Smolník, Košice Province, Slovakia, December 20, 2024
Photo: eparchiapo.sk
The primate of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, His Beatitude Metropolitan Rastislav of Prešov, paid a pastoral visit to the Church of the Protection of the Mother of God in Smolník in eastern Slovakia earlier this month to consecrate its beautiful new wall iconography.
The consecration of wall icons took place before the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, which was served by Met. Rastislav together with Fr. Mikuláš Pružinský, Fr. Zoltán Rausch, and Archdeacon Maxim (Durila), reports the Prešov Diocese.
His Beatitude’s homily examined two miracles from the Gospel reading that occurred in close succession: the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter and the healing of a woman with hemorrhage. He described how Jairus, despite being a synagogue leader who typically avoided Jesus due to pressure from religious authorities, desperately sought Christ'’s help when his daughter fell fatally ill. During this journey, a woman who had suffered from hemorrhage for twelve years demonstrated her faith by touching Jesus’ garment, resulting in her immediate healing.
Photo: eparchiapo.sk
The Metropolitan emphasized how these miracles illustrate the interplay between fear and faith in our relationship with God. He explained that while fear can paralyze, true faith means trusting God completely, not just intellectually believing in His existence. The homily concluded by highlighting the theme of return—how both miracles represent humanity’s journey back to God, who stands ready to restore and heal both physically and spiritually.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Mikuláš thanked Met. Rastislav for the joint prayers and consecration of the wall icons, and Met. Rastislav, in turn, expressed gratitude to all who contributed in any way to beautifying the local church.
“Reverend fathers, brothers and sisters, the icons we consecrated today remind us of an important truth: God calls each of us to holiness. May all those whose images adorn this church be a spiritual compass of faith, hope, and love for us on our life journey,” Met. Rastislav preached.
Photo: eparchiapo.sk
“Let us follow their example so that one day we may stand together with them before God’s face and rejoice in eternity. I wish that you might not only enjoy the external beauty of this church for many years but especially that you might internally beautify it as a place of constant Divine services and continuous prayer,” he continued.
“The most beautiful church is not the one that is magnificently decorated, but the one that is filled with people who enter it with awe and faith to ask God for a pure heart full of love,” His Beatitude concluded.
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