His Eminence Bishop Paisios of Diocletia, after the evening service, led the procession from the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Risan.
In his archpastoral sermon, Bishop Paisios recalled that our Holy Church is adorned with the names of many saints, ascetics and martyrs who bore witness to faith with their lives. He stated that even today there are many who bear witness to faith, but also to the resurrection of Christ, which is the core of our faith, and that the most beautiful ornament of the Church is Christ himself, who is its head.
"And therefore, we cannot notice a single stain on the Church. The whole of it is holy and pure and sublime, although we ourselves, its members and believers, sometimes sin, perhaps more than one would expect. But God did not call into His Church those who are sinless, but He called precisely those who are sinful, and we see this from the examples of the holy first and foremost apostles Peter and Paul, whom we celebrate, who in one part of their lives were and did exactly the opposite of what they later did. Thus, the Holy Apostle Peter, who had denied Christ, later repented and preached the Gospel of God, preached the word of salvation. And not only did he preach, but he also lived that Gospel word with his life. And similarly to him, the Holy Apostle Paul, who himself says this about himself, that he was a very zealous persecutor of Christians even when he was enlightened "By the divine light, he became an even more zealous preacher of the Gospel of Christ," His Eminence Bishop emphasized, and taught that this is exactly what is expected of us - not to be sinless, but to find the strength to admit that we have sinned when we fall and to rise again with the power of God.
"And God gives this to everyone who sincerely repents and who wants to be His true disciple and follower. Therefore, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul teach us that even when we sin (and we sin every day), we should not despair, but should direct our prayers to God, and that just as He strengthened, strengthened, and transformed them, so too, even though we are weak, it is not impossible for Him to transform us and make us saints, just as many members and limbs of the Holy Church of Christ are," concluded His Eminence Bishop Paisios of Diocles.
Lana Ostojić
Metropolitan Church of Montenegro and the Littoral