Serbian Patriarch Porfirije: Christian life is life in Christ, not ideology

On the feast day of the Epiphany, January 18, 2026, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet in Mirjevo. In his sermon, His Holiness emphasized that Christian life should be a deep, personal experience of entering into Christ, rather than following external rules or ideological doctrines. He called on believers to be transformed and to grow constantly in virtue through unbroken communion with God.

According to Orthodox Times, after reading the Gospel, His Holiness reflected on the greatness and significance of the feasts of the Cross and the Epiphany, noting in particular that our God, being One, is at the same time a communion of Three Persons.

“In the Lord is both the beginning and the end,” the Patriarch noted. «Thus, today’s Gospel reading proclaims the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In essence, it serves as an introduction to the testimony of St. John the Baptist, who came to prepare the way for us, to show that the Lord Jesus Christ is the very content of the Gospel, that He Himself is the Gospel, the Good News. He comes so that in Him we may know the truth about God as One in the Trinity, as well as the truth that man is created in the image of God and that man is authentic, whole, healthy, and complete only when he fulfills the purpose of his existence—when he lives in unbroken communion with God.»

His Holiness further emphasized that the life of Christians cannot be shaped by external rules or ideological frameworks, but must be a life in Christ. “The Christian life must be a life in Christ, the life of Christ reflected in our own lives,” he said.

«The commandments, like the word of Christ, are neither orders nor burdens imposed on us from outside. Rather, they are an invitation to a new life — a life that calls for transformation, repentance, and growth from virtue to virtue, as St. John the Baptist proclaimed. It is a life in which each day is better than the previous one, and each tomorrow is better than today.»

Earlier, we reported that the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) categorically rejects calls for reform of the church calendar, in particular, the adoption of the so-called Reformed Julian Calendar, developed by Serbian scientist Milutin Milankovic. Despite the mathematical accuracy of the latter, the SOC emphasizes that the calendar for the Church has not an astronomical but a spiritual significance, necessary for the salvation of souls. This position is explained by profound theological reasons and the desire to avoid liturgical anomalies observed in other Orthodox churches that have switched to the new style, as well as to prevent potential divisions among believers.