Patriarch Porfirije serves Liturgy at the Patriarchate of Pec: Through faith in God, we too are resurrected

The Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, served the Easter liturgy this morning at the Patriarchate of Pec on the occasion of the greatest Christian holiday—Easter—in the presence of a large number of faithful. Addressing the gathered believers in front of the monastery, the Patriarch conveyed that by believing in God, we too are resurrected with Him, and that by loving Him, we come to understand that we must love all people—those who are close to us and understand us, as well as those who do not understand us, do not accept us, and sometimes even reject us.

“Christ is Risen! This is the joyful greeting with which we address one another, greet one another. And that greeting reveals the entire meaning and essence of our lives. For the Lord has given us an important word—that we should not be afraid. ‘Do not be afraid,’ says the Lord to His disciples, and He speaks to all people until the end of time, because there exists a deep, great fear within every human being, and that fear is not abstract. It is the fear of death,” the Patriarch said.
He pointed out that all people—whether the most powerful and possessing everything, or the most renowned—carry within themselves a profound fear of death.
“Throughout his entire history, man has tried to resolve many problems, and ultimately, in doing so, he has attempted to resolve one unique problem—that is death. Through science, philosophy, art, politics, through every human activity, man has sought to prolong life, that is, to find a remedy for death. From within this world, he has not succeeded, and simply, it is not possible. Death is something that no one can avoid,” the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church explained.

He emphasized that the Lord resolved this greatest problem out of love for humanity.
“He conquered death by becoming one of us. By dying, He entered into the very core of death and, from within, disarmed death which rules over us. From within, He defeated death. Therefore, responding to God’s love, believing in Him, we—through faith, hope, and love, through faith in the victory over death that He has won for us—receive and become participants in His victory, in His resurrection from the dead. Together with Him, as those who believe in Him, we too are resurrected,” the Patriarch underlined.
The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church stressed that this is why today we rejoice, and by loving the Lord, we know that we must love all people—both those close to us and those who understand us, as well as those who do not understand us, do not accept us, and sometimes reject us.
“For, knowing that the Lord glorifies every righteous person, but also shows mercy and love toward every sinner, expecting everyone to come into His embrace, He grants life to all. Therefore, today, rejoicing, we all sing the joyful hymn ‘Christ is Risen from the dead,’” Patriarch Porfirije emphasized.
The liturgy was preceded by the Easter Matins and a procession.

Patriarch Porfirije will tomorrow, on Easter Monday, serve the liturgy at the Visoki Decani Monastery, where he will meet with his scholarship recipients—young followers of Saint Sava from Kosovo.
The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, who is spending the holiday with Serbs in Kosovo, arrived at the Patriarchate of Pec on Good Friday.
Orthodox believers who follow the Julian calendar are today celebrating Easter, the most joyful Christian holiday, which symbolizes the victory of life over death.