Divine Liturgy/ Metropolitan of Elbasan, Andoni: If there is no love in our good works, they are worthless

2026-02-15 10:36:00, Aktualitet CNA

Metropolitan of Elbasan, Andoni

Metropolitan Andoni of Elbasan led the Divine Liturgy today at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tirana. During his speech, His Grace, Andoni emphasized the importance of the Gospel messages in our lives.

The Metropolitan said that if there is no love in our acts of charity and kindness, then they are worthless. His Grace expressed that if we do not forgive the sins of others, God will not forgive our sins either. He emphasized that if there is no love in our actions, this means that our faith in God is lukewarm and small.

“In today's Gospel, it is appointed to read those words of the Lord that speak of the last judgment. The Lord presents to us the last day of judgment in vivid colors. He tells us that when the time comes, the Son of Man will descend in glory with the angels. The Lord is speaking of the last day of this world as we know it. The Lord has made it clear that no one can know the last day of this world. He tells the apostles that only the Father in heaven knows this.

The Lord has warned us that we must be vigilant and be regular workers every day, not like those who spend their time wasting it, with the idea that the Lord will delay in coming. As He Himself says, He will come at an hour when no one expects Him. When the Lord comes He will divide people into two groups: the sheep who are good and wise and also those who He compares to the goats, who are often difficult to gather, for this reason they are the wicked people spoken of in the Gospel. When we talk about the good works that we must do, we immediately think that we are not saved by the good works that we do. If we were to do many things, give all our possessions, perhaps even throw our bodies into the fire, it would not be worth it. He says that all this will be worthless if there is no love. God is the only savior. God will have a judgment at the end for each of us. In the end, it is the trial of love. He says it very simply, those who have loved me and cared for me, comparing themselves to every person in need, for us is the Lord Christ. Often times our neighbor can become our hell. However, God has set us a criterion for whether our faith is alive or not. God makes it simple for us to test our faith. The path to heaven passes through our neighbor. If I hate my neighbor, and we do not forgive the sins of others, neither will God forgive our sins. If there is no love in our actions, our faith can be lukewarm and so little that it cannot save us , "said His Grace, Andoni. /CNA