“Christ left for each of us the greatest gift — Christ’s Church.” Bishop Mykola in Sydney
On Thursday, May 9, the day of the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Bishop Mykola Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, visited the parish of St. Andrew in Sydney.
Bishop Mykola presided over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy in the co-service of the clergy of the Church of St. Andrew. It is symbolic that three years ago, when Bishop Mykola first arrived in Australia, he celebrated his first Liturgy in this church and on the feast of the Ascension of Christ.
In his homily, Bishop Mykola drew the attention of those present to the fact that during the three years of his missionary service, Jesus Christ repeatedly prepared his apostles for his passions, for the Resurrection, and, accordingly, for the Ascension. “Nowadays, people, approaching the end of their earthly journey, leave certain instructions to their loved ones and make wills. In the same way, Christ, after his earthly journey, left the greatest testament to his followers — the New Testament. In this New Testament, the Lord has given us all his spiritual inheritance; it describes all his miracles, the resurrection of the dead, and sets an example of how we, as Christians, should live in the modern world and how to imitate the Lord God. Along with the New Testament, after his Ascension, Christ left for each of us the greatest gift — Christ’s Church,” the bishop emphasised.
Since, on May 10, the Church prayerfully honours St. Ap. Simon the Zealot, at the end of the joint prayer, Bishop Mykola congratulated Father Simon Ckuj, Protosynkellos of the Eparchy and administrator of the parish of St. Andrew, on his Angel’s Day. “The Holy Apostle Simon the Zealot was one of the disciples of Jesus; his nickname is ‘Zealot’ from the Greek ‘Ζηλωτής’ (zealous), which testifies to his zeal and perseverance in serving the Lord God. Therefore, I wish you, Father Simon, that you, following the example of your heavenly patron, will continue to be zealous in your priestly service and share this zeal and diligence with others, inspiring them to spiritual development. May this zeal in seeking the Kingdom of God accompany each of us on our spiritual journey,” Bishop Mykola wished Father Simon.
Press office of the Melbourne Eparchy
