The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Serbia commenced on May 13, 2025, with a solemn Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saint Sava in Vračar, presided over by His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia, with the concelebration and prayerful participation of the synodal hierarchs.
Following the reading of the Holy Gospel, Metropolitan Ignatije of Braničevo addressed the assembled hierarchs and the devout faithful:
“Dear Fathers, beloved brothers and sisters,
By the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije, I have the great honor and joy of offering a few words to you today about the Gospel reading and the event it describes. Aside from the miracle of the great catch of fish performed by the Lord, we often overlook another crucial aspect: the Lord called Peter, James, and John to follow Him. And it is written that they immediately left everything and followed Him.
What does this mean, beloved brothers and sisters? What kind of act is this, and how did Saints Peter, James, and John abandon everything to follow the Lord? This is significant for us as well, because the Lord is calling us too, to follow Him.
Here we see the Apostles, who later became pillars of the Christian faith, leaving behind their boats and nets—that is, the very tools by which they made a living and supported themselves. They also left their families; Peter was already married, yet he left his family to follow the Lord. Today, this is difficult for us to understand: what motivated the Apostles to abandon everything? From a rational standpoint, it seems unthinkable for someone to give up their job, their profession, even their own will, in order to submit to the will of God.
Fasting is one example: when viewed rationally, we might ask, ‘Why is this considered wrong?’ All food is good. But the issue is not about the food itself; it is about obedience to the will of God and the renunciation of our own will.
So what drove them to follow the Lord? It was, my beloved, love. Love was the motive and the power that moved them to follow Him—and even to lay down their lives for Him. For when you love someone, you are willing to do anything for them. Even though the Jewish authorities spoke out against Christ, the Apostles chose to follow Him because they loved Him. When you love someone personally, you don’t listen to what others say—because to you, that person is the most precious of all.
This was the power of love that led the Apostles to leave everything behind. And this is a lesson for us: that through our love for the Lord, we are united with Him. When you love the Lord, you cannot exist without Him. Love builds communion—and this communion is the liturgical communion with the Lord, who is the Son of God and who is in loving unity with God the Father.
The Lord, within this communion, leads us to the Father. And thus we too become precious to God the Father, unique persons, simply because the Father loves His Son, and the Son loves the Father—and He also loves us. Just as when you love someone and they give you something insignificant, it becomes precious to you—not because of its intrinsic value, but because it comes from someone you love, and you grieve when it’s lost.
This is what we offer here—within this liturgical communion of love, through our Lord who serves before God the Father. And thus, all things become precious, become godlike—they are divinized. This is the great miracle that happens to all of us who are members of this liturgical community, and we can only grasp it if we have love for the Lord.
As the Apostle Paul says, ‘All things will pass away—knowledge, faith—but love remains,’ because love is the foundation and the mode of our existence. For God also exists in this way—God is love.
May the Lord make us worthy of His heavenly Kingdom, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Christ is Risen!”
The working session of the highest hierarchical, ecclesiastical-legislative, and ecclesiastical-judicial body of the Serbian Orthodox Church—under the presidency of His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije and with the participation of Metropolitans and Bishops—will begin the following day, May 14, 2025, in the crypt of the Church of Saint Sava in Vračar.
According to the procedure outlined in the Rules of Procedure, the session will commence with the approval of the agenda, which includes topics submitted by the Holy Synod. It will then continue with the review of reports concerning the archpastoral work of all bishops, as well as the activities of the central ecclesiastical bodies and institutions. At the conclusion of the session, the Synod will issue a public communiqué.
