Patriarch Porfirije: Faith must be active and loving

Patriarch Porfirije. Photo: spc.rs

November 10, 2024, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia delivered a sermon during the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saint Sava in Vračar, Belgrade, explaining to the faithful that faith "must be active and loving, based on complete trust in Jesus Christ," reports the Serbian Church's website.

In his message, Patriarch Porfirije spoke about the essence of Christian love and faith. "Love as the essence of who we are and what the whole world is, affirms that we have a creative drive, a drive toward building, a tendency toward creativity and improvement of everything, especially ourselves and our relationships with others in love," emphasized Patriarch Porfirije.

He stated that love awakens in us a thirst for eternity, transcending the boundaries of time and space, and that eternal life in unity with those we truly love gives meaning to our existence.

Highlighting the significance of Christ, the Patriarch called Him "the source of meaning, the source of love," and reminded the faithful of the importance of a connection with Him: "Therefore, everything we have, both the world around us and the world within us, only gains the power of life, not merely as being and existence but as the power of life as the experience and reality of love and communion, if it is connected to life, the source of life, to Christ."

The Serbian primate stressed that the key element of this connection is faith, which is dead without works and must be expressed through love and complete trust in Christ: "Faith is dead without works; faith becomes love, faith that is a full commitment and trust in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and our Savior."

Previously, the Union of Orthodox Journalists reported that Patriarch Porfirije discussed the mistakes of the Ukrainian authorities regarding the UOC with the Ukrainian ambassador.

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