Archbishop Makarios of Australia presided over the Fourth Stasis of the Salutations to the Most Holy Theotokos at the Church of St Nicholas in Marrickville, Sydney, on Friday afternoon, April 9.
In his homily, the Archbishop focused first on the reasons why the pious believers glorify the Virgin Mary.
“We humans are conscientious,” he said, “and when we have an obligation to a person, then we give that person a gift or say a big thank you.” “Think of the great obligation of the humankind to the Virgin Mary,” he pointed out, “if the Virgin Mary did not exist, there would be no salvation for man and no possibility of his entry into Paradise”.
Finally, the Archbishop expressed joy and gratitude to God for the fact that this year the conditions in Australia are much better than the corresponding period last year. He reminded them, however, that the people in Greece were still being severely tested by the pandemic and wished “Our Lady of Time to help the conditions to be even better here, but also all over the world, and to get rid of this great ordeal.”
Finally, he thanked the priest in charge of the Parish of Saint Nicholas, Archimandrite Fr. Christodoulos Economou, for the invitation. After the end of the service, he distributed an icon to all the faithful, wishing the Virgin Mary to bless and protect them.