Sunday of All Saints at Visoki Dečani Monastery, 7 June 2026 The Sunday of All Saints was solemnly and prayerfully celebrated today, 7 June 2026, at Visoki Dečani Monastery, with twelve clergy concelebrating and with the participation of more than 400 faithful from central Serbia, Republika Srpska, Montenegro, and Kosovo and Metohija. Gathered from many places, we partook of the divine Mysteries and affirmed our unity in Christ the Lord. Festal Homily Today, brothers and sisters, on the first Sunday after Pentecost, the Church celebrates the Sunday of All Saints. It is not by chance that this feast comes immediately after the descent of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost reveals to us the gift of the Spirit, while today’s feast reveals the fruit of that gift in human life. Pentecost shows that the Holy Spirit has been given to the Church, and the Sunday of All Saints shows what happens to the human person when the heart is opened to the grace of God, when one ceases to live closed within oneself, and when one allows Christ to come alive within. For this reason, today’s feast is not a celebration of the extraordinary achievement of certain individuals, but above all a celebration of the victory of grace. It is not the feast of spiritual supermen, but the feast of Christ manifested in those who surrendered themselves to Him completely. The saints are not holy in themselves. God alone is holy in the full and absolute sense. Christ alone is Holy by nature. Therefore, when the Church glorifies the saints, she is in fact glorifying Christ in them. She does not turn her gaze away from the Lord toward man, but recognises in man the work of the Lord. This is the first truth that we must understand deeply today. Holiness is not something that a person possesses as his own private property. Holiness is not an autonomous achievement. It is participation in the holiness of Christ, just as true life is participation by grace in the life of God. The saints are holy because, through their ascetic struggle, they allowed the One who alone is Holy, Christ the Lord, to be manifested in them. They did not live by themselves, but opened their hearts so that Christ might become the life of their life. For this reason the Apostle Paul says: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” In these words the whole mystery of holiness is contained. Holiness does not begin when a person constructs around himself an image of spiritual greatness. It does not begin when he becomes someone important in the eyes of others. It does not even begin when he gains some outward spiritual respect. Holiness begins when a person ceases to place himself at the centre of existence. When he empties himself of pride, of self-sufficiency, of the constant need to affirm himself. When he humbles himself, so that Christ may grow within him. This is why the saints, despite all the great deeds that we see in their lives, were essentially people of profound humility. The martyrs were not superhuman. The confessors were not of some other nature. The ascetics were not beings without weakness. Holy men and women, monks and bishops, kings and the poor, righteous people in the world and hermits in the desert, all of them were human beings like us, sharing the same human nature, with their own struggles, temptations, fears, and weaknesses. Yet the weakness of their human nature was not an excuse for them to remain far from God. On the contrary, precisely in their weakness they sought Christ and opened their hearts to the grace of God. Here lies the mystery of kenosis, the mystery of inner self-emptying. Christ humbled Himself, and although He is the pre-eternal Son of God, He took the form of a servant, suffered on the Cross, and so the saints followed the same path. They did not seek to become great, but were always aware of their own weakness and helplessness. They did not seek their own glory. .... 👉 continued

👉 They did not strive to build themselves up or realise themselves through outward achievements, but to offer themselves to God. Precisely for this reason they became full of grace. They emptied themselves of their old “I”, so that they might be filled with the life of Christ. Saint Maximus the Confessor teaches us that, after the fall, man began to live contrary to the truth of his own being. Instead of living as a being of communion, thanksgiving, and offering, man lives as a being of possession, fear, and self-assertion. Holiness is precisely the restoration of the authentic mode of existence. A saint is not merely a person who performs good deeds. A saint is a person in whom the very manner of life is transformed according to the image of Christ. This means a person who no longer lives from himself and for himself, but from Christ and in Christ. It is therefore important to understand correctly the role of grace. Holiness is not magic. It does not come upon a person from outside, without his will and freedom. Yet holiness is also not the product of human effort alone. It is the fruit of synergy, of cooperation, the fruit of the collaboration between free human consent and the divine gift. The saints did not become holy only through their own effort, but neither did they become holy without their own ascetic struggle. They consented to repentance, to humility, to the Cross, to the battle with themselves. And precisely there, grace began to fill them and transform them. For this reason the Church does not produce saints by her own decision. She does not make them holy. She recognises that the holiness of Christ has been manifested in someone’s life. When the Church glorifies someone as a saint, she is saying: here is a life in which Christ acted so deeply that this person became a visible manifestation of grace. Here is a person in whom the Gospel did not remain only words, but became life. Here is a person in whom Christ truly lived. Today’s Gospel confirms precisely this. The Lord says: “Whoever confesses Me before men, I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.” And again: “He who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.” In these words the Lord reveals to us that holiness is not an ornament of Christian life, but its very essence. The saints were people who placed Christ at the centre. Not as an idea, not as a symbol, but as the living Person for whose sake they were ready to lose everything, only not to lose Him. For this reason the Apostle Paul calls all Christians to holiness and names them saints, each according to his own measure and calling. But here there also lies a serious warning for all of us. A person can turn faith, ascetic effort, virtue, and even the very desire for holiness into an undertaking of self-glorification. One may wish to be “holy” in order to become someone, to be recognised, to construct a spiritual image of oneself. But then Christ is no longer at the centre, but one’s own “I”, the old man. Therefore it is important to say clearly: the goal of Christian life is not for a person to become someone, but to become Christ’s. It is not to acquire outward holiness, but to allow the holiness of Christ to be manifested within. This is the essential difference. Christian life is not a struggle for external perfection and self-confirmation, but a path of self-offering. It is not about adorning oneself outwardly with a pious life, but about humbling oneself to such an extent that grace begins to live within. It is not about being seen by others, but about becoming an instrument of the glory of God. The saints are great precisely because they did not wish to be great. They shine precisely because they did not seek to shine, but allowed the light of Christ to shine through them. Saint Gregory Palamas reminds us that deification is participation in the uncreated energies of God....👉

On May 20, 2026, the Holy Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos, one of the most revered relics in the Orthodox Christian world, arrived in Belgrade from the Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos. It was brought at the invitation of Serbian Patriarch Porfirije for the feast of Spasovdan, the Ascension of the Lord and the patronal feast of the city of Belgrade. The relic was solemnly welcomed at Nikola Tesla Airport by Patriarch Porfirije, bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Vatopedi brotherhood led by Abbot Ephraim, and state representatives. After its arrival, it was taken to the Ascension Church and then carried through the streets of Belgrade during the traditional Spasovdan procession attended by tens of thousands of faithful. According to Orthodox Tradition, the Most Holy Theotokos wove the Belt herself from camel hair and, before her Dormition, entrusted it to the Apostle Thomas. It is regarded as the only surviving relic directly connected to her earthly life. The Holy Belt has been preserved for centuries at Vatopedi Monastery, where it remains one of the greatest treasures of Mount Athos. (Newsmax Balkans) Serbian medieval tradition also preserves the memory that Holy Prince Lazar greatly enriched Vatopedi Monastery with gifts and endowments before the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, strengthening the historic spiritual bonds between Serbia and the monastery. The Holy Belt itself, however, has remained in the care of Vatopedi for many centuries and is only rarely brought out of Mount Athos for pilgrimage. The response of the faithful in Serbia has been extraordinary. For days, enormous lines of pilgrims have formed at the Church of Saint Sava, with many waiting for hours in prayer to venerate the relic. Because of the unprecedented number of worshippers arriving from Serbia and neighboring countries, the stay of the Holy Belt was first extended from May 29 to June 1, and then again until June 5, with the blessing of Abbot Ephraim of Vatopedi. In Orthodox tradition, the Holy Belt is especially associated with prayers for healing, for mothers and children, and for couples struggling with infertility. Countless testimonies throughout the centuries speak of consolation, spiritual renewal, and God’s mercy received through the intercessions of the Mother of God. Pilgrims who venerate the relic receive a small ribbon blessed upon the Holy Belt as a sign of blessing and prayerful remembrance. The sight of hundreds of thousands of people gathering in prayer around this great shrine has become one of the most remarkable spiritual events in Serbia in recent decades, a powerful witness to the enduring love of the Serbian people for the Most Holy Theotokos and the living faith of the Orthodox Church.☦️ #OrthodoxChristianity #Theotokos #HolyBelt #MountAthos #Serbia #Belgrade #Vatopedi #OrthodoxFaith #SerbianOrthodoxChurch

🕊️Religious leaders of the Islamic, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Jewish communities in Kosovo have issued a Joint Declaration reaffirming their shared commitment to peace, human dignity, mutual respect and responsible public discourse, especially during election periods. Joint Declaration by Religious Leaders in Kosovo, 28 May 2026 We, the religious leaders of Kosovo - Islamic Community, Serbian Orthodox Church, Catholic Church, Protestant Evangelical Church and Jewish Community - representing our diverse faith communities, reaffirm our shared commitment to peace, human dignity, and respect among all people. We recognise the importance of democratic values and the need for a responsible public climate, especially during election periods. 
We call on all political actors, institutions, and citizens to uphold the following principles: 
1. Language of respect and dignity We call for respectful and measured language in public debate; an end to insults, humiliation, and personal attacks against others; and a culture of dialogue grounded in dignity and mutual respect. 
2. Respect for women and girls We call for zero tolerance for sexist or misogynistic language; rejection of harmful stereotypes and gender-based attacks; and equal respect, voice, and participation for women and girls in public life. 
3. Rejection of hate speech and incitement We call for no use of hate speech, threats, or incitement to violence; respect for ethnic, religious, and social diversity; and active efforts to protect social peace and inter-community trust. 
4. Truth and integrity in public life We call for honesty and accuracy in public communication; rejection of disinformation and manipulation; and respect for the law and democratic standards. 
5. Responsible communication We call for ethical conduct in the media and on social platforms; an end to online abuse, bullying, and degrading language; and leadership that sets a calm and responsible tone. 
6. Shared responsibility We call on all leaders and citizens to uphold these principles throughout the election period; guide others by example; and work together to protect Kosovo’s democratic and social fabric. 
As religious leaders, we speak with one voice on this: words matter. They shape behaviour. They can divide or unite. We urge all those in public life to choose respect, truth, and responsibility. (Archive photo of religious leaders in Kosovo) #Kosovo #tolerance #ReligiousLeaders

Youtube Video - Celebration of the Ascension of our Lord at Visoki Dečani Monastery 20-21 May 2026. youtu.be/_UsyGZ0eTp8?is=Ea7t…