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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 معلوفالكلام عن التواضع هذا أعجبني كثير، خاصة لما قال إن "الأنا" تصغر فالمسيح يكبر فينا. أنا كل سنة بسمع الكلام نفسه في الكنيسة وأنا أطبخ الـ kolivo لعيد القديس يوحنا، بس صرلي أحس فيه أكثر من بعد ما صرت أعلم أولاد الصف الثالث وأضطر أترك كتير من أفكاري جانب. فعلاً، مع الله كل شي ممكن.

Νίκος ΚωνσταντίνουΑυτό που είπε ο Πατριάρχης για τον άγιο Ιωάννη και το «το Εγώ να μικραίνει για να μεγαλώνει ο Χριστός» μου έμεινε. Το ίδιο ακριβώς το ψάλλουμε κάθε χρόνο στην εκκλησία μας στην Πάτρα, αλλά φέτος που μαγειρεύω πιο πολύ για τα παιδιά μετά το σχολείο, καταλαβαίνω καλύτερα τι σημαίνει να αφήνεις στην άκρη τον εαυτό σου. Πραγματικά, με τον Θεό όλα γίνονται.

Olivier MoreauOui, cette phrase sur l’« I » qui doit diminuer pour que le Christ grandisse m’a aussi frappée. Chez nous, on la chante chaque année à la liturgie de la Nativité de saint Jean, mais depuis que je prépare le repas pour ma fille qui rentre du lycée, je vois mieux ce que ça veut dire dans le quotidien. Avec Dieu tout est possible, même de lâcher un peu de nos habitudes.

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.