Category Archives: Sunday Homilies

The master of the feast made doubly sure that the guests received the invitations. He issued two invitations to each: the first was to tell each one that he was invited; the second, on the day of the dinner, to announce that all was ready: “Come; for all is now ready.”

“Come!” The Gospel is not so much a command as an offer; not so much a demand as a gift – an invitation to share in the unbelievable joy of the kingdom. Continue reading →

Luke 10:25-37

I have a warning for you: Christmas is now only forty-four days away. And for most of us that means shopping, planning, travel, decorating, parties, and the busiest and most stressful time of the year. Unfortunately, most of our activities over the next six weeks will have little to do with the true meaning of Christmas: that the Son of God became a human being in order to bring us into the eternal life and joy of His kingdom. So it is a blessing that we have the period of Advent, of the Nativity Fast, to prepare to celebrate this unbelievably good and joyful news. For unless we prepare for Him through prayer, fasting, almsgiving, reconciliation, and repentance, we will not be ready to glorify Him at His birth. Continue reading →

 Luke 8:41-56

Sometimes we think that everyone has to approach God in exactly the same way. After all, we are Orthodox Christians. The Divine Liturgy and other services are set; they don’t change and are celebrated in by the Orthodox around the world. Our beliefs were defined through ancient councils. Our spiritual practices have been passed down over the centuries by countless generations. The Holy Spirit has preserved our church in a unity that is unique among Christians. But that unity doesn’t mean complete uniformity in the sense that we all must or should do exactly the same thing. We are all distinct, free persons; and it’s as such that we will find God’s blessing and salvation in our lives. Continue reading →

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

As every of Christ’s parables of the judgement today’s parable has got a very simple aspect and at the same time should be reflected on a deeper level.

The simple aspect is this: you have had on earth all that was good, Lazarus has had nothing; he therefore receives in eternity all the goods which he has lacked on earth and you are deprived of it. But this is not the real and deeper meaning of it.

Who is this rich man? It is a man who not only possessed all that the earth could give him: wealth, a good name, a status among his follow citizens; it is a man who craved for nothing else. All he wanted, all he needed was material wealth, a good standing among men, reverence, admiration, a slavish obedience of those who were under him. Continue reading →

Luke 7:11-16

No one likes a hypocrite, someone who says one thing and does another. As Christians, we must be very careful not to condemn ourselves and scandalize others by not living out what we teach to be true. Instead, we must be people of integrity who live out our beliefs every day in what we say and do.

Jesus Christ is certainly the perfect example of a life lived with integrity, for He is a human being who is also divine. He Himself is the perfect integration of the image of God with God Himself. And He does not ask us, or anyone else, to do anything that He has not already done. Continue reading →

HOMILY FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LUKE – St Luke 6:31-36

Metropolitan Anthony Sourozh

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Many a time does Christ in His Gospel tell us of the new commandment which He has given us. What is new in this commandment of love? It is the height and the purity of its standard. It is not new that people love one another; peoples have always loved certain other people. What is new in this commandment of Christ is that we are told to be of one heart with our Heavenly Father, to participate in His love. That is to love in the same way in which He does – He Who does not distinguish between the good and the bad, Who does not distinguish between people who are grateful and those who are ungrateful, not to mention those to whom one may be attracted or not. The love of God is vast and deep and all-embracing; what varies in this love is some internal quality: God may rejoice, and God may pay the cost of His love upon the Cross. Continue reading →

Matthew 9:27-35

In the book of the Prophet Isaiah it is written that, when the Messiah comes He will cure our illnesses. “Behold, our God renders judgment, and He will render it; He will come and save us. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear” (Is. 35:4-5).

In today’s divine Gospel this prophesy has been fulfilled before us. Two blind men, as Jesus Christ was passing by, “followed Him, crying out and saying, ‘Son of David, have mercy on us'” (Matth.9:27). These men were deprived of the greatest gift from God, their sight, and for many years lived in darkness. They struggled to survive by begging in the streets of their home town and were unable to see even their beloved ones. Although blind, they were not deaf. They heard about Jesus of Nazareth. They listened to the stories, which their fellow countrymen were saying, about the miracles that this young Rabbi was performing and within their hearts a great hope was building up. They listened to the loud voice, arising from the depths of their hearts, crying and saying to them: ‘He is the only One, Who can help you. He is the One, Who all nations are waiting for. He is the Son of David. He is the Messiah of Whom the Prophets have spoken about. He is the Saviour of the world, Whom God the Father has sent for the salvation of mankind. He is the true Physician of both soul and body. He is the only One Who can give you the light, because He is the Light of the world’. Continue reading →

Matthew 8: 28-34,9:1

It may be hard for us to relate to today’s gospel passage. We are not possessed by demons, living in a cemetery, and so frightening that no one will come near us. And probably none of us have ever seen a whole herd of pigs run off a cliff and drown in the sea. On the surface, the story of Jesus Christ casting demons out of these wretched men may seem irrelevant to us. But if we look into the narrative more deeply, and with an eye on our epistle passage from St. Paul, we will see that it speaks to us directly. Continue reading →