SUNDAY MESSAGE (audio message)
BY HIS EMINENCE THE METROPOLITAN
KYTHIRA & ANTIKYTHIRA SERAPHIM
7th Sunday of Matthew
(19-07-2026)
WRITTEN DIVINE PROCLAMATION
Character stems from doctrine!
If someone were seeking to discover what the true model of humanity is, they would have to seek out the true and perfect human being. And they would have to seek out this kind of human being, because, after the fall into sin, man forgot his authentic nature, ignored his true purpose, and lost almost every sense of the wholeness he had possessed before the Fall. This true and perfect man is none other than the Incarnate Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. As Saint Nicholas of Kavassilas says: «The Savior was the first and only one to reveal the true and perfect man, […].». And since Christ has shown us this eternal, sure, and accessible model, every person is called to imitate Him, to conform to His example—not merely outwardly, but inwardly to allow the Lord to take shape within them, to align their will with that of the Lord, to be transformed into Christ, to be healed of the sickness of sin, and for God Himself to act within him from now on. Thus, Christ becomes the center of the human person, for He is the beginning and the end of human nature.
This, then, is the Orthodox Christian Ethos, Christian Ethics, whose distinctive feature is that it depends directly on the person of Jesus Christ and, through him, on the entire Holy Trinity. This, of course, Orthodox Christian Ethics, through the Grace of God, can be achieved only by those who believe correctly. And this is because the moral principles of our lives flow from the dogmas and truths of our Faith. Christian ethics is never independent of the Church’s doctrinal teaching; but rather depends on and springs from it.
This is confirmed by today’s Epistle reading. . «This is a faithful saying; and I want you to be assured of these things, so that those who have put their faith in God may be careful to lead the way in good works.». In other words, regarding what was said earlier about salvation in Christ, I desire, says the Apostle, that you give assurance, that you speak with certainty, so that those who have believed in God may take the lead tirelessly in works of compassion and charity. It seems here the unbroken link between theory and practice, between Orthodoxy and orthopraxy. The foundation, therefore, of the believer’s entire moral life is the dogmas of the Faith; they are the unbreakable bond with the person of the Lord, who is the way, the life, and the truth. Without Christ, Christian Ethics is inconceivable· After all, without him, our works have no value, no matter how good they may seem, since, according to his words, «Without me, you can do nothing» (John 15:5).
An ethics without Christ, devoid of the essence of Orthodox Christian teaching, is nothing more than sterile moralism, which is subject to change according to the dictates of the times. A morality without Christ can achieve nothing more than to produce false people—perhaps good, but never transformed in Christ, fit for the Kingdom of God. Such an ethics, which is incapable of healing man from sin, would not trouble the devil and his agents. Proof of this is that, instead of the Religious Education course taught to students in schools, a French Masonic lodge has been promoting, since 1866, a course on «universal ethics, without ever referring to religious teachings», which teachers and students will be called upon to face starting in the new school year.
My dear friends, a morality without Christ is doomed to fail. This is borne out by the history of the Western world, the atheistic Enlightenment, and European civilization, which pose mortal dangers to our Nation. Only the Orthodox Christian Ethos, which was lived, taught, and passed down by the holy and God-bearing Fathers, whom we honor this Sunday, and which, flowing from theological teaching, has the power to produce holy people and earthly angels. Gospel Ethics has shaped people whose deeds and self-denial have earned the admiration of all. Evangelical Ethics reformed the morals of the people. Evangelical Ethics preserved Byzantium amidst the subjugated nation. Brothers, if we wish to save what remains, let us remember the words of the Apostle: let us learn at the feet of the Apostles and the Fathers. A morality without Christ can neither save, nor transform, nor restore, nor preserve.
Brothers, «These are the things that are good and beneficial to people»!
Rev. Hierotheos Kritikos, Preacher
