“Let us do works that endure in the light,” urged His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, during the address he delivered at the Great Festive Vespers on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, at the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord in the suburb of Thomastown in Melbourne.
His Eminence presided over the Vespers Service, and was joined by Their Graces, Bishop Evmenios of Chora, Bishop Kyriakos of Melbourne and Bishop Themistocles of Nicopolis (Patriarchate of Alexandria) and by a multitude of clergy from the two Dioceses of Victoria, Chora and Melbourne. The celebrating Church was packed with faithful of all ages, who flocked with reverence to venerate the icon of the Transfiguration of Our Lord and receive the blessing of their venerable Shepherd. Among those present was the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Ms. Dimitra Georgantzoglou.
At the end of the Feast Day Vespers, Archbishop Makarios spoke appropriately about the significance of the great feast of the Lord, focusing, among other things, on the presence of the Prophets Elijah and Moses in the event of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, a presence which overturned erroneous assumptions and made it indisputable that Christ was the expected Messiah and the true God.
His Eminence then observed that, on the one hand, the troparia of the Service and, on the other hand, the illustration of the event of the Transfiguration, are dominated by the element of light, which symbolises truth. He pointed out that although many invoke light and transparency, they nevertheless keep aspects of their lives and activities hidden in darkness. After analysing phenomena of the modern era, in which people tend to behave hypocritically, even within their family environment, he emphatically recalled that “everyone who does evil hates the light” (John 3:20) and addressed a paternal request to all to live with honesty and truth, and to do works that endure in the light.
