By Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden
Yesterday afternoon, October 1st, 2026, the Fellowship Hall of St. George Cathedral of Stockholm was filled with young people who came to participate in the English-language catechumen seminar that I offer through the Holy Metropolis of Sweden and All Scandinavia.
The topic I presented was: “Entering the Life of the Church: A Call to Learn, Participate, and Serve. The True Role of Catechumens and Neophytes in the Orthodox Church.”
Their presence, their attentive participation, their sincere questions, and the fruitful dialogue that followed offered a deeply moving testimony to spiritual searching.
The presentation began at 6:00 p.m., and the open discussion continued until 7:30 p.m. The young people asked questions about faith, prayer, the life of the Church, and the spiritual challenges facing people today.
From 7:30 to 8:00 p.m., simple refreshments were offered in a warm, family-like atmosphere. Personal conversations and confessions then continued until 9:00 p.m.
During one of these personal pastoral conversations, a young man said to me with great joy and enthusiasm: “I’m investing in my faith.”
His words moved me deeply. In just a few words, this young man expressed a profound spiritual truth and offered one of the most beautiful descriptions of the purpose of catechesis and, more broadly, of the Christian life.
We live in an age in which we constantly hear about investments. People invest money, time, knowledge, and energy in pursuit of financial security, professional success, and social recognition.
All of these have their proper, though limited, value. Yet we speak far less often about investing in the soul, in faith, in eternity, and in our relationship with God. And yet this is the one investment that never loses its value and whose fruits are not confined to this present life.
Christ Himself exhorts us: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth . . . but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matt. 6:19–20). He immediately adds: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21).
Wherever we invest our time, attention, love, and strength, there our heart will ultimately turn as well.
We invest in our faith each day through prayer, the study of the Word of God, participation in the Divine Liturgy and the Holy Sacraments, repentance and confession, the cultivation of humility, service to others, and the struggle against the passions.
St. Basil the Great urges young people to make discerning use of the goods and knowledge of this present life, while always keeping eternal life as their ultimate orientation.
St. John Chrysostom repeatedly emphasizes that true wealth is not what is stored in vaults, but what is given in love and transferred to heaven through almsgiving and virtue.
St. Gregory Palamas teaches that the human person is called not merely to know certain truths about God intellectually, but to partake of His Grace and advance toward theosis.
Particularly striking are the words of St. Seraphim of Sarov, who uses an image drawn from the world of commerce and reminds us that the true purpose of the Christian life is “the acquisition of the Holy Spirit.”
This is the only true spiritual wealth; the presence of God’s Grace in the human heart, which gives rise to peace, joy, discernment, freedom from the passions, and selfless love.
Of course, when we speak of “investing in faith,” we do not mean that we can buy Grace or secure salvation through our own strength. Salvation is the gift of God’s love and Grace. We are called, however, to receive this gift freely, to cooperate with divine Grace, and to cultivate what God has entrusted to our hearts.
This young man’s words carry a message for us all. I invest in my faith not only when I attend a seminar, but every time I choose Christ over selfishness, truth over compromise, forgiveness over revenge, prayer over despair, and love over indifference.
In a society that often measures a person’s worth by what he or she possesses, the voice of a young person reminds us that another kind of wealth exists; the wealth of faith, hope, and communion with God.
This wealth does not decay, cannot be stolen, and is never lost. It accompanies us beyond the limits of time and leads us to salvation and the Kingdom of Heaven.
I pray that this young man’s enthusiasm may become a shared confession for us all: “I invest in my faith; I invest in my soul; I invest in eternity; I invest in my relationship with Christ and with my fellow human beings!”
