St. Nikolai Velimirovich
Born in the village of Lelich, Serbia, in 1881 (December 23, 1880, on the old calendar), Nikolai Velimirovich became one of the greatest preachers and spiritual writers of the modern Orthodox Church, earning the title "the Serbian Chrysostom."
He served as Bishop of Ohrid and later of Zica, authored the Prologue of Ohrid and Prayers by the Lake, and was imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp for his opposition to the Nazi occupation of Serbia. After the war he settled in America, where he taught at Orthodox seminaries until his repose in prayer at St. Tikhon's Seminary in Pennsylvania on March 18, 1956; he was glorified by the Serbian Orthodox Church in 2003.
If you become rich, consider whether or not you could worthily bear poverty. If you are happy, imagine how you could worthily meet unhappiness. When people praise you, think how you might worthily bear insult. And, all your life, think how you might worthily meet death.
Whoever wishes to annihilate evil actions must first uproot evil thoughts.
A slave curses enemies, for he does not understand. But a son blesses them, for he understands. For a son knows that his enemies cannot touch his life. Therefore he freely steps among them and prays to God for them.
Bless My Enemies, O Lord (from Prayers by the Lake)
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them. Enemies have driven me into Your embrace more than friends have. Friends have bound me to earth; enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world. Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath Your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul. Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Troparion of St. Nikolai of Zhicha
O golden-tongued preacher proclaiming the risen Christ, everlasting guide of the cross-bearing Serbian people, resounding harp of the Holy Spirit, and dear to monastics who rejoice in you, pride and boast of the priesthood, teacher of repentance, master for all nations, guide of those in the army of Christ as they pray to God, Holy Nikolai, teacher in America and pride of the Serbian people, with all the saints implore the only Lover of mankind to grant us peace and joy in His heavenly kingdom.
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