“Although the Mother of God was humble throughout her life, she was not absent,” Romanian Orthodox Bishop Mihail of Australia and New Zealand said on Saturday at the Saint Mary Romanian Orthodox Parish in Sydney, Australia.
“Just as the Ascension of the Lord did not mean, and did not remain, an absence from the midst of the Church, so too the passing of the Mother of God from this life into eternity did not result in an absence,” the bishop explained, recalling a verse from the troparion of the feast: “In giving birth, you preserved your virginity; in falling asleep, you did not forsake the world.”
She teaches us to do the will of the Lord
His Grace Bishop Mihail recalled that, at the request of His Mother, the Saviour Jesus Christ performed His first miracle at Cana of Galilee — before the time appointed from eternity for the beginning of His preaching. On that occasion, the Mother of God told those around her to do whatever He told them.
“And through these words, she also tells us to do what the Saviour Jesus Christ teaches us in the Gospel. Thus, the entire life of the Mother of God is defined by humility and by great concern for everything taking place around her, but she is not absent,” the bishop stressed.
“She is always present in the midst of Christians.”
“We learn many things from the discreet way in which the Mother of God lived her life, but through her Dormition, the Church teaches us that, although she has departed, she has nevertheless not abandoned us,” Bishop Mihail continued.
Visit to construction site
Bishop Mihail of Australia and New Zealand was joined in the liturgy by Assistant Bishop Iachint of the Pacific of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand and parish priest Valentin Botezatu.
Following the service, the hierarchs visited the construction site of the parish’s Saint Callinicus of Cernica Cultural and Social Centre, which is being built with support from Romania’s Department for Romanians Abroad.
Saint Mary Romanian Orthodox Parish in Sydney was founded on 18 March 1973 by Romanian refugees who had settled in New South Wales. The parish is located at 64 Linthorn Avenue, Croydon Park, NSW 2133, Australia.
Photo: roeanz.com.au
