On Sunday, December 27, Archbishop Makarios of Australia presided over the Orthros and the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of Saint Stephen the First Martyr and Archdeacon at the Church of Saint Stephen in Hurlstone Park, Sydney, accompanied by Bishops Iakovos of Militopolis and Elpidios of Kyanes.
In his sermon, the Archbishop focused on the last words, the prayer of Saint Stephen, while his furious persecutors were stoning him: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”
“One always understands the quality and character of a person from the end of one’s life,” said the Archbishop to emphasize the transcendence that emerges in the last chapter of Saint Stephen’s life, who did not think about pain and the wounds on his body but he prayed to God for their stoners.
“This transcendence of forgiveness is something that is missing from the modern world,” the Archbishop said, “We have acquired a spiritual rigidity. We do not want to apologize but we do not want to forgive those who apologize to us.”
However, the Archbishop referred to the precious gift offered to us by the example of the honored saint, Saint Stephen the First Martyr. “The greatest gift from one person, who will take one more step and forgive the other —a gift received not only by the one who is forgiven but above all by the one who forgives— is the peace of soul.” “Then the heart is serene and one does not need to have worries and anxieties, nor to lose any sleep, nor to take medicines and sedatives,” the Archbishop pointed out, urging everyone to put forgiveness into their lives, accepting this precious gift from Saint Stephen.