On Thursday, May 20, on the eve of the feast of Saints Constantine and Helen, Archbishop Makarios of Australia presided over the Great Vespers, accompanied by the Head of the Church, Fr. Nektarios Zorbalas, and other priests of the city of Sydney.
In his speech, after sending his Pascual wishes to the congregation, the Archbishop referred to the honored Saints, Constantine the Great and his mother, Helen, noting the valuable lessons that modern Christians can draw from their lives.
For Saint Constantine, he noticed that it is not by chance that our Church has called him “Great,” since his contribution to Christianity is invaluable and the work he carried out as Emperor of Byzantium was diverse and innovative for his time.
In addition to the issuance of the Edict of Milan, the convening of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea and the founding of Constantinople, he recalled other important aspects of his work, such as the introduction of financial aid for large families, the declaration of Sunday as a public holiday, and the provision of financial support to mothers so that they are able to support their children and prevent abortion.
Summarizing and referring to the relevant troparion, the Archbishop urged the faithful to have prudence, meekness and Orthodox faith in their lives.
Referring to the life and work of St. Helen, the Archbishop said she could also be called “Holy Mother.” This is because she took care of the exemplary upbringing of her child with faith in Christ and great devoutness, who transmitted her love for Christ to Saint Constantine.
“Saint Helen was a sanctified mother,” she emphasized while saying she taught Constantine the Great through her life and example. He also reminded them that she was notable for her fervent prayer to God, noting that “her knees were covered in blood.”
In closing, the Archbishop urged the mothers and grandmothers present to have St. Helen as their role model and to teach their children and grandchildren according to their example.