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Patriarch of Serbia: There is no greater miracle than that a human being can become one with God

July 8, 2026 · 1 min read

On 7 July 2026, the Feast of the Nativity of St John the Forerunner and Baptist, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the church dedicated to this great feast in the Petlovo Brdo district of Belgrade.

“There is no greater miracle than that a human being can become one with God, and that we, each of us different from the other, can also become one with one another, for with God all things are possible,” the Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church emphasized in his homily, adding that everything in our lives and around us is a miracle.

“Today we celebrate the wondrous Nativity of the Holy Forerunner. Wherever God wills, the Holy Spirit transcends the laws of nature. Thus it was in the case of Zechariah and Elizabeth: the natural order was overturned, because for the person who lives close to God, believes in Him, and dedicates his life to Him, all things are possible.”

“St John the Baptist shows us that humility is what the Lord Himself taught and affirmed as the only true and natural way: when the ‘I’ within us grows smaller, when our selfishness diminishes, only then does the Lord Jesus Christ increase within us and make His dwelling in our hearts.…

Source: Orthodox Times · Read the full story →

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Irene ThomasThat bit about humility really hit home – when the “I” gets smaller, Christ gets bigger. It’s the same thing we sing in the choir every time we do the Nativity of the Forerunner. Makes the whole miracle feel practical, not just something that happened to Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Sophia MooreIrene, that line about the “I” shrinking so Christ can grow always sticks with me too. We sing it every year at the feast, but I only started really feeling it after our little one was born and I had to let go of half my old routines. Makes the miracle feel doable even on ordinary Tuesdays, doesn’t it?

طوني معلوفI liked this talk about humility very much, especially when he said that the “ego” becomes smaller and Christ grows in us. Every year I hear the same thing in church while I cook kolivo for St. John's Day, but I've started to feel more about it since I started teaching third-grade children and have to put a lot of my thoughts aside. Indeed, with God, anything is possible.

Νίκος ΚωνσταντίνουWhat the Patriarch said about St. John and "letting the ego decrease so that Christ may increase" stuck with me. We sing the exact same thing every year in our church in Patras, but this year when I cook more for the children after school, I understand better what it means to put yourself aside. Truly, with God all things are possible.

Olivier MoreauYes, this sentence about the “I” which must diminish for Christ to grow also struck me. At home, we sing it every year at the liturgy of the Nativity of Saint John, but since I prepared the meal for my daughter who is coming home from high school, I see better what it means in everyday life. With God everything is possible, even letting go of our habits a little.

Nicholas PhillipsThat line about the “I” shrinking hits different once you’ve got a little one pulling at your routines, doesn’t it? I remember when our grandson was tiny and every night felt like a small lesson in letting go of my own schedule. Makes the Forerunner’s words feel less like a lofty ideal and more like something you can actually practice between the laundry and the school run.