which she recognised my work as well. This testimony is as important as the presentation itself, for the promotion of the periodical in the media can never be viewed as a mere advertisement; rather, it must be seen exclusively as a form of extended mission with its own significance and spiritual fruit. This small, yet significant and precious testimony is proof that mission always bears its own blessed fruit and significance. It is incumbent upon us tirelessly to cultivate the Lord’s Vineyard, to sow the seed with our words into fertile soil, to water it by deeds worthy of the Christian calling, and the Lord, by His love, will grant that manifold fruits be borne—among which is the one we have just recounted.
May the Lord grant that the activity of Žički blagovesnik henceforth be in the service of catechesis whose ultimate aim is union with the Lord, and may the prayers of Saint Bishop Nicholas be an inspiration and support to all those labouring around this periodical—together with its editor, Protopresbyter Aleksandar Jevtić—in this important missionary work.
The text was published on the Riznica portal, in the section “Authored Texts”.
Written by: Catechist Branislav Ilić, editor of the “Kinonija” portal
