On Thursday evening, December 11, the Great Festal Hierarchical Vespers in honor of Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Trimythous the Wonderworker, were celebrated with ecclesiastical splendor and majesty at the church bearing his name in the Kingsford suburb of Sydney.
Archbishop Makarios of Australia presided over the service. Concelebrating with him were Bishops Elpidios of Perth and Athinagoras of Canberra, as well as Auxiliary Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis, abbot of the Holy Monastery of St. George in Yellow Rock. Also participating were the parish priest, Fr. Stylianos Skoutas; his assistant priest, Fr. Stavros Ivanos; and other clergy from Sydney.
At the conclusion of the Festal Vespers, Archbishop Makarios delivered a sermon to the large congregation of faithful who had gathered to honor the memory of Saint Spyridon. As an introduction, he focused on the verse: “I love those who love me, and those who seek me will find grace” (Prov. 8:17), which had been read during the service. He noted that this verse is fulfilled in the life of the great hierarch and saint of the Orthodox Church, Saint Spyridon. “Saint Spyridon did not attend school. He did not study. He had no degrees. He was a simple shepherd born to obscure, uneducated parents. Yet, this man possessed what we heard tonight: he loved God and sought His grace, and he received it.”
The Archbishop then briefly referred to Saint Spyridon’s pivotal role in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, describing the miracle of the roof tile through which he confounded Arius’s heretical teachings.
Finally, the Archbishop emphasized the virtue of discernment, one of the highest Christian virtues and a characteristic of the saint being honored. He recalled to the congregation the incident in which Saint Spyridon offered meat to an exhausted traveler during a period of fasting. Through this story, he highlighted the importance of seeking the essence of things and not limiting ourselves to superficial judgments. He noted that discernment is a God-inspired virtue that enables one to act with the salvation and well-being of others in mind. This virtue allows one to rise above hypocritical adherence to rules and stubborn insistence on one’s own will. “It is this virtue that enables you to offer another person comfort and freedom,” he said.
In conclusion, Archbishop Makarios offered heartfelt blessings to the faithful and urged them to follow Saint Spyridon’s example in his love for God, pursuit of divine grace, and virtue of discernment.
Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou
