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He was born in the modest family of Stevan and Ana, on the great Orthodox feast of the beheading of the precursor of the Lord Saint John the Baptist. And that, many admit, is not without symbolism. Because, like the Forerunner, the life of the patriarch was full of perseverance and infinite feats from the earliest childhood. He lost his parents early. Gojko and his brother Dušan were most cared for by their father’s sister, Senka. Another mother, as the patriarch said. He finished the four-grade primary school in Kućanci. He was educated, then, in Tuzla, Belgrade and Sarajevo, and spent his wartime days in Banja Koviljača and the monasteries of the Ovčar-Kablar gorge. He became a monk at the monastery of the Annunciation in 1946, receiving the spiritual name from his “heavenly patron” the Apostle Paul.
He was elected Bishop of Raska and Prizren in 1957 and Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church on December 1, 1990. Patriarch Pavle later pointed out that his only work program was the Gospel. In the most difficult moment! At the beginning of another bloody decade of war. Decades of great temptation and suffering for his people, whose cross and burden he carried until his death on November 15, 2009. More than half a million people attended the last farewell of Patriarch Pavle in the streets of Belgrade.
These are only biographical and factual data. For Serbs, he became much more in their life: a living saint. Modest, wise, caring, and at the same time full of understanding for the new age full of temptations, he quickly settled in the hearts of millions of believers and atheists, like none of his predecessors.
That is why even today dozens of events are recounted that confirm the asceticism, faith and devotion of the patriarch to both the church and the people. And he was known not only for his wisdom, but also for the modest life he led: he cooked, sewed, repaired shoes, took the tram here, and no physical work was strange or difficult for him.
Ten quotes from the patriarch Paul about life and people
We remember him as a wise man whose speeches and sermons are retold and remembered. Here are some of them.
Man is stronger dead than non-man alive.
If everyone clung to love, this country would be a paradise. But if all would stick at least to what is a little less than love, because love is the bond of perfection, if only they would stick to the principle “What you want for yourself, do it for others; what you do not want for yourself, you do not do for others ”, then the earth, if it did not become a paradise, would be close to paradise.
We do not defend ourselves from the evil of others, the evil in ourselves.
When a man is born, the whole world rejoices and only he cries. But he must live so that when he dies, the whole world will cry and only he will rejoice.
God created us humans and asks us to be that. There are no times when it can’t be and we wouldn’t have to be.
Time is a duration that has a past, present and future. But there is no past like time. There are vestiges of the past. There is no future either, it will be. And what’s up? It has only the present. This category of time does not apply to God. Eternity refers to Him. And eternity is the constant present. There is no past or future.
Take care of your enemies and pray for them because they don’t know what they are doing.
True love is only when love does not seek its own. When you love someone without any logic. It is also true freedom. That is why I am a Christian.
They do not understand the Christian love that does not seek its own, that always looks at others, not only at itself. If you are looking for your own, it is already a trade.
Everything will pass, but the soul, the cheek and the good will remain forever.
My strength is weak, you all know it. I don’t wait on them. I await your help, I say and repeat, the help of God with which he has kept me until now. May it be for the glory of God and for the benefit of His church and our afflicted people in these difficult times. We do not have any patriarchal activity program, our program is the Gospel of Christ.
From everything, we can only guess that he was closer to God than many because he literally and completely respected the principles he preached. As he said: “When a man is born, the whole world rejoices, and only he cries.
But he must live in such a way that when he dies, the whole world cries, and only he rejoices. “And more:” God created us human beings and asks us to be like that. There are no moments when it can’t be. we wouldn’t have to be that. ”These are some little-known things about the patriarch’s life when everyone still considered him a saint.
Breadcrumbs
On one occasion when he finished eating, he took a napkin in front of him with some crumbs. He silently scooped up each crumb and ate it. Those present were surprised to ask him what he was doing, and he replied: “You do not know, my children, what hunger means and how many children in the world are hungry, and we throw bread on the table and in containers. For some they represent life and hope, and we abandon them so easily. Remember every time starving children in Africa and the world see crumbs on the table. “
Bench comrades
Once upon a time, Meša Selimović and Patriarch Pavle sat on the same bench at the secondary school in Tuzla.
Prayer for all
When he was in Kosovo and Metohija as bishop, it happened that Patriarch Pavle was arrested by an armed Albanian gang. Not much is known about the incident itself, but he was asked by a gang or members of the KLA to kneel and pray for the injured Albanians. Then Paul replied calmly and seriously that he was kneeling and praying in church for all innocent victims and victims, regardless of their nationality and religion. This is how he managed to continue his journey unscathed.
Saved a man who was drowning
While working as an educator in Banja Koviljača, he saved a boy who was drowning from the freezing water. As a result of that effort, he received, at that time, fatal tuberculosis. However, although the doctors gave him no more than three months to live, he managed to recover and live to a very old age.
An anecdote of an airplane
Once the patriarch went somewhere by plane. When they were flying over the sea, the plane entered the turbulent zone and an accident occurred. A young bishop sitting next to the patriarch asked him what he thought about it if the plane crashed now. He said without confusion: “In relation to myself, I will accept it as an act of justice, because I have eaten so many fish in my life that it would be strange now if they did not eat me now.”
Left millions to the church
He left only an alarm clock and a watch to his brother’s descendants, such as his closest relatives, while the Serbian Orthodox Church will have his medal, as well as written works, which already have an invaluable fidelity measured in millions of euros.
Eat on yourself …
He also knew how to be strict. On the eve of a meal, everyone prayed at the table. A monk was silent. The patriarch asked him why he was silent, why he did not pray with others, and the monk replied that he prayed within himself. The patriarch added that then he should eat on himself.
A musical man
Little is known that he was also an exceptional singer. He enjoyed the polyphonic singing of spiritual songs. He never hesitated to complain if the choir did not sing with religious enthusiasm, so he knew how to stand in front of them and zealously show them how the liturgical songs are sung.
ID card
Patriarch Pavle was born Gojko Stojčević and in 1948 became a monk at the Monastery of the Annunciation. He grew up with his paternal aunt, whom he loved very much and who replaced his parents. He had a desire to become a doctor.
Vote
Patriarch Pavle did not participate in the voting before, that is, he did not go to the polls (local, presidential and parliamentary), but on the occasion of the referendum on the new constitution of the Republic of Serbia in 2006, he asked citizens to fulfill his “Most sacred duty” and left alone. vote.
Kurir.rs/astrosajt.blogspot.com
Photo by Profimedia, Dado Djilas
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