Category Archives: Sunday Homilies

July 9, 2023 · 7:57 pm

Would You Invite Him to Stay, or Ask Him to Leave?

Matthew 8: 28-34, 9:1

And when Jesus came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met Him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged Him, “If You cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine.” And He said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their neighbourhood. And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to His own city. Continue reading →

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June 4, 2023 · 5:53 pm

Unity Through Wind, Flame, and Language: Homily for the Great Feast of Pentecost in the Orthodox Church

Pentecost Sunday, John 7: 37-52, 8:12

On today’s great feast of Pentecost, we celebrate the Holy Spirit coming upon the followers of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, which is the birthday of His Body, the Church. After the Saviour’s resurrection, He ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to His disciples so that they would not be cut off from Him and the new life that He brought to the world. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity, fully divine and eternal as are the Father and the Son. By being filled with the Holy Spirit, the Lord’s followers participate personally and communally in the unity, power, and blessing of the very life of God by grace. Continue reading →

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May 30, 2023 · 12:51 pm

Fathers of the First Council, John 17: 1-13

In John 17:1-13, Jesus prays for us, His disciples that we may all be one – Christ prayed that we His followers would have a unity of love as exists between the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity.

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You . . . And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, which You gave me, that they may be one, even as we are one. . . . But now I am coming to You; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”

St. Silouan the Athonite (d. 1938) poetically comments:

“The Lord said, ‘I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and ‘You are in me, and I in you.’ Our soul feels the Lord in us, and we cannot forget Him for a single moment. What mercy is this – that the Lord desires us to be in Him and in the Father!

But what have we done for You, Lord,
in what have we pleased You,
that You do wish to be in us, and for us to be in You? We crucified You on the Cross with our sins,
yet do You still wish us to be with You?

O, how great is Your mercy! I see Your mercy spread over me. I am deserving of hell and every torment,
yet do You give me the grace of the Holy Spirit.
And if you did vouchsafe to my sinful self
to know You by the Holy Spirit, then I beseech You, O Lord, let all people come to know You.”
~ St. Silouan the Athonite

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May 21, 2023 · 5:37 pm

Sunday of the Blind Man, John 9: 1-38

Christ is Risen! Today is the last Sunday before the Feast of the Ascension, ten days before the Feast of Pentecost. Throughout the Paschal season the Priest holds the lighted three Branch Candlestick symbolic of the light of the Resurrection. We know from attending services during this period that the liturgical texts and hymns resound with the words of light, glory, brightness, radiance, and splendour. Continue reading →

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May 21, 2023 · 12:54 pm

On Sunday, the Orthodox Church prayerfully remembered the Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, which once met in the city of Nicaea in order to investigate and judge the heresy of Arius. We know that in the first centuries of Christianity, the Church endured severe persecution, first from the Jews and then from the pagan Roman imperial power. But despite the fact that the persecution was bloody, despite the fact that thousands of Christians died under torture for their confession of faith, nonetheless, it was not dangerous for the Church. Continue reading →

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May 14, 2023 · 4:21 pm

Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, John 4: 5-42

One of the greatest things that the Orthodox Church has is a living tradition of Saints who are great examples, who preached the Gospel, and bring the faith to those around them. If they had not lived out a Godly life then many of us would have not been here today worshiping the one true God. Because of this we know that Christ is glorified through his Saints. One of those great Saints that received the light of Christ and passed it on was the saint we hear about today in the Gospel reading, the Samaritan woman, also known as St. Photini in Greek or Svetlana in Russian. It’s no wonder that her name translated means light specifically, because she was the one who received the light of Christ, transformed her own life and then brought this transformation to those around her. Continue reading →

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May 8, 2023 · 6:47 pm

THE SUNDAY OF THE PARALYTIC: A CALL TO CHANGE FROM WITHIN

Deep joy and heartfelt jubilation fill us as we read about Christ’s miracles in the Gospel. These readings convey His infinite power, providential care, and ultimate love for all men. But they also teach us important life lessons. So let us take a closer look at the narration about the paralytic.

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April 30, 2023 · 9:30 pm

With a Courage Born of Love: Homily for the Sunday of the Myrrh Bearing Women in the Orthodox Church

Christ is Risen!
We have now been celebrating our Lord’s victory over death for two weeks. We will continue to do so for a few more weeks, saying “Christ is Risen” many times. But we must not let our celebration of Pascha stop there. For we want to live the new life that the Lord has brought to the world; we want to participate in His victory over sin, death, and all that separates us from life eternal. And we can learn an important lesson in how to do that from those who were at the empty tomb on Easter morning as the first witnesses of the resurrection to hear the word of the angel: “He is Risen. He is not here…Go tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

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November 28, 2022 · 7:44 am

13th SUNDAY OF LUKE, Luke 18: 18-27

In just about any activity, we can get so caught up in following the rules that we miss the larger point. Sometimes we do that due to our own pride, our sense that we simply have to achieve perfection in order to be worthwhile. Of course, what we are really showing then is that we think that it is all about us and our ability to be right by our own standards. But when circumstances arise that make clear that it is not all about us and that we are not perfect, it can lay us low. That is exactly what happened to the rich man who encountered Jesus Christ in Sunday’s gospel lesson. Continue reading →

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November 20, 2022 · 6:01 pm

The Rich Fool – Against Greed and Anxiety

9th Sunday of Luke, Luke 12:16-21

Life is a gift of God. No amount of possessions, however abundant, can make it greater or give it security. The notion that life consists in possessions, in ‘having’ (the constant requirement of more), is cut in this ‘pericope’ by the understanding that life cannot be secured by possessions, that existence is a gift outside human control. Continue reading →

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