Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia celebrated the Divine Hierarchical Liturgy on August 24, 2025, at the Church of Saint Stephen of Dečani in Železnik.
After the reading of the Holy Gospel, the Patriarch reflected on the importance of participating in the Divine Liturgy, emphasizing:
“Wherever the Divine Liturgy is celebrated, there is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; it is the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Preaching on the Gospel parable of the two debtors (Matthew 18:23-35), the Patriarch explained that the master in the parable represents God Himself, while the first servant represents each one of us:
“We have all received countless gifts from the Lord, given so that we may become participants and citizens of the Kingdom of God. We show our love for Him by living according to His commandments and guidance, which are not burdens but our natural state.
Yet, this love is most clearly seen in our relationships with others. When we meet our neighbor—our brother or sister—we have the opportunity to prove our love for God by loving them as ourselves. Every human being bears the image of God; every person is a gift to us. The measure of our love for God is revealed in how husbands love their wives, wives love their husbands, children love their parents, and how we treat our neighbors and co-workers.”
He stressed that forgiveness and reconciliation are central to Christian life:
“Only through the encounter of forgiveness, in embracing one another despite our differences, will we show that we are God’s people. We will already begin to live the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven here and now, so that when the Lord calls us, His Kingdom will not feel foreign or strange, but like the fulfillment and purpose of our very existence.”
Patriarch Porfirije concelebrated with Bishop Alexei of Hvostan; Archimandrite Prokopije of the Antiochian Orthodox Church; Protopresbyters Goran Mišanović, Siniša Trivić, and Aleksandar Gagić; Presbyters Miloš Vilenica, rector of the church; Protodeacons Dragan Radić and Radomir Vrućinić; and Deacons Vasilije Perić and Lazar Simić.
Source: spc.sr
