In the person of Saint Sava one finds the harmonious existence of both the contemplative and the active. The geographical situation of his people demanded such a personality. Contemplation nursed the needed strength for effective action. Love for his Church and people left no room for jealousy of any kind. His attitude toward other faiths, especially the Roman Catholic, was tolerant and understanding. Even after the unpleasant experience of having the Crusaders invade Sveta Gora and ransack the monasteries, Saint Sava's wisdom empowered him with tolerance, the sort that would become known in the West, developed under the influence of the encyclopedists of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. But even the tolerance learned there was reserved only for those in countries of Western Christendom. The historian Stanojevich has noted the very important fact that Sava, who was totally devoted and loyal to the Orthodox Church and at all times and places worked toward the spreading and strengthening of the Orthodox faith, did not dismantle the organization of the Catholic Church in Serbia, nor did he interfere at all with the rights of the Catholic Archbishop of Antibari.

Sava enjoyed building new churches and repairing those that had begun to deteriorate. The first church he built was dedicated to the Holy Virgin, the second to Saint John Chrysostom, and the third to the Transfiguration of our Lord. Fortunately, along with his desire and willingness to construct these churches, Sava had his affiliation with the royal family of Serbia to appropriate the financial means for these projects. His innate inclination to create and build was manifested wherever he went, both on Sveta Gora and in his native Serbia. Together with his brother King Stefan, he began and completed the centrally located Zicha Monastery, for Sava was as much aware of the element of strategy in his building endeavors as he was in the organizational work of the Church.

As a young monk at Sveta Gora, Sava was nearly always involved in some sort of manual labor. He baked bread, worked in the fields and vineyards, cut wood, and gathered the harvest from the fields. He was always ready and willing to help. He obeyed those in authority and remained always in the esteem of his fellow monks.

As far as his building at Sveta Gora is concerned, Saint Sava has often been compared to the Emperor Theodosius (34~95), who had also been very generous to the monasteries on Sveta Gora, having built many of them himself.6

The monastic observance of daily prayers and services played a formative role in the development of the young monk's personality. Prayer and fasting were the tools of the monastery's educational processes and methods. Concerning prayer, the best known was the Hesychast, or "mental prayer. " Handed down from the great ascetics, the simple prayer is "O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me." The lips of the monk are constantly in motion in repetition of this prayer, but the prayer itself is from the heart. According to the testimony of those who practice it, the benefits of this mental prayer are enormous. This prayer has been practiced throughout the history of the Orthodox monasteries, whether upon Sinai, in the desert of Egypt, in Asia Minor, or in the region of Cappadocia (present-day Turkey). Unceasing repetition of this prayer keeps the heart and mind constantly occupied upon the Source of all life and away from the distractions of this world.

Of equal importance in the life of the Orthodox Church is fasting, even more so in the monasteries of Sveta Gora. As we learn from our Lord, directed to the father whose son was ill and who called upon Jesus for help, that of the forces of this world some "can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29). Therefore, each Wednesday and Friday are days when the Church fasts. If one considers the days that make up the Lenten season, one finds that during the year there are more fasting days than those in which one is free to eat and drink whatever one wishes. Fasting here includes fasting in thought, word, and deed, as our Lord advises. In this way, all faculties come under the control of the Holy Spirit, organizing life and bringing all truly good things to people in this world.

worthy of seeing the face of the Lord. Let, therefore, both go together in order to make us perfect without any blemish. Faith can only save us if united with and expressed in good works, inspired by the love of God.

Here Sava defined the relation between faith and good works, a problem that has torn apart the very fabric of Western Christianity perhaps forever.

So Saint Sava defined the relationship between faith and good works, centuries before Western Christians attempted to come to grips with this issue.

The independence of the Serbian Church, primarily the work of Saint Sava, supplied, one may say, the soul and breath for the young Serbian state. As Bishop Nikolai shrewdly remarked, it was more difficult to preserve what had already been gained than to win new battles. To preserve the unity of the Serbs throughout centuries to come, as embodied in their common blood, language, and faith, became the primary concern of the young nation. This is still expressed today in the slogan "Samo sloga Srbina spasava [only unity saves the Serbs]!" This is displayed on many symbols, even on hats, where four Cs (the Cyrillic S) adorn the Cross.

In the history of the Serbian people, one encounters the selfishness of the haughty aristocracy, who from time to time must be brought back into line by the healthy instinct of the masses. Generally following some disaster, this can be seen in the centuries after Saint Sava‹in the aftermath of the first battle at Kosovo; in the present-day, second Kosovo; and in the staggering loss of life among Serbs in the terrorist state of Croatia during World War II. One can notice through it all that the Church was the soul of the nation, enduring and giving strength and courage to overcome any evil. Again, Bishop Nikolai writes:

He had taught them how to pray and work and educate their children, how to put their house in order and keep it clean, how to help each other individually or by group cooperation. No secular ruler would have done what he did willingly and joyfully. Indeed, the people felt that Sava's heart was a great heart, belonging to all, the beating of which produced a new power and a new joy which circulated through the individual hearts of all the nation.