During his address at the Great Festal Vespers for the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord at the namesake church in the suburb of Thomastown, Melbourne, Archbishop Makarios of Australia urged, “Let us do deeds that can withstand the light.”
The Archbishop presided over the service, accompanied by Bishops Eumenios of Kerasounta, Kyriakos of Melbourne, and Themistocles of Nicopolis (of the Patriarchate of Alexandria), as well as a large number of clergy from the two dioceses of Victoria: Melbourne and Kerasounta. The church was filled with faithful of all ages who had gathered to venerate the icon of the Transfigured Lord and receive the blessing of their venerable shepherd. Among those present was the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Ms. Dimitra Georganatzoglou.
After the Festal Vespers concluded, Archbishop Makarios gave a fitting speech about the importance of this significant feast. He focused on the presence of the prophets Elijah and Moses at the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, which refuted false beliefs and confirmed that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God.
The Archbishop observed that the hymns and iconography of the Transfiguration service are dominated by light, which symbolizes truth. He noted that, although many invoke the concepts of light and transparency, they nevertheless keep aspects of their lives and actions hidden in darkness. After analyzing contemporary phenomena in which people often behave hypocritically, even within their own families, he emphatically reminded everyone that “Everyone who does evil hates the light” (John 3:20) and made a pastoral appeal to all to live honestly and truthfully and to perform deeds that can endure the light.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
