On Sunday 29 June His Eminence Archbishop Sergios officiated at the service of the Holy Eucharist, followed by an Artoklasia for the Feast of the Holy Apostles Saints Peter and Paul, together with Archimandrite Fr. Evlogios Antonellos from George, Fr. Nikolaos Giamourides and Deacon Michael Simos.
His Eminence closed the service by paying homage to the two great saints and their impact on our own lives through our Faith. He said their influence and teachings are timeless, as they are the beacons of the Orthodox Christian spirituality and their witness of the Faith and the Word of God has resonated down the centuries.
We all know Saint Peter — he was one of Christ’s Apostles and was named The Rock upon which He would build His church. Saint Paul was not one of the chosen 12, but later was converted and became a huge force for Christendom and his epistles have become a vital part of our worship and theology.
Both were martyred and became saints and they bring a message that all can change for the better but one must get the strength to achieve change through faith and love. If you don’t have these two fundamental precepts, you can’t change anything.
It is thanks to great saints like St Peter and St Paul who travelled far and wide to spread the message of Christianity that today we are Christians, because they did it for us and for all successive generations. There will always be things that set us against God but thankfully there is always our Faith that will guide us through and show us the right way thanks to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, who paved our path to eternal life with their missionary work and martyrdom.
His Eminence concluded by congratulating all those who celebrated their Name Day on this day and wished everyone a blessed week ahead.
By Pepe Sofianos.
