Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece stressed the need for unity and co-operation, in his sermon at the Cathedral of the Dormition of Virgin Mary in Hydra, where in the morning he presided over the Eucharist Service, assisted by Metropolitan Ephraim of Hydra, Spetses and Aegina, and Bishop Symeon of Thespies, Protosyncellus of the Holy Archdiocese of Athens.
Metropolitan of Hydra thanked the Archbishop for his presence, referring to his prudence and wisdom, while speaking about the charitable and social work of the Archdiocese, emphasizing that it is full of foundations for man.
The Archbishop particularly thanked the Metropolitan of Hydra, while speaking about this great feast today, he compared Virgin Mary to Eve, that is, they are two persons who respond differently to the call of God. “Eve lived privilegedly in paradise. The snake approached her and managed to get away with losing her fellowship with God and became alienated because she wanted to be independent. And according to the psalmist, she sat aside and wept. Our Lady grew up in Nazareth, in a difficult place. Archangel visited her and she did not say easy words to her. She was upset, but she refused. It was the bridge, to lift man up to heaven”.
The Archbishop conveyed the relationship these two women have with our lives and how they relate to us, emphasizing that Virgin Mary heals lawlessness and opens the way to paradise. He noted that every time we move away from communion with God and father, we are Eve’s children, and each time we are close to God we are children of Theotokos.
Concluding his speech, the Archbishop wished his visit to be “a message of optimism, for the Church, because we have so many difficulties and struggle to cope with several issues, but also for our country, which also faces many difficulties”.
