СТАВОВИ ЕПИСКОПА НИКОЛАЈА ВЕЛИМИРОВИЋА О ПОТРЕБИ ЖРТВОВАЊА ЗА ОТАЏБИНУ (1936–1941)
VIEWS OF BISHOP NIKOLAJVELIMIROVIĆ ON THE NEEDFOR SACRIFICE FORTHE HOMELAND (1936–1941)

Summary/Abstract: Drawing on Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović’s sermons, pastoral letters, published writings, and contemporary press reports, the article examines his views on war, patriotism, and sacrifice for the homeland between 1936 and 1941, when the disintegration of the Versailles order and the growing danger of war intensified political tensions in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. His understanding of these issues was rooted in Orthodox Christianity and in the conviction that Christian spirituality and patriotism were inseparable. Although he continually prayed for peace and urged believers to do the same, he considered resistance to evil by force legitimate when the survival of the community and the Christian state was threatened. War was interpreted through the religious categories of sin, repentance, divine justice, and eternal life, while victory and defeat ultimately depended on God rather than solely on military strength. Faith in the Resurrection and in a timeless community linking past, present, and future generations provided the spiritual foundation for sacrifice. Within the Serbian Orthodox tradition, this understanding was closely associated with the “Vidovdan ethics” and the cult of Prince Lazar’s sacrifice at Kosovo. Bishop Nikolaj regarded the prayers of monks, clergy, and believers for the army and the homeland as part of a spiritual struggle no less important than armed combat. Fasting, prayer, and repentance were therefore presented as means of moral renewal and preparation for national defence. At the same time, he idealized the religious and patriotic values of the patriarchal Serbian village as a basis for preserving national independence. The memory of those who had died for the homeland served both as an example to later generations and as a moral obligation owed to the ancestors. Faith in God, followed by loyalty to the sovereign and the homeland, formed the proper order of patriotic commitments. Nikolaj’s position was not simply militaristic: alongside his calls for courage and sacrifice, he advocated peace, reconciliation with the Bulgarian people, and closer relations with the Anglican Church and the Western democracies. His public activity supported the unity of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia under the Karađorđević dynasty and contributed to strengthening the morale of the army and the wider population. He condemned fear, pessimism, and the abandonment of the Kosovo tradition as signs of moral weakness and betrayal. Through years of religious and patriotic engagement, he became, in essence, the “spiritual father” of the coup of 27 March 1941, which he interpreted through the example of the “immortal” Prince Lazar. In his view, biological survival was subordinate to the preservation of the soul for eternal life.

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