Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden delivered a sermon on the Second Sunday of Great Lent, March 8, 2026, at the St. George Cathedral in Stockholm, focusing on the spiritual significance of the commemoration of Gregory Palamas.
Addressing the faithful, the Metropolitan explained that the Church places the memory of St. Gregory Palamas during Great Lent to remind believers of the deeper purpose of their spiritual struggle.
“Today, on the Second Sunday of Great Lent, the Orthodox Church commemorates St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki,” he said. “The Church places his memory during the sacred period of Great Lent to remind us of the true purpose of the spiritual struggle in which we are engaged.”
Metropolitan Cleopas emphasized that the teaching of St. Gregory Palamas centers on the ultimate goal of Christian life: union with God.
“St. Gregory Palamas teaches us that the ultimate goal of the Christian life is union with God, what the Fathers call ‘theosis’; participation in the divine life through grace,” he noted.
He further explained the saint’s theological contribution, pointing out that although God’s essence remains beyond human understanding, His divine presence can be experienced through grace.
“Although God’s essence remains beyond comprehension, His divine energies are truly experienced by those who purify their hearts. Through prayer, repentance, fasting, and humility, the faithful can experience the uncreated grace of God,” the Metropolitan said.
Reflecting on the Gospel reading of the day (Mark 2:1–12), which recounts the healing of the paralytic, Metropolitan Cleopas highlighted Christ’s words of forgiveness before physical healing.
“Seeing their faith, Christ first said something remarkable: ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Only afterward did He heal the man physically,” he explained, adding that the Fathers of the Church interpret this passage as a reminder that the healing of the soul is greater than that of the body.
Quoting John Chrysostom, he added: “Sin is the deepest paralysis of the human person. When the soul is healed through repentance and forgiveness, the whole person is restored.”
The Metropolitan also pointed to the faith and perseverance of the paralytic’s friends as an example for Christians today.
“In the same way, we are called to help one another on the path of salvation,” he said. “Through prayer for one another, through encouragement, and through acts of love, we carry our brothers and sisters before Christ.”
Concluding his sermon, Metropolitan Cleopas encouraged the faithful to continue their Lenten journey with humility and prayer, asking for the intercession of St. Gregory Palamas so that they may receive “purity of heart and the illumination of divine grace.”
