The Remembrance of Christ's Birth as a Separate Church Holiday

by V. Rev. Dusan Gnjatic

  The remembrance of Christ's physical birth was not separately celebrated in the first three centuries after His birth, but it was marked together with His Baptism and on other holidays. The reason for this should first of all be sought in the Christian view of the meaning of physical birth in relation to spiritual birth (baptism): the second was given much greater significance, for spiritual birth is for eternal spiritual life.

  The first evidence of the specific celebration of Christmas dates to the fourth century. From that we learn that Christmas was celebrated in Rome on December 25, in the year 354 A.D., during the time of Pope Liberius, while in the rest of the churches and afar it was celebrated on January 6. One of the reasons cited for the introduction of the separate celebration of Christmas on December 25 was that it was the intention of Christians that this date be dedicated to the true Sun of Righteousness in place of the pagan Roman celebration of the "sun god".

  Contrary to his predecessors, Emperor Constantine the Great began to show respect to God, Who created the sun, Who the prophets called "the Sun of righteousness". According to Christian teaching, the Birth of the Saviour of the world is also the victory of light over darkness: Christ by His coming destroyed sin, death and satan, as well as all those things which come from the darkness. Most likely it was this phenomenon which occurs naturally that caused the desire on the part of Christians to celebrate the holiday of the Birth of Christ on December 25.

  While the holiday of the Birth of Christ was celebrated in Rome on December 25, in the East it didn't exist until about a decade or so later when it began to be celebrated on January 6 along with the rest of the holidays. It is interesting to note that the majority of holidays as well as the dates on which they are celebrated were adopted by Rome from the East, while December 25, as the date on which Christmas is celebrated the East received from the West. (Naturally, the reference here to East and West is purely geographical, as the church was not yet divided).

  Probably the much later celebration of Christmas in the East by in large contributed to the fight against heresy which at that time was spreading with a fury, so that there was no time to engage in anything other than the preservation of the purity of the orthodox faith. It was only with the arrival on the Byzantine throne of the Emperor Theodosius (379) that the orthodox Christians breathed a sigh of relief and were able to attend to other matters in the church. At the same time in Constantinople St. Gregory of Nazianzus arrives as bishop, escorted by armed guard into the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles, for the Arians held all the other churches in Constantinople. And it was only with the arrival of Gregory that the celebration of Christmas on December 25 started in the year 379. This is the first mention of the separate celebrating of Christmas in the East, and so Gregory considered himself the founder of this holiday.

  In Cappadocia, according to some, Saint Basil the Great instituted the celebration of Christmas, because a homily of his on the Birth of Christ survived, while according to others this did not occur until the year 380. In Antioch the celebration of Christmas was introduced by Saint John Chrysostom, who in one sermon at Christmas says: "For a long time I have looked forward to this day...happily it has arrived". Last to accept the celebrating of Christmas on December 25 were the churches in Jerusalem, Antioch and Cypress. While the celebration of the Birth of Christ on December 25 was instituted in the East primarily from 380 to the middle of the fifth century, only the Armenians stayed with the old custom of celebrating Christmas on January 6/19.

"There is but a step between me and death" (1 Samuel 20:3)

by V. Rev. Vasilije Tomic

  It is not easy to think about death and even worse to write about it, but there comes a time for both the one and the other. In view of the fact that even one of his parishioners is like the ostrich sticking his head in the sand, when death is in question, a priest must not, himself, follow their example and stick his own head in the sand by not warning them of that one inevitable fact of life.

  I remember one older Serbian who I visited in an old age home. Until then he had not had any ties to the Serbian community or the Serbs among whom he lived, so during a visit a nurse called my attention to him, saying that he had completely lost his english and that it was only possible to communicate with him in Serbian. He was facing a serious operation. At his request and due to my own sense of duty, in the face of that crucial event, I made my visits more frequent. We talked about all kinds of things; we never touched on death. There was no way he liked that subject. He told me he had something like a hundred thousand in the bank and he planned to go to Srem and spend his last days there.

  He died during the operation or shortly thereafter. The nurse who first called me told me about it. Lord knows that just then nothing else concerned me other than how a man could be, in a Christian way, with a funeral service, properly ushered from this sinful land. The nurse told me that the whole matter was in the hands of his attorney and that there was nothing more she could tell me. At my subsequent insistence, a day or so later, she announced to me that, as far as she knew, he had still not been buried and she didn't know what would become of him. I don't know either, to this day, but with great certainty I suppose that he had a basic funeral - and cremation.

  For this man, may I be forgiven, I've even forgotten his name. I think of him sometimes, particularly in our monastery, during holy Liturgies, during the naming of tutors, contributors, and benefactors of the monastery. I knew most of them - some I honestly and like a son loved - and whenever their name is mentioned I weave a thin wax candle of my own prayers with their kind souls. Thus they live in me and many for years for they changed the world.

  Out of all this my message to all those who are concerned - and there is not one of you that it does not concern, or that it will not concern - that death is a fact of life, in fact, the most important and most crucial fact of life. That is the most important and the only sincere test that every one of us must take. If we hid to the end of the world, and in the darkest and the most hidden holes and caves of the earth, the Examiner will find us even there and bring us out in front of ourselves. For the sake of life we must watch what kind of answer we give. "There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it" (Eccles. 8:8).

  When someone is about to embark on a journey, in a few days, he takes care not to embark unprepared. He ascertains things, checks his documents. How then could he hide his head and not take any interest, and embark on a journey unprepared - he who is embarking on a journey of no return?

  From that, it occurs to me, that those who desire and pray to God, to grant them "an easy death", in fact, don't know what they are asking of the Lord. They are praying to go to the Lord unprepared. Every night we should lay down in our beds with the realization that that bed could become our deathbed. Righteous people, before embarking on the inevitable journey of no return, settle all their earthly accounts, make peace with everyone, declare their wishes and testament - even arrange for the details of their burial - and when comes the time for their departure they go to their Lord, peaceful and composed, just as they embarked on their other important affairs in life.

  Let us think about this, prepare ourselves.

The last journey of Jovan Ducic

by Dragomir Brajkovic, Belgrade

  Beside the God's justice, a sort of symbolism could be seen in Ducic's last journey. His remains were traveling not from town to town, but from temple to temple, following the spirit and the need of his soul. Ducic expressed his dedication to join "a piece of burned dirt", to become one with Creator, in his numerous poems as well as in his testament. This dedication of his has finally been fulfilled.

  The subscriber of these lines had a privilege to attend the exhumation of Jovan Ducic. This event was unexplainable and unbelievable. Rare witnesses, just twenty of them, who attended this act, had seen a miracle. When armored concrete cover was broken, on the top of a copper coffin shined impressed Ducic's name. And when the cover was removed, the strong figure of well-known poet appeared in the coffin, under the glass. On the glass, above the poets chest , still in good condition, a little-bit wet, laid a copy of his "Lirika", published in 1943, on Annunciation, on the very day of poet's death.

  When the glass cover was removed, the body had to be carried from one coffin to another, as American regulations require. And when cemetery workers took the poet's body to be carried to another coffin, the body did not dissolve. The answer to this could be given by those who are more familiar with such events The subscriber of these lines could only be a witness of what eyes had seen, and what all who were present considered as miracle above all miracles. The face, mustaches, front-head, eyebrows, and most of all, the characteristic hands, appeared in front of us - all well known from Ducic's photographs in his late ages.

  By his final return to the Homeland, Ducic created a net in which he caught with his charisma all Serb territories, as well as all Serbs in diaspora. The return of this "astral and ever nomad" started on October 12, in the last year of this era, by exhumation of poet's grave at the St. Sava Monastery cemetery in Libertyville, followed by the Service and his journey to the American New Gracanica Monastery.

  Ducic's remainings shared the destiny and historical tragedy of Serbian people: due to the sanctions, remains traveled to Belgrade by Aeroflot plain, via Moscow. American New Gracanica surrendered Ducic to the Cathedral Church in Belgrade, and there, numerous of Belgrade citizens expressed their appreciation. In this city Ducic had raised to the top of his glory as a writer, and here he had begun his marvelous diplomatic career.

  Most of his life, as it was noted, Ducic spent out of Serbia. But in his mind he has always been in Serbia. Like not many of our poets, Ducic has seen and known the world. He stayed, lived or worked in several world metropolises; during his journeys he learned about different countries; he admired the beauty of antique art; he visited museums and holy places. He wrote that towns where he lived or stayed for a while were small for the ambition that had no frontiers. And this ambition, as noted by poet himself, only wanted to open a door for the small town of Trebinje by just one book, just one novel. Ducic did not write this novel, but he did open many doors for Trebinje by his work. By his final return to Trebinje he has opened many eyes and thousands sights were focused on the town where he was born.

  At the moment of entering Trebinje, the escort with Ducic's remains was met in Gorica by His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle, with Bishops, priests, many officials of Republic of Srpska and numerous people. Endless column starting from Cathedral escorted Ducic to Crkvina. Cathedral surrendered him to Gracanica of Hercegovina, his eternal home at this world. Ducic finally came to Trebinje. To his dear Trebinje, as he used to write. Beside the glorious parts of his work he gave to Trebinje many other things: a park, a monument dedicated to Njegos and liberators and martyrs of Herzegovina, fountains, mosaics, a big library, an art collection...

  After two burials in America, Ducic's soul and his earthly remains, found a place in a church on the top of a hill. From here, his "eyes look on both of the worlds". There is some kind of higher justice, to have poet's remains back in his Homeland, in the year when we celebrate two thousand years of Christ's birth. After all, Ducic was His "golden trumpet of glory". Finally he can rest in peace; "this astral and ever nomad" has gained eternal peace for his soul.