Archbishop Makarios of Australia urged the faithful of the Parish of Saint Nektarios in the suburb of Fawkner in Melbourne to imitate the example and virtues of the patron saint of their Parish, especially the humility with which he endured his trials and the willingness with which he accepted the will of God in his life.
The Archbishop visited the celebrating Parish, within the framework of his pastoral visit to Melbourne, and presided over the festive worship events in memory of Saint Nektarios, Bishop of Pentapolis.
He was accompanied by Bishops Kyriakos of Sozopolis and Evmenios of Kerasounta, Archdiocesan Vicars of Melbourne and Northcote respectively, and clergymen of the two Archdiocesan Regions of Victoria. On the eve of the feast, at the end of the Festive Vespers, as well as on the feast day, at the end of the Festive Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, the Archbishop addressed the faithful who had come to the church.
One of the messages sent by the Archbishop was that holiness was not a feature and privilege of the past. “There are Saints even nowadays,” he stressed, referring to the modern Saint of our Church, Saint Nektarios. He added that “perhaps some of these Saints are among us, we know them, but many times we do not aknowledge them.” “Holiness is not an impossible dream,” he pointed out. He recalled, however, that we need to take a sincere approach towards God.
He spoke about the way Saint Nektarios approached God, became holy and was blessed with the gift of perfomring miracles. The Archbishop also emphasized the Saint’s virtues of patience and humility. He explained that he faced the persecutions and the many injustices with patience and humility. Saint Nektarios often said to himself: “Be patient. God sends trials to his own people.” In addition, the Archbishop urged the faithful to seek God’s will in their lives, just as Saint Nektarios did.