Holy Metropolis of Kythira – Sunday Message (July 12, 2026)

SUNDAY MESSAGE (audio message)
BY HIS EMINENCE THE METROPOLITAN
KYTHIRA & ANTIKYTHIRA SERAPHIM
SUNDAY AT MATTHEW
(12-07-2026)

WRITTEN DIVINE PROCLAMATION
«Abandoning evil, clinging to what is good.».

If someone wishes to turn away from evil, there is one way: to cling to the good. And this is so because an increase in good deeds leads to a decrease in evil. The more one clings to the good and directs one’s desire and love toward it, the further one moves away from its opposite, evil, whereas the more one clings to evil and directs one’s desire and love toward it, the further one moves away from the good. After all, «Evil is nothing other than the deprivation of the good and a deviation from what is natural to what is unnatural.», as St. John of Damascus notes. That is to say, evil is nothing other than the absence, deprivation of the good, and a deviation from the life that is natural according to God toward that which is unnatural. Just as darkness is the absence of light, so too is evil the absence of the good. And just as the darkness recedes as the sun rises, so too, as one acquires the good, one avoids and eliminates the opposite, which is evil.

That is why the Apostle Paul urges us in today’s Epistle reading: «Abandoning evil, clinging to what is good», that is, to turn away from evil with all your strength and to cling to what is good. After all, since evil does not exist as an entity—for God did not create such a thing—it arises from wicked intent. This is what happened with the devil as well, who, although he was good, as God created him, he turned away from the true Good, who is the only Good, and became evil. The same is true of man, who was created without lacking any divine goodness, and whose task was simply to preserve those goods. He is attacked by the devil, who gave birth to evil, and, if he neglects to guard the wealth of his nature that God has given him, he dies to what is good and lives for what is evil.

If, then, someone wishes to turn away from evil, there is one way: «Cling to the Lord throughout your life», as taught by Saint John of Karpathos. This constant attachment and devotion to the Lord, the source of all good things, brings life and salvation. «From it, every good thing derives its goodness, and to the extent that it is removed from it […], it has become evil.», which means that from the good God, every good thing truly becomes good, and the further man strays from Him, the more he falls into evil. How, then, can people today think they will become good without clinging to the Lord? How, by turning away from, rejecting, and ignoring God, do they think they will fulfill their destiny? And if we have no purpose, then why do we exist?;

This attachment to the good God guides the entire life of the Christian. From it springs forth all the other things the Apostle mentions regarding how the believer should live among fellow Christians, that is, with sincere love, brotherly love, affection, respect for others, fervent devotion to every godly work, hope in future blessings, patience in suffering, perseverance in prayer, sharing in the needs of our brothers and sisters, the pursuit of hospitality, and blessing our persecutors. This is the proper conduct of Christians within the body of the Church. This is the noble conduct of Christians, through which they seek to truly live up to what their name signifies (namely, Christian). And indeed, if someone takes the name ’Christian” but does not manifest in their life what is implied by that name, he betrays that name. And what does it mean to be a Christian? It means to imitate Christ! Just as Christ is righteousness, purity, and truth, and is free from all evil, so too does the true Christian demonstrate through his very being that he shares in these attributes, as Saint Gregory of Nyssa notes elsewhere. «A Christian is one who belongs entirely to Christ, and has Christ in his mind, and cares for Christ, studies for Christ, lives for Christ, and acts for Christ, and breathes only Christ and carries Him with him, and desires nothing else but Christ, and considers this alone to be his gain.» (Saint Symeon of Thessaloniki).

If, then, someone wishes to turn away from evil, there is only one way: to cling to the All-Good, the Most Holy Lord and our God! «Abandoning evil, clinging to what is good». Amen—So be it!

Rev. Hierotheos Kritikos, Preacher