HOLY RELICS SHOULD BE VENERATED NOT ONLY IN TIMES OF TROUBLE, BUT ALSO WHEN ONE IS HAPPIEST

NOVI GRAD, JUNE 14 /SRNA/ – Holy relics should be venerated not only when one is facing difficulties, but also when one is happiest, through prayer and thanksgiving, said priest Nemanja Vidić.

Vidić noted that believers recently had a special opportunity to venerate the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos in Belgrade, describing it as a sacred relic before which one should bow with deep reverence. He emphasized that the faithful who had the opportunity to come before the relic were not venerating a piece of cloth, but rather the Mother of God, because only she could gather more than a million people and bless them. “We venerate the Mother of God; from her we seek blessing and help, not from the belt itself. Through the belt, the Holy Theotokos extends her hand to us,” Priest Vidić explained. He added that believers should not venerate holy relics only when they are facing hardship and seeking protection or assistance. “Holy relics should also be venerated when we are happiest, when we have no problems at all. God, the Mother of God, and our holy relics should be glorified, prayed to, and thanked. We should not remember them only when we are in distress,” explained the priest from Novi Grad. He further stated that only the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos could unite such a large number of people who patiently waited to venerate it regardless of the weather. “Today, it is difficult to gather even a few people because everyone has obligations and is in a hurry. But there, everyone had time. People who had never met before got acquainted, talked, and spent time together. Such is the power of this holy figure - it brings people together,” Vidić said. The Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos is regarded as the only surviving relic originating from the earthly life of the Mother of God. According to Church tradition, the Most Holy Theotokos herself wove it from camel hair and wore it throughout her life. After her Dormition, she entrusted the belt to the Apostle Thomas. The Holy Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos arrived at Vatopedi Monastery on June 7, after being ceremonially sent off from Saint Sava Cathedral Church on June 6. The relic had been kept there since the Feast of the Ascension, May 21, where more than one million people came to venerate it.