Today is the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy. On this First Sunday of Lent in 842 A.D. the iconodules—our “right believing” forefathers who upheld the fullness of the Apostolic Faith entrusted to them by Christ, celebrated their victory over the heretical beliefs of the iconoclasts, the “icon-smashers,” who had persecuted the Orthodox for keeping […]
Sunday of Forgiveness – Orthodox Homily on Whats it Means to Forgive
Having arrived at this ‘door’ of repentance, the Sunday of Adam and Eve’s Expulsion from Paradise but also of God’s forgiveness of their and our sins, Christ invites, beseeches us, to enter the Fast for our soul’s sake so that we may make a new beginning, one marked by a renewed and more earnest effort […]
3rd Sunday of Triodion – Orthodox Homily on Last Judgement
Today is the Sunday of the Last Judgment. Many in today’s world avoid discussing topics like Judgment, sin, hell. The erroneous thought is that God, being a “God of love,” would never condemn anyone to eternal damnation even if they have rejected and blasphemed Him, lived a life apart from Him, and persecuted the Church […]
2nd Sunday of Triodion – Orthodox Homily on Prodigal Son Parable
The holy prophet Amos prophesied, “’Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD” (Amos 8:11). We live in an age when this prophecy could equally apply to […]
1st Sunday of Triodion – Orthodox Homily on Publican and Pharisee
The Triodion, the three weeks before Great Lent, begins today with the Sunday of the Parable of the Publican and Pharisee. The Triodion is a time of preparation afforded to us by Holy Church that we may get our ‘spiritual house’ ready to make the most of the holy season of Lent just three weeks […]
33rd Sunday of Pentecost – Orthodox Homily on Zacchaeus
Today is Zacchaeus Sunday, the Sunday before the Triodion, the three weeks prior to Great Lent. Zacchaeus Sunday is an invitation and you will soon see why. About Zacchaeus, he was a tax collector, a sinner. In our Lord’s day, tax collectors weren’t only responsible for collecting the taxes due to Caesar; they were also […]
32nd Sunday of Pentecost – Orthodox Homily on Crying Out to God
A blind man sits by the side of the road calling out to Christ God who heals him of his blindness, saying, “Receive your sight, your faith has made you well.” Faith is one of those things that the modern rational mind has such a hard time contemplating. In a society where humanists believe that […]
Sunday after Feast of the Theophany – Orthodox Homily on Theophany
The Theophany of God the Holy Trinity, this revelation and manifestation of God as the unity in essence He is—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is revealed to the world He created and proclaimed by His Word as “very good”. That world fell into sin and despair, but by Christ’s Incarnation, the new Adam, our human nature […]
Sunday after Feast of the Nativity – Orthodox Homily on Keeping the Feast of Christmas
Christ is born! The Nativity of Christ has never been a one day celebration for the Orthodox faithful. Since the day of God’s Incarnation-in-the-flesh began to be celebrated by the Church in the mid-300’s A.D, it’s been recognized as a season of worship, celebration, and great joy because the Word is made flesh and has […]
Feast of the Nativity – Orthodox Homily on the Incarnation
On this glorious day where heaven and earth meet we celebrate God’s Incarnation. We do more than commemorate the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ through our worship: we call into the present all those glorious and life-saving events that surround the miraculous birth of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. This is […]