His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America 

Remarks before the Doxology for March 25th – Second Sunday of Lent 

Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral 

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

March 20, 2022 

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, 

Fellow Patriots, 

Σήμερον τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν τὸ Κεφάλαιον! 

Today is the Chapter-Head of our Salvation! 

This hymn will inaugurate our Doxology today for the Commemoration of the Revolution of 1821. It reveals to us the profound connection of our freedom in Christ – inaugurated by our Panagia – with the liberties of self-determination; for she is the Κεφάλαιον from whom our salvation and liberation proceeds. 

Surrounded by our Evzones, and in the presence of our young people, we are giving God the glory for His providential love and care in the liberation of Greece. And this is the best way to begin our parade today; for we march as one Omogeneia and one family in Christ – proud of our heritage and grateful for our faith. Both combine to make us the Greek Orthodox Christians who fulfill the best of all our traditions of Faith, Culture and Language – which is not only the language of Homer, but that of Scripture as well! 

All of these are celebrated today as we mark two hundred and one years from the commencement of the raising of our National Flag in Patras. From that time, it took decades to recover as much of Greece as was possible – even into the Twentieth Century. But we salute those Heroes who brought integrity to the Greek Nation, which had been divided by the imperialist powers of that time. 

Today, we see other imperialist agendas seeking to encroach and overturn sovereign Nations. We pray for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters who are fighting to preserve their homeland against barbaric aggression that targets even women and children. 

As we shall pray in the Doxology today, we recognize that even though Nations are to have boundaries, we are all of one blood – every single human being. 

Ὁ ποιήσας ἐξ ἑνὸς αἵματος πᾶν ἔθνος ἀνθρώπων κατοικεῖν ἐπὶ πᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς, ἑκάστῳ δὲ αὐτῶν ὁρίσας τὰς ὁροθεσίας τῆς κατοικίας αὐτῶν… 

You created from one blood every nation of human beings dwelling upon all the face of the earth, setting to each the fixed boundaries of their habitation… 

This prayer reminds us that just as the Heroes of 1821 rose up for Greece, it is legitimate for any nation to defend its borders. Therefore, as we march today, let us march in solidarity with the noble Ukrainian People, who are bravely resisting the imperialism of tyrants and their minions. 

Thus, my beloved countrymen, we will live up to the highest standards of our ancestors, who rose up to defend the land of their birth and the birthplace of Western Civilization. 

We will truly be worthy of the great inheritance that is ours as Hellenes and Philhellenes. 

We will do ourselves and our children proud in our affirmation of the truth of our belief: that freedom for one must be freedom for all. 

Fellow Greeks and Philhellenes, 

Let us chant our Doxology of Thanksgiving with joyful hearts and minds, as well as with deep gratitude to God and His Holy Mother for Her protection of our homeland. 

Thus, we shall honor those who gave their blood for freedom, as well as those who are still willing to give the last full measure. For we are all of one blood – every human being – and we are all children of God. 

Ζήτω ἡ Ἑλλάς. Ζήτω τὸ Ἑλληνικὸ Ἔθνος.