In an atmosphere of spiritual joy, exultation and reverence, the first “Christmas Carols by Candlelight” event of the Holy Diocese of Brisbane took place on Sunday evening, 8 December 2024, at the Church of Saint George, Brisbane. The event, which also marked the end of the proceedings of the Youth Conference for the State of Queensland, was honoured with the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
His Eminence honoured the members of the mixed choir of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society of Sydney, the “Ellinikes Fones” choir of the Greek Orthodox Parish-Community of Saint George and the “Saint John of Damascus” choir of Brisbane, who performed contemporary Christmas hymns and traditional carols from many regions of Greece. Among the large audience, who enjoyed the beautiful festive program, were Their Graces, Bishop Bartholomew of Brisbane, Bishop Silouan of Adelaide, the Archon of the Holy and Great Church of Christ, Mr. Theo Bacalakis, the President of the Parish – Community of Saint George in Brisbane, Ms. Freda Valassakis, and many others.
At the end of the event, Archbishop Makarios extended warm congratulations to the organisers and participants, while expressing his paternal joy and satisfaction for the fact that the Greek Orthodox community is moving towards the great celebration of Christmas in a spirit of love and unity.
His Eminence then referred to God’s infinite love for humankind, which is revealed by the fact of His incarnation. He recalled a characteristic saying of Saint John Chrysostom, that God “takes my flesh to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit to save me.” “God approached us with love to show us the way back to Him,” His Eminence emphasised, explaining that our presence in the world is temporary and that our destination is the Kingdom of God.
“What Christmas should remind us of,” he emphasised, “is that there is something that comes after.” He urged everyone to follow the path of returning to God, namely the example of Christ who became a perfect man and walked this earth. “Through His life and example, we can see how we should walk in this world as long as we live,” he noted, concluding with the exhortation: “This Christmas, let us remember its true meaning and may we place Christ firmly at the centre of our celebration, our hearts, and our lives.”
