The Cross of Christ should be a symbol of love, unity and reconciliation rather than a reason for revenge, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije said during a festive Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade.

The service was held on September 27 for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, celebrated according to the Julian calendar, the Serbian Orthodox Church reported.

Addressing the congregation, Patriarch Porfirije urged the faithful to view the Cross above all as a symbol of sacrificial love and spiritual victory.

“Let the Cross of Christ be the strength and sign of love in our lives, never the strength of revenge, but the strength of God’s love,” the patriarch said. He emphasized that the true victory associated with the Cross is the triumph of goodness, virtue, love and unity among people and with God.

Following the reading of the Gospel, Bishop Ilarion of Novo Brdo, a vicar of the Serbian Patriarch, delivered a sermon. He said the Christian meaning of the Cross lies in its transformation from a symbol of suffering and death into a sign of victory and blessing.

Bishop Ilarion called on believers to become “reconcilers and peacemakers,” willing to reach out to one another and help restore unity. He said the image of arms extended in the shape of a cross serves as a reminder of the need for openness and readiness for reconciliation.

“To carry the Cross of the Lord means to be reconcilers and peacemakers,” Bishop Ilarion said.

At the conclusion of the service, Patriarch Porfirije again urged the faithful to make love, forgiveness and unity the foundation of their daily lives.

The liturgy was concelebrated by the patriarch together with Bishop Ilarion of Novo Brdo, Bishop Tikhon of Moravica and numerous clergy.