Divine Liturgy/ Message of His Beatitude John: If the heart is not pure, the presence of God cannot be discerned

2025-11-30 10:27:00, Aktualitet CNA

Divine Liturgy/ Message of His Beatitude John: If the heart is not pure, the

The Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and all Albania led the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. His Beatitude said that today we remember one of the apostles of God, Jesus Christ, and a great martyr, Saint Andrew. Archbishop Joan emphasized that by reading the lives of the saints, we ourselves are modeled after them.

Further during the sermon, His Beatitude stated that if a person does not have a pure heart, they can never discern the presence of God and Lord.

His Beatitude further said that the world today, which is in a spiritual darkness where many values ??have been lost, needs the very great values ??of the Gospel and their spread.

“Today we gather to remember one of the apostles of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and a great martyr, Saint Andrew. The Church gathered every day to remember her saints. This is how the church calendar began. We remember them every year that they were modeled after Christ and we, by reading their lives, will be modeled after them. The lives of the saints are not simply biographies but much more and deeper. By reading the lives of the saints, we can be able to be in touch with the dimensions of the other world. By remembering their lives we can feel the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit. To see God, it is not enough to have an enlightened mind. If the heart is not pure, you cannot discern the presence of God.

A great faith is not enough to just accept that there is a God. We must spread this news of God. We must spread the Gospel everywhere. Faith resides in the heart for righteousness, but confession for salvation comes out of the mouth. A true faith cannot exist if there are no works. A faith without works is a dead faith. If their life and words do not reflect this faith, then this faith is dead. That is why the apostles spread the Gospel with such great power because they believed, loved God and were enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Even today the world needs this news. In this spiritual darkness, where many values ??have been lost, love has almost disappeared, friendships almost do not exist, there is a need for this message and these very great values ??of the Gospel that they believe in without being afraid of anything. If there is no peace and joy today, it is because evil is increasing. "And this can only be achieved with the light of the Gospel ," Archbishop Joan said. /CNA