Independence
Thank You to the Delaware State Legislature for the Greek Independence Day Tribute
by
+ Rev. Dr. Gus George Christo, Protopresbyter
Dover, Delaware on March 22, 2007
Esteemed and most honorable ladies and gentlemen of the legislative body of our beloved State of Delaware, it is a high privilege to address you today. I thank you for granting me this opportunity. My thoughts are of deep gratitude and affection for the tribute that you have bestowed upon the Greek Orthodox Community of the State of Delaware in recognition of the March 25th Greek Independence Day celebration.
History has taught us that the road to freedom is not an easy one. The road that our Greek ancestors traveled to achieve their freedom spanned 368 years from the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 until the Declaration for Independence in 1821. It is a tribute to the Hellenic spirit for attaining freedom from the Ottoman yoke. Americans such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison identified with the Greek struggle and assisted the effort toward a democratic government that would guarantee liberty and justice for all its citizens. For, Greece was the birthplace of democratic principles and the legacy of Greek Independence Day boldly testifies to the awesome power of faith and liberty.
But most especially, in the minds of the Hellenic Orthodox people, the glorious event of democracy that ensued from the 25th of March is intricately tied in with the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary which, too, is celebrated on March 25th. The feast commemorates the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virign Mary that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would become incarnate and enter into this world through her. We as Greek Americans and Greeks abroad ultimately owe the re-flourishing of democracy in our hearts and on our ancestral soil to the intercessions of our Lady. She is the driving force behind the strong cooperation and friendship between Greece and America and the successes of Greek Americans that have made these God-crowned United States of America stronger and have placed the arts and sciences on the cutting edge.
Bound by the common values of the United States and Greece: liberty, justice, peace, democracy, friendship, prosperity, security, patriotism, religious freedom, and a strong commitment to family and God, I stand before you today to accept this tribute.
Thank you and may God bless America.
