Every morning, if you have time to turn on the radio or open the television, you will note that among the many programs there is also an historical calendar. The speaker carefully reads the names of personalities, important dates in history, remarkable events, etc. There is a striking lack of attention to names and important religious activities. At least, they could highlight the events and names that are very familiar to the Albanian people; those of Albanian saints and martyrs of our Church, of which, fortunately we have many. We as believers pay tribute to their feast day, but it is unfortunate that in the historical calendars, they are not mentioned, disrespecting their multifaceted personalities. There is an absurd excuse by those who formulate these calendars for not listing important religious activities and dates; according to them, they do so because they are secular calendars. But this theory fails, because the Church honors not only clergy, but also lay people who have given their lives for the faith and for the benefit of humanity. Their social and humane activity is respected among generations by ordinary people and even continues to resound in the written tradition. To mention their names and the contributions they have given is not to give “honor” to the Orthodox Church, because, in fact, the Church and its faithful need no favors of this nature, because they serve the interest of God and not human opinion. But it is an ethical duty and moral responsibility, and surely also historical for all Albanians, regardless of religious faith to learn the truth about all the important people in history.
Isidor Koti
Translated by Ana Meni
Edited by Anastasia Pamela Barksdale
