ABBOT METODIJE: ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD A GIFT IN GRATITUDE FOR LOVE AND SUPPORT SHOWN BY PALE TO THE HILANDAR BROTHERHOOD

PALE, NOVEMBER 12 /SRNA/ - Archimandrite Metodije, Abbot of Hilandar Monastery, expressed his joy that an exact replica of the miraculous Icon of the Mother of God Milk-Giver, which was placed in the Church of the Assembly of the Holy Archangel Gabriel in Pale today, would help make church services more solemn and, in a spiritual sense, bring the Mother of God even closer to the faithful.

"When we visited Pale last year, we were deeply moved by the love, hospitality, and all the assistance extended to us. This was also reflected in the fact that for a long time now, residents have been coming to Hilandar Monastery and helping the brotherhood with agricultural work, in the olive grove, vineyard, and other tasks," Abbot Metodije told reporters after the Holy Liturgy at the church in Pale.

He added that they had subsequently considered what they could bring as a token of gratitude.

"When we saw the church, which was still under construction and had not yet been consecrated at the time, I believe the Mother of God herself inspired us to make the decision to prepare and bring an exact replica of the Icon of the Mother of God Milk-Giver, which is housed in the Hermitage of Saint Sava, to the church, which has since been consecrated," Abbot Metodije stressed.

He said that the icon was particularly important because it reveals the dogmatic truth that the Lord Jesus Christ truly took on a human body and human nature.

"Since He needed to be fed at His mother's breast, just like any other newborn, this means that He was truly God and, at the same time, truly man," the Abbot of Hilandar Monastery said.

He added that simply looking at the icon teaches us this dogmatic truth.

"This icon, which depicts the Most Holy Mother of God nursing her infant, can be a source of help to mothers, expectant mothers and breastfeeding mothers, both through physical milk and spiritual nourishment, so that their children may grow up healthy and follow the right spiritual path – the path of Saint Sava's tradition – and grow to surpass all of us in every respect. That is our prayerful wish," Archimandrite Metodije said.

Dragan Petrović, president of the Orthodox Humanitarian Association Saint Sava, said that the idea of donating the icon to the church had originated with the association, adding that the residents of Pale, association members, the Orthodox Church and the clergy all deserved credit for making it happen.

He thanked Hilandar Monastery and Abbot Metodije, who blessed the icon as a gift to the Church of the Holy Archangel Gabriel during his visit to Pale last year, as part of the Hilandar Days in Republika Srpska event.