On Sunday, March 30, the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent, which is dedicated to Saint John of Sinai, author of The Ladder of Divine Ascent, Archbishop Makarios of Australia celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Panagia Soumela in Keilor East, Melbourne, within the Holy Diocese of Chora.
Concelebrating with Archbishop Makarios were Bishop Evmenios of Chora and Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne. Among the large congregation was also the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Mrs. Dimitra Georgantzoglou.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, prior to his sermon, Archbishop Makarios expressed his heartfelt joy and emotion at visiting and celebrating at the splendid church dedicated to the Virgin Mary of Pontus—a place of great significance for the Pontian Hellenism of Victoria and the broader Australian community.
He spoke with admiration about the rich culture that flourished for centuries in the blessed land of Pontus, noting that the region “is fragrant with the relics of saints and the blood of martyrs spilled upon its soil.”
Archbishop Makarios then offered a brief presentation of the life of Saint John of the Ladder (Climacus), focusing especially on his renowned spiritual work, The Ladder of Divine Ascent. He explained that the text is divided into thirty chapters—or “steps”—each describing a virtue that leads the faithful higher on their spiritual journey toward the Kingdom of God.
He encouraged all present to seek out and study this work, which is especially spiritually beneficial during the Lenten season.
The Archbishop made special reference to the first and the thirtieth steps of the Ladder. In discussing the first step, Detachment, he stressed that progress in the spiritual life begins with freeing ourselves from worldly passions and attachments. “Spiritual life cannot coexist with worldly obsessions,” he emphasized.
“If we decide to live a spiritual life,” he added, “then we must clarify where we belong and what we want to achieve in our lives. We must be honest with ourselves about who we are, and not create a version of Orthodoxy in our minds that suits us—keeping what we like and ignoring what we don’t.”
As for the final step, Love, Archbishop Makarios highlighted that it is the crown of all virtues, synonymous with God Himself, and an essential requirement for spiritual fulfillment.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the fortieth-day memorial service (mnemosyno) was held for the late Nikolaos Krikelis, the father of the Church’s Proistamenos, Protopresbyter Fr. Iordanis Krikelis, and grandfather of the Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, Archimandrite of the Ecumenical Throne Fr. Christophoros Krikelis.
Reflecting briefly on the life and character of the departed, Archbishop Makarios remarked that the most compelling testament to his integrity and values was the blessed family he built with his late wife.
