“God’s people are ultimately those who do not go down in history and embellish history and humankind with their presence. All those who act with hatred and malice fade away, disappear and wither.”
This is the message sent by Archbishop Makarios of Australia from the celebrating Church of Saints Raphael, Nicholas and Irene in Liverpool, Sydney, where he presided over the Divine Liturgy on Tuesday, April 21.
Archbishop Makarios assured the faithful that he lit a candle and paid his respects to the holy icon of the three Saints, not only for himself, but also for the clergy and the laity of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia.
Referring to the life of the three Saints whose memory is celebrated by the Orthodox Church, the Archbishop stressed: “The martyrdom of the saints is not like the martyrdom and suffering of evil and envious people and all those who did harm to Jesus Christ, the humankind, and the Church. No one knows who was the one who sawed Saint Raphael, but we all know Saint Raphael.”
That was the case, as the Archbishop explained, with the persecutors of Jesus Christ, from Judas and Pontius Pilate to the High Priests Annas and Caiaphas and the people of Jerusalem. All these people, who were malicious, spiteful and unjust, “disappeared, defeated, crashed and no one remembers them anymore,” said the Archbishop.
Finally, Archbishop Makarios noted that all those who do not believe in the Resurrection or have doubts about this historic event can find the answer in the lives of our saints, who for 2,000 years have shed their blood for their faith in Christ. “The clearest proof and the best evidence are the saints of our Church,” he said. He added: “If we look back, we will see that, from the time Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected, people continue to believe in this very fact with such fervor and such deep faith in Christ and the Church that they even shed their blood.”
