We witness through the Gospel today the healing of two blind men, and through this life-changing encounter in which Christ’s power as God is in full evidence, we’re presented with the opportunity to grow to a fuller understanding of healing and salvation in Christ. Responding to their plea for mercy, the God of mercy, Jesus […]
6th Sunday After Pentecost – Orthodox Homily on Miracles
We’re witnesses of a beautiful miracle this morning: through the living Word, Jesus Christ, we see a paralyzed man who cannot walk on his own, healed of his paralysis by God. Christ God, as the Logos (Word) of God, through whom all things were made, knew this man and loved this man with a fatherly […]
5th Sunday After Pentecost – Orthodox Homily on Demons
Today we are confronted with the Gospel of the Gergesene demoniacs. I say, “confronted,” because it’s very rare that we even hear anymore that there is such a thing as demonic possession. This is ironic because there are so many examples in our world today of diabolic violence and murder, of the defaming of the […]
Feast of the Apostles – Orthodox Homily on the Apostles
Blessings of the Feast! We’re reminded on this day of the Feast of the Holy Apostles that God came to give us salvation, life with Him for all eternity and that God receives and restores the penitent. We’re reminded of what’s really important in life, why we’re here: to seek first the Kingdom of God […]
4th Sunday After Pentecost – Orthodox Homily on Sin
“The wages of sin is death,” St. Paul proclaims to us in today’s Epistle. Sin is one of the most misunderstood concepts in Christianity today. A whole host of psychological complexes emanate from this misunderstanding. In some Protestant circles, sin is identified with legal transgression and salvation with justification and atonement, or appeasement of God. […]
3rd Sunday After Pentecost – Orthodox Homily on Faith
St. Paul reminds us today that we are justified by faith. It’s faith which is life-saving for us because it’s faith that gives us access into the deifying, life-changing, transformative grace of God, that gives us the ability to put our trust in God’s work in our lives. We experience and grow in faith to […]
2nd Sunday After Pentecost – Orthodox Homily on Being Fisher’s of Men
Christ calls the two sons of Zebedee, Peter and Andrew, and immediately, they leave their nets and follow Christ. You can almost see their willing heart to sacrifice everything in order to follow Christ, to serve Him, and become the “fishers of men” that Christ has called them to be. Their response is astonishing, childlike […]
3rd Sunday of Pascha – Orthodox Homily on Courage
Every age and culture has certainly had its own challenges in following God and the truth He’s revealed. Today’s culture with its dominant secular ‘religion’ of humanism is no different. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly clear that secular democracy is no guard against religious intolerance or persecution. Increasingly, our Orthodox beliefs are coming under assault, […]
2nd Sunday of Pascha – Orthodox Homily on Seeing is Believing
“Seeing is believing,” as the popular adage goes. The idea is that only so-called evidence that convinces the material senses is sufficient for belief. Such an assertion goes to the heart of our modern struggle with faith. Thomas Aquinas felt compelled to argue the case for a scientific explanation for why the precious and holy […]
Palm Sunday – Orthodox Homily on Palm Sunday
As Christ triumphantly, and yet so humbly, entered Jerusalem, the children and those of ‘child-like’ faith laid down palms and garments, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Others and those without faith, not believing the prophets, saw in Jesus only a political figure, an enemy to their […]