“Set spiritual goals,” Archbishop of Australia’s New Year exhortation – Orthodox Times – Orthodoxtimes.com

On the first day of the New Year, Archbishop Makarios of Australia visited the Greek-dominated suburb of Marrickville in Sydney and exchanged greetings with the devout members of the Parish of St. Nicholas.
His Eminence, accompanied by the priestly head of the vibrant Greek Orthodox Parish, Fr. Michael Tsolakis, and Fr. Socrates Dokos from the Parish-Community of the Resurrection of Christ in Kogarah, celebrated the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the commemoration of St. Basil the Great.
He then presided over a Doxology service to mark the beginning of the New Year 2025, blessed and cut the parish’s Vasilopita, and finally joined the large congregation in singing traditional New Year’s carols with heartfelt emotion.
In his brief address, Archbishop Makarios wished everyone an abundance of God’s blessings in their lives and families, while also encouraging them to find strength to face any challenges or trials the new year may bring.
He also encouraged them paternally to include spiritual goals alongside their worldly aspirations and to broaden their spiritual perspectives.
“For the New Year, we all make plans,” he noted, “and it is good that we do so. But we must also set spiritual goals,” he emphasized, “because worldly and human plans can easily be disrupted.”
He continued, “We should aim to set spiritual goals—not necessarily grand or difficult ones, but small and meaningful ones, such as resolving never to lie again or to refrain from judging our neighbor. These small steps can help us progress spiritually, alongside our advancements in other areas.”
Present at the Eucharistic gathering and the cutting of the Vasilopita were, among others, the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis, and the Chief Justice of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Greek criminal lawyer Athanasios Kechagioglou.
The Consul General, who received a piece of the Vasilopita as a representative of the Greek State, delivered a brief address at the invitation of Archbishop Makarios.
In his remarks, he wished everyone a “Happy New Year” and shared the traditional New Year’s greeting from his native Kefalonia—a wish for freedom from the burdens, sorrows, and sins of the past year. He also conveyed the heartfelt wishes of the Greek government to the expatriate community, warmly encouraging them to “always hold aloft the flag of Greece, as you are already doing.”











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