Archbishop John of Albania has said that authentic joy in human life flows not from material prosperity but from faithfulness to God and communion with Him.

In a sermon dedicated to the service of the Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God, the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church reflected on the spiritual meaning of the ancient Byzantine hymn and its relevance for contemporary believers, according to the Church’s official news portal.

The Akathist is one of the best-known hymns of the Byzantine liturgical tradition, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In the Russian Orthodox Church, it is chanted in full at Matins on the fifth Saturday of Great Lent, known as the Praise of the Most Holy Theotokos. In Greek practice, the hymn is read in parts during the first four weeks of Lent and then sung in its entirety on the fifth Saturday, giving the service a special place in the Lenten cycle.

According to Archbishop John, the Akathist is not merely a remembrance of a seventh-century event, when, according to Church tradition, Constantinople was saved from siege after fervent prayers to the Mother of God. The citizens of the Byzantine capital are said to have spent the entire night in thanksgiving, repeatedly exclaiming “Rejoice!” — a refrain that became the poetic foundation of the hymn.

The Archbishop emphasized that joy is a central category of Christian life. “Where the presence of God is, there is joy,” he said, adding that material well-being alone cannot grant inner peace. True joy, he noted, is a gift from God and is inseparable from a living relationship between the human person and the Creator.

Archbishop John also reminded the faithful that the Akathist is not confined to the Lenten season. In many parishes it is served throughout the year, and some believers read it daily as a prayer of gratitude and hope. He described the hymn as one of the highest achievements of Byzantine liturgical poetry, uniting theological depth with artistic beauty.

Addressing his flock, the Albanian primate called on the faithful to pray for their country and people, asking the intercession of the Mother of God in difficult times. Faithfulness and turning to God, he said, enable Christians to overcome despair and preserve peace of heart even amid trials.