President Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, sent a congratulation message to all believers of Orthodox faith, on the occasion of the state holiday of St. Clement of Ohrid.
Dear All,
I would like to extend my warmest congratulations on the occasion of the great feast of St. Clement of Ohrid. Today’s important day is an occasion to remember, probably, the greatest work of St. Clement – the spiritual and ethical upliftment of the people.
With his words and teachings, he sought to build a new man, with new, noble habits. There is hardly a sermon of St. Clement without a call for responsible behavior towards those who suffer. His goal was to help people become aware not only of their own, but also of the needs and suffering of others.
Thanks to his efforts, soup kitchens, orphanages, nursing homes, hospitals for the body and the soul were opened, that is, what we call social and health care today.
But today’s holiday is also an occasion to remember that we do not need to wait for a new St. Clement to come because he lives in us. We need to awaken the St. Clement in each of us. We, the teachers, the leaders, need to become St. Clement’s students again in order to remember his philosophy of life and pass it on to our students. In this way, we will enable them to become teachers and leaders of the current and future generations themselves. Let us help them progress and succeed only with their knowledge, skills and qualities, and not with connections, books and patronage.
If we want the Macedonian society to be just and united, and to make Macedonia a decent place to live in, we must return to the values of St. Clement of Ohrid. I believe that only in this way will we be able to call ourselves true heirs of our great teacher, saint and enlightener.
May we have a happy holiday.
Gordana Siljanovska Davkova
