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Patriarch of Serbia: By faith we become partakers of the Kingdom of God

July 19, 2026 · 1 min read

Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, July 19, at the Church of St. Demetrius in New Belgrade, on the feast of St. Sisoe the Great, during which he ordained Deacon Aleksandar Lukić to the holy priesthood.

A large congregation of faithful gathered at the church, whose construction began on the feast of St. Demetrius three decades ago and is now nearing completion under the supervision of Bishop Petar of Toplica.

In his homily on the Gospel reading from Matthew, Patriarch Porfirije stressed that the Gospel is the Word of God, and Christ Himself is the Word of God, proclaiming both the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven and the way of life that leads to it.

He emphasized that Christ not only teaches and proclaims the Gospel but also heals both spiritual and physical illnesses.

“Christ preaches, teaches, and heals. Only when we behold Him in all these dimensions do we encounter the one unique Person of God the Logos, our Savior. If we isolate any one of these dimensions, we lose sight of the truth,” the Patriarch said.

Reflecting on the Gospel account of the healing of the two blind men and the demon-possessed mute, Patriarch Porfirije…

Source: Orthodox Times · Read the full story →

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Emily Walker

That part about Christ preaching, teaching, and healing all at once really stuck with me — you can't chop Him up into pieces or you miss the whole Person. Nice to hear the church in New Belgrade is almost done after thirty years; Bishop Petar must be relieved. Glory to God for the new priest too.

Νίκη Θεοδώρου

And I always pay attention to what the Patriarch said about the two blind and the deaf mute - it is not by chance that he puts them together. Without faith you cannot see or hear properly. I am glad that the church of Agios Dimitrios is finally finished, 30 years is not a little.

Emily Baker

Yeah, that line about not chopping Christ into pieces hit me too — it's like trying to bake a cake but only using one ingredient. The new priest ordination must've been a special moment right there in the almost-finished church. Have you been following Bishop Petar's updates on the build?