On the evening of Monday, January 6, Archbishop Makarios of Australia presided over the Festive Vespers for the feast of the Synaxis of St. John the Baptist at the church dedicated to the saint in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta.
During the service, Archbishop Makarios was accompanied by the Hierarchical Head, Fr. Dimitrios Kokkinos, along with other clergy members from the city of Sydney.
The earthly life, gifts, and virtues of the honored saint, the protector of the Greek Orthodox Parish-Community of Parramatta, were at the heart of Archbishop Makarios’s inspired sermon.
Presenting and analyzing aspects of the spiritual personality of Saint John the Baptist, the Archbishop highlighted, among other things, that as the last Prophet, he “bridged the Old Testament with the New Testament” and “paved the way for asceticism and monasticism.”
In particular, he emphasized and explored the divine zeal with which the “greatest among those born of women” preached, thus justifying his characterization as a “zealot.”
He clarified, however, that he was a “conscious zealot,” who preached the truth with zeal and love for God and his fellow humans. This stands in contrast to the phenomena—both past and present—of “unaware zealots,” who preach with fanaticism, intolerance, and fundamentalist severity.
“The sermon of Saint John the Baptist did not disturb but brought comfort to those who heard it,” said the Archbishop.
Finally, the Archbishop noted that at the core of the Holy Forerunner’s preaching was the call for repentance, as reflected in his words: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
He urged the faithful to reflect on this message regularly, ideally daily, emphasizing that everyone makes mistakes and sins and must turn to repentance and seek God’s mercy.
“Even if we believe we are without sin,” he concluded, “we should still repent, as we often fail to show ourselves worthy of the love God extends to us in our daily lives.”
