On Sunday, 8 February, Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne presided at the Matins and celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saints Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene in Bentleigh, accompanied by the Parish Priest, Fr. Christos Dimoliannis, and in the presence of a large congregation of devout parishioners.
This blessed day had a multiple festive character: as the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, as the Apodosis (Leave-taking) of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, and as the commemoration of the Holy Great-Martyr Theodore the General. All these feasts called the faithful to repentance, obedience, and steadfastness in faith, as the Church continues Her gradual preparation for the holy period of Great Lent.
In his homily, Bishop Kyriakos conveyed the paternal blessing and warm greeting of Archbishop Makarios of Australia, assuring the faithful of his prayers and paternal wishes as they prepare spiritually for the season of fasting. Bishop Kyriakos exhorted the parishioners to approach the coming journey of Great Lent not with fear or mere formality, but with humility of heart and trust in the mercy of God.
Expounding on the Gospel reading of the day (Luke 15:11–32), Bishop Kyriakos interpreted the Parable of the Prodigal Son, drawing upon the patristic tradition and the hymnography of the Triodion. He reminded the faithful that this parable is not merely a story focused on sin, but a revelation of the compassionate heart of the father: “Today the Church sets before us the image of a son who has lost everything: his inheritance, his dignity, his peace, but not his father’s love. When the prodigal returns, he does not find a closed door or an angry judge. He finds a father who was waiting, gazing toward the horizon with wounded hope, whose heart never ceased to love, even when the son was far away. The Fathers of the Church tell us that the father runs to meet the son because divine mercy always moves faster than human repentance. Before the confession is completed, before the words are spoken, the embrace has already begun. This is the mystery of our salvation: that God restores us not because we deserve it, but because He is love.
And yet, the Church also warns us today of another danger: the danger of the elder son, who remained outwardly obedient but inwardly distant. He kept the commandments but forgot compassion. He stayed in the house but did not share in the joy of repentance. The Triodion calls us to examine not only our sins, but our hearts: are we able to rejoice when another soul returns? Are we able to forgive as we ourselves have been forgiven? As we approach Great Lent, let us become like the prodigal in his humility, like the father in his mercy, and not like the elder son in his cold judgment. Let us rise from the famine of sin and return to the abundance of the Father’s house, where even our brokenness is transformed into a feast of grace.”
