Patriarch Porfirije: Let us have trust in the conciliar mind of the Church of Christ
Homily of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, delivered on October 14, 2025, in the Church of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos in Belgrade
Brothers and sisters, blessed be this day and this feast! Let us pray that the Lord grant every blessing to the sponsors of today’s feast day, that they may have the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos not only as their safeguard but also, as We said in the homily, as a bridge for cultivating every virtue and every good, which means for cultivating the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven here and now, as well as the mystery that awaits us in its fullness in the age to come. May God grant that we all have the protection and help of the Most Holy Theotokos, and that, as much as possible, we take Her as our example – above all regarding Her attitude and Her choice, which have always been an attitude of faith and of trust in the word of God. For us, brothers and sisters, that also means an attitude of trust in the Church.
We live in troubled times. We live in times when hunters of human souls spare no means. Most often they will try to pretend that they have a beautiful face, that they have the best possible intentions, for they are fighting for our hearts, for our emotions. However, this is nothing new – it has always been so. From the beginning, the powers of this world, the powers of wickedness in the heavenly places, the unclean and demonic powers have sought human souls. They desire man, especially where people rush headlong, walking the wide path, unwilling to make much effort. But where there exists our desire to serve God – which means to serve our own salvation and to serve our neighbors – there the unclean forces, which take many forms both in our world and among us, will employ cunning and subtle methods, using pleasant and flattering words. They will tell us that we are the best, the wisest, the most beautiful; that we are always right. They will say that not a single hair, not even a speck of dust, should fall upon our shadow, let alone upon our ego. They will speak to us about freedom, about equality, justice. They will even speak to us about humanism. They will present themselves as spiritual leaders, as honest and pure, even as saints. At times they will seem more ready than we are for many spiritual feats. But only the one who is grounded in Christ, the immovable rock, will be able to discern the spirits.
Only when we are founded upon Christ and walk, brothers and sisters, the path of meekness and humility – when we strive, according to the word of God, to wish good to all, to love everyone, to forgive all, to be merciful, to be inwardly humble in soul – only when we walk this path will God grant that we know what is darkness and what is light, what is truth and what is falsehood, what is beauty and what is ugliness. Then God will grant us to take up our cross with joy and to make it a particle of Christ’s Cross – and in that already lies victory, here and now.
Therefore, we must have trust; we must love the Most Holy Theotokos, for She said precisely this: Let it be to me according to Your word. We must pray to God to understand His word and to have trust in His Church. Though we are human, frail and weak, we must have trust in the conciliar mind of the Church of Christ. For what the powers of this world strike against – indeed, what they strike first and alone – is the truth of Christ, His Church, both here among us and wherever the name of Christ is glorified.
The unclean forces use every possible means to scatter the flock of Christ, to destroy the Church. But the powers of hell shall not prevail against the Church of Christ; they shall not overcome it, for she is the pillar and ground of the truth. Therefore, today we sing and rejoice and have no fear, for we know that Christ has already conquered! Each of us unworthy ones knows his own soul. No one needs to tell you who you are and what you are, nor me who I am and what I am. Stand before the icon of Christ – and everything becomes clear. Yet at the same time, we know that the Lord has conquered all, that He has overcome every enemy – death, the devil, and sin – and though we are unworthy, each of us knows how we share in those victories. So let us rejoice in this, rejoice in today’s feast, and pray that the Most Holy Theotokos intercede for the whole world, and for us as well, that we may be in the embrace of Her Son and our God. A blessed feast to all of you and may you all be blessed.
Brothers and sisters, blessed be this day and this feast! Let us pray that the Lord grant every blessing to the sponsors of today’s feast day, that they may have the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos not only as their safeguard but also, as We said in the homily, as a bridge for cultivating every virtue and every good, which means for cultivating the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven here and now, as well as the mystery that awaits us in its fullness in the age to come. May God grant that we all have the protection and help of the Most Holy Theotokos, and that, as much as possible, we take Her as our example – above all regarding Her attitude and Her choice, which have always been an attitude of faith and of trust in the word of God. For us, brothers and sisters, that also means an attitude of trust in the Church.
We live in troubled times. We live in times when hunters of human souls spare no means. Most often they will try to pretend that they have a beautiful face, that they have the best possible intentions, for they are fighting for our hearts, for our emotions. However, this is nothing new – it has always been so. From the beginning, the powers of this world, the powers of wickedness in the heavenly places, the unclean and demonic powers have sought human souls. They desire man, especially where people rush headlong, walking the wide path, unwilling to make much effort. But where there exists our desire to serve God – which means to serve our own salvation and to serve our neighbors – there the unclean forces, which take many forms both in our world and among us, will employ cunning and subtle methods, using pleasant and flattering words. They will tell us that we are the best, the wisest, the most beautiful; that we are always right. They will say that not a single hair, not even a speck of dust, should fall upon our shadow, let alone upon our ego. They will speak to us about freedom, about equality, justice. They will even speak to us about humanism. They will present themselves as spiritual leaders, as honest and pure, even as saints. At times they will seem more ready than we are for many spiritual feats. But only the one who is grounded in Christ, the immovable rock, will be able to discern the spirits.
Only when we are founded upon Christ and walk, brothers and sisters, the path of meekness and humility – when we strive, according to the word of God, to wish good to all, to love everyone, to forgive all, to be merciful, to be inwardly humble in soul – only when we walk this path will God grant that we know what is darkness and what is light, what is truth and what is falsehood, what is beauty and what is ugliness. Then God will grant us to take up our cross with joy and to make it a particle of Christ’s Cross – and in that already lies victory, here and now.
Therefore, we must have trust; we must love the Most Holy Theotokos, for She said precisely this: Let it be to me according to Your word. We must pray to God to understand His word and to have trust in His Church. Though we are human, frail and weak, we must have trust in the conciliar mind of the Church of Christ. For what the powers of this world strike against – indeed, what they strike first and alone – is the truth of Christ, His Church, both here among us and wherever the name of Christ is glorified.
The unclean forces use every possible means to scatter the flock of Christ, to destroy the Church. But the powers of hell shall not prevail against the Church of Christ; they shall not overcome it, for she is the pillar and ground of the truth. Therefore, today we sing and rejoice and have no fear, for we know that Christ has already conquered! Each of us unworthy ones knows his own soul. No one needs to tell you who you are and what you are, nor me who I am and what I am. Stand before the icon of Christ – and everything becomes clear. Yet at the same time, we know that the Lord has conquered all, that He has overcome every enemy – death, the devil, and sin – and though we are unworthy, each of us knows how we share in those victories. So let us rejoice in this, rejoice in today’s feast, and pray that the Most Holy Theotokos intercede for the whole world, and for us as well, that we may be in the embrace of Her Son and our God. A blessed feast to all of you and may you all be blessed.