With the blessing of Archbishop Makarios of Australia and under the guidance of Bishop Kyriakos of Sozopolis, the Archdiocesan District of Melbourne’s GO Youth Fellowship initiative hosted a talk at the Parish Church of Sts Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene in Bentleigh titled: Are We Ready to Live: An insight into our next Life.
The talk was presented by Parish Priest, Father Chris Dimolianis in the presence of Bishop Kyriakos of Sozopolis and the Orthodox faithful.
Close to 100 people attended the talk which aimed to help the audience further understand the afterlife and therefore how to attain eternal life with Christ Jesus.
In the talk, Father Chris explained that the Holy Church Fathers describe Heaven as fully experiencing God’s love as we desire to be with Him through our works and deeds on Earth. However, Hell is experiencing God’s love as torment, not because God punishes us but rather through our own deeds, we reject God’s love which in turn becomes our torment.
Ultimately, Father Chris reminded us that it is trying to follow our Lord Jesus Christ’s example of self-sacrifice and avoiding works of self-interest that will lead us towards a resurrection of Life instead of a resurrection of death.
At the conclusion of the talk, the audience asked questions and were treated to light refreshments.