Message of Archbishop Makarios of Australia on the occasion of the feast of the 25th March
“For nothing will be impossible with God.” The words of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, reminding us all as stated by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia , on the occasion of today’s double celebration of March 25th.
In his message, His Eminence points out that both the Most Holy Theotokos and the enslaved Greeks in 1821, acted with a deep belief that “nothing is impossible for God”, resulting in the first case, the liberation of man from the bonds of sin, and in the second, to shake off slavery and achieve the Polygenesis of the Greek Nation.
“Our faith and hope in God are the most valuable supplies we have in the face of every challenge that manifests itself in our lives, in the face of every trial that we are called to overcome,” Archbishop Makarios underlines and exhorts fatherly: “Open the doors of your heart and let it be flooded with this life-giving source of strength and freedom.”
Attached is the full Message from the Archbishop of Australia for the celebration of March 25:
MESSAGE
from His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia
on the occasion of the celebration and feast day of March 25th
Venerable brother fellow Bishops and beloved children,
The joyous and moving words of Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary today resound loudly in our hearts: “For with God nothing will be impossible”.
Upon hearing Archangel Gabriel’s assurance Panagia, having deep faith in her heart, responded with the salvific words for the human race: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
It was this very deep faith of the Most Holy Theotokos that led to her consent to conceive the Lord and Word of God. Consequently, it is to this faith that we owe the Incarnation of our Lord and the deliverance of humankind from the bonds of sin.
Not coincidentally, the wondrous event of the Annunciation of the Theotokos is celebrated together with the anniversary of the Regeneration of the Greek Nation. A regeneration that was achieved due to the deep faith in God of the enslaved Greeks, which encouraged them to rise up and fight for freedom, without taking into account their numeric and material deficiency against the conqueror.
To these heroic ancestors of ours and to the true faith that burned in their hearts – their faith that “with God, nothing is impossible” – we owe the independence of our beloved homeland and the sacred liberty that we, the newer generations, enjoy.
My beloved friends,
As we honour, today, the heroes of the Greek Revolution and glorify the Blessed Virgin Mary with gratitude, it would be appropriate and beneficial to reflect on the reforming effect of our faith on every aspect of our lives. Our faith and hope in God are the most precious resources we have in the face of every challenge that manifests in our lives; in the face of every trial that we are called to overcome.
Open the doors of your heart and let it overflow with this life-giving source of power and freedom. This is my paternal exhortation on the occasion of today’s double celebration and I am certain that you will respond with reverence, honouring in practice our Panagia as well as our heroic ancestors!
