On the feast of Pentecost, June 8, 2025, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saint Sava.
He was joined in concelebration by Metropolitan Siluan of Australia and New Zealand. After the reading of the Holy Gospel, Metropolitan Siluan addressed the large faithful congregation gathered beneath the great dome of their national temple. He emphasized that the Law of Pentecost deepens the meaning of the Sinaitic Law and introduces the faithful into the mystery of the Decalogue, the Law, and the Prophets.
On Pentecost, Metropolitan Siluan reminded the faithful that Christ, the true Pascha and Savior, freed humanity from the tyranny of sin, death, and the devil—opening the path to eternal life. As Moses led Israel through the Red Sea, Christ leads us through His resurrection.
He emphasized that only the grace-filled preaching of the Church, through the Holy Spirit, can truly transform the human heart—something no philosophy or human wisdom can achieve.
At the conclusion of the Liturgy, the relic of Saint Sava’s hand, which had been in Belgrade since Ascension, was solemnly returned to the Mileševa Monastery under police escort.
Patriarch Porfirije called Pentecost the Church’s birthday, affirming that the Holy Spirit breathes within it, filling it with saints and uniting the faithful with Christ.
He noted that Saint Sava’s hand, which led the Ascension procession, represents Serbia’s spiritual foundation—shaping national identity, sealing it with the Gospel and divine purpose.
“Every land is an altar, every soul called to be a servant of God’s mystery,” he said, adding that through the Holy Spirit, Saint Sava transcends time—present wherever a Serbian Orthodox heart prays, loves, and longs for all people to know Christ.
Source: spc.sr
