LESSONS FROM PATRIARCH PAVLE: WHEN YOU LOVE SOMEONE WITHOUT ANY LOGIC, THAT IS...

Patriarch Pavle has been gone for 15 years, yet his gentle but piercing words still resonate in our hearts, offering comfort, beauty, and valuable lessons.

Here are some of the wise quotes from Patriarch Pavle:

• - Vanity is a kind of pride, the greatest Serbian sin. When vanity occurs, it leads to quarrels and intolerance. When vanity arises, there is neither faith nor love.

• - It is not unfortunate that we have opposing views, as a matter must be viewed from multiple angles. But often, among us, it leads to something beyond differing opinions. We must free ourselves from this. If we are more tolerant, we will be able to understand the viewpoint of others. Not necessarily to adopt it if it is not good, but to understand it so that it does not lead to hatred and division.

• - If everyone adhered to love, this land would be a paradise. But if everyone at least adhered to something just a little less than love—because love is the bond of perfection—if we at least adhered to the principle, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; do not do to others what you do not want done to you," then the world, if not quite a paradise, would be close to it.

• - Morality is not "you should not" or "you must not." Morality is "I will not." Virtue is not merely avoiding sin, but having the ability to sin and choosing not to. Love is the highest virtue. Everything a person shares with others diminishes, except love. The more you give it, the more you have.

• - Let us never forget that evil is always short-lived and only seemingly successful and brilliant. Therefore, nothing should be based on evil, cunning, or deceit, especially not life.

• - God created us as humans and demands that we remain so. There are no circumstances in which we cannot be and are not obliged to be human. It does not matter where someone comes from but what they grow into.

• - We are obliged, even in the most difficult situations, to act as humans, and there is no interest, national or individual, that can excuse us from being inhumane. Everything will pass, but the soul, honor, and what is good remain forever.

• - True love is only when love does not seek its own. When you love someone without any logic. That is true freedom.

• - I consider the family the foundation of human community and irreplaceable for the spiritual development of a person. In the family, the faith of ancestors is preserved, and fundamental spiritual values are upheld, guiding us through life; the family is the source of love, where we learn duty, sacrifice, and the sharing of burdens and joys. The family gives us the feeling that we are together in everything, even when we leave our homes, wherever life takes us. The family is a "small church." Those who adhere to its sanctities and customs cannot go astray in this alienated, hollow, and inverted world!