Written by: Catechist Branislav Ilić
In these Paschal days, when with particular joy and solemnity we celebrate the Feast of feasts—the Resurrection of Christ—and when heaven and earth are united in a joyful hymn in which we magnify the victory of life over death and the triumph of joy over sorrow, news has come from the city beneath Mount Leotar that our sister in Christ, Jovana Marić, artistic director of the Choir of Saint Basil of Tvrdoš and Ostrog at the Cathedral Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Trebinje, has reposed in the Lord.
In life there are no accidental encounters; everything is the work of the ineffable providence of God. Sometimes a single encounter is enough to recognize someone’s sincerity and love. On the day when our sister Jovana departs into the embrace of her Lord, whom she faithfully served, I recall our first and only encounter, which, by human standards, was too brief, yet by the measure of love profoundly precious. In the year marking the 350th anniversary of the repose of Saint Basil of Ostrog and the 130th anniversary of the Choir of Saint Basil of Tvrdoš and Ostrog, I came to Trebinje in obedience, in order to take part in the manifestation “Days of Saint Basil.” That evening, before the gathering began, I met and came to know Jovana. With great pride, she told me that she stood at the head of the renowned choir whose prayerful patron is Saint Basil of Ostrog. I was deeply impressed by her joy and the love she sincerely bore witness to at that moment. A single encounter, and yet so precious. Our brief meeting, acquired eternal value..
The Lord called His disciples to love with the words: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn. 13:35). He also called them to be witnesses of enduring joy. There is no doubt that in the soul of our sister Jovana the seed of God’s love and joy had been abundantly multiplied. Joy is the word by which the Kingdom of God is described in Holy Scripture. Joy is to be in a constant relationship and communion with God. Our sister Jovana made manifest the evangelical love and joy in her life; she bore witness to love and joy.
The joy of encountering Christ, who has conquered death, is the most important existential joy, for it affects the very being of man, which is transfigured in accordance with that joy. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (Jn. 15:11), says the Lord to His disciples, and through them to all of us. Joy in Christ is not bound to space or time, but is a distinct category that grants us a sense of complete security. The Psalmist says: “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and sing; be joyful, all you who are upright in heart” (Ps. 32). Following these psalmic words, Saint John of Shanghai, in his Paschal homily of 1962, said that only one whose heart is impure will fail to experience Paschal joy.
Bearing in my heart a living memory of my encounter with our sister Jovana, and remembering her joy and Christ-like love, I offer these humble words and this personal testimony as a kind of prayerful candle for her soul. I give thanks to the Lord that, on my life’s path, He blessed me with an encounter with this wonderful sister. From that encounter I learned that joy and love are two tones that contribute to the perfect harmony of our communion with the Lord and with one another.
Christ is risen, sister! May your journey into the Kingdom of eternal joy and boundless love be blessed!