The Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross—a day on which the Church elevates the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of our Lord to strengthen the faithful in their spiritual struggle during the midst of Holy and Great Lent—was celebrated with due ecclesiastical splendor at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Sydney, presided over by Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
The Archbishop was accompanied by the Protosyncellus of the Holy Archdiocese and Hierarchical Head of the Cathedral, Archimandrite Christoforos Krikelis of the Ecumenical Throne, his fellow priest Archimandrite Stefanos Tinikashvili, and other members of the clergy.
Among the large congregation were the Ambassador of Greece to Australia, Stavros Venizelos; the High Commissioner of Cyprus to Australia, Antonios Sammoutis; the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis; Members of Parliament and a delegation from the Hellenic Parliament, including Stavros Keletsis, Athanasios Papathanassis, Stefanos Parastatidis, and Miltiadis Zamparas; as well as the Archon of the Great Church of Christ and Vice President of the Archdiocesan Council, Theodosios Penklis, among others.
Before the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Archbishop Makarios offered an instructive homily on the significance of the Feast of the Veneration of the Cross for the Orthodox Church. He summarized his message to the faithful in four words—corresponding to the four points of the Cross: Love – Death – Judgment – Eternity. Delving deeper into the meaning of the word “love,” Archbishop Makarios observed that it is a word frequently and widely used in our time.
“When someone uses the word ‘love,’” he explained, “they must first examine whether they love themselves more than the person standing before them.”
He went on to emphasize that love in the Orthodox Church can only be understood through the light of the Cross. “By looking at the Cross,” he noted, “we come to realize that love is inseparable from humility and self-emptying. Love means abolishing myself, just as Christ did when He ascended the Cross. I empty myself and step aside, so that there may be room in my heart for the other to dwell.”
Concluding his remarks, and after extending his paternal wishes to all for the remainder of Holy and Great Lent, Archbishop Makarios warmly welcomed the four Members of Parliament from Greece, who are visiting Australia to celebrate with the Hellenic community of the fifth continent the Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos and the National Anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821.
“The bridge that connects the motherland, Greece, with the fifth continent is a bridge we continue to walk upon—and it remains strong and untarnished,” he emphasized in his address to the MPs. He thanked them for the effort they made to travel such a great distance and kindly asked them to convey to the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek Government, and the Hellenic Parliament, the love and respect of the Greek Diaspora in Australia.
