To celebrate something properly,
you must evaluate it. To appraise and draw proper conclusions from it. To find
that the event in question is worthy of celebration. This celebration should
not only give proper honour and respect to the event, but must also extend
something to the people who commemorate it.
Otherwise, what value would there be in any celebration?
To evaluate and appraise any
event properly, you must evaluate it in
the context of the time in history that it happened. To live and experience the
event as much as possible . To feel the pulse and energy of the event. To
appreciate why the event happened, and under what conditions it took place. To
understand if it should have taken place at all; how difficult it was for its
participants; and what was the final result.
The Greeks in 1821 had been in
servitude for nearly 400 years. Their morale was destroyed. Their dignity was
non-existent. Protective laws for them did not exist. Human rights were unheard
of. The Ottoman occupier, at any moment, could demand that he be carried on the
shoulders of any Christian and oblige him to carry him one kilometer, like a
beast of burden. The Ottoman occupiers did this either out of necessity, or to
humiliate the subjected Greeks. They saw their divine Christian faith being broken
apart by the whirlwind of a religion that was promoted and spread by the sword.
Worst of all, the enslaved Greeks saw the slaughter of their own flesh and blood. In a truly demonic
plan to prevent the Christian Orthodox faith from being passed on to the Greeks
and other enslaved Christians, the Ottoman Porte established the hated
Janissary corps. They snatched the children of Christians from the arms of
their mothers, and forcibly converted them and raised them as Muslims. These
formerly Christian children were turned into fanatic and crazed Muslims, taught
to hate Christianity and their own parents and families. They were turned into
the Taliban militias and terrorists of that sad era, and were taught to
slaughter their own parents and their siblings in the name of Islam.
This was the situation in which
the Greeks lived in the Ottoman Empire – and
not only the Greeks, but all enslaved Christians in 1821. As the famous poem
states: “Everything was kept in check through fear and bullying and all were oppressed by slavery.”
Everything was dark and bleak, with no hope for the future.
Alone and utterly deserted was
every Greek then. For 400 years, he raised his hands in despair, begging for
help. He waited. But every time he saw a ray of hope that assistance would come
from outside, dark clouds covered the sun and every glimmer of hope was lost.
He remembered his glorious ancient Greek history. The zenith and glory of the Byzantine Empire. His great happiness for many millennia.
And now, like another Adam, he is in exile in his own home: a slave, crying and
grieving his wretched life.
His weeping and wailing, though,
turns to indignation. His pain sets him on fire and he explodes. The famous
poem again reminds us of his condition, which says: “Mother, I tell you, I can
not continue to toil for the Turks. I can’t, I refuse, I have no more strength
left in me; my heart is grieved beyond sorrow.
I will take my rifle, and hide in the hills, and there become a freedom
fighter... “
The Greeks rise up in revolt, against
all odds and all logic. But they had faith. Faith in the true God. Faith in
themselves. And faith in the goal they wished to achieve: freedom at all costs!
They were sworn in the Name of
the Holy Trinity to fight to liberate their beloved homeland. Every Greek
warrior fought for “the Holy Orthodox faith of Christ, and for home and
country.” Their armed struggle succeeded. Tender freedom was enjoyed in only a
small part of the Greek homelands. It
caressed and gladdened the hearts of free Greeks. It also gave courage and hope
to the still enslaved Greeks.
Everything from the foregoing,
must be evaluated in light of the final goal that was achieved. The final
result of the Revolution of 1821 was
freedom. The evaluation of freedom can not be estimated and compared to
anything else. It is invaluable and worthy of every celebration. It should be remembered by all Greeks and
celebrated by recalling this great event and what it has given to every person
of Greek ancestry.
Today, Greece is going
through and suffering its most severe moral, ethical and economic crisis.
Together with Greece,
worldwide Hellenism and Christianity are also hurting and suffering. Today,
however, every Greek, but especially the Greeks living outside of Greece, must
celebrate the Anniversary of March 25th, 1821.
Let us celebrate it with
Doxologies. Let us celebrate it with School commemorations, poems, dances and
songs. Let us celebrate it with parades. But let us also celebrate it by
evaluating our personal actions and commitments today. Let us see where each of
us stands with regard to our Greek traditions. How Greek is your soul and your
heart? How Christian and Orthodox are your beliefs? As parents, how much do you
strive to ensure that you pass on our cherished Greek Orthodox customs and
traditions to your children? Let each person make this evaluation for
themselves. And once they have considered the answers to these questions, let
each person act accordingly and according to their conscience. Should they stay
on the same path, doing what they have always done, or change course? The goal
is always the same. To remain committed and faithful Orthodox Christians. Proud
Greeks. Good people. Let us stay on
track and take care that our children and our descendants will never lose their
way. Let us do all we can so that they will always remain Greek and faithful
Orthodox Christians, so that they can use these gifts to achieve perfection.
Blessed Christians: keep these
admonitions and thoughts close to your hearts and souls. Encompass within your
hearts and souls, Greece
and Orthodoxy, so that you may constantly and incessantly feel and experience
every kind of greatness passed on to us by our ancestors. Long live March 25th,
1821! Long live Greece!
Long live Canada!
Long live freedom
With
fatherly love and fervent prayers,
+
Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios of Toronto (Canada)
