March 4, 7534
A Homily by Metropolitan Andrian (Chetvergov) The fundamental law of our life, the Holy Gospel, in a concise and vivid form—through striking imagery, instructive stories from the life of the Savior, and profound allegorical parables—gently and unobtrusively provides us with a Christian understanding of life and answers to all of life’s questions. Unfortunately, we ourselves…
“‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you,’” thus the Lord teaches us in today’s Gospel (Matthew 17:20). St. John Chrysostom explains this thought as follows: “Speaking of miraculous faith, He (the…
Dear brothers and sisters! What a precious treasure is sincere, warm, heartfelt prayer to the Lord. In it, we bring to the Lord our sorrows, our gratitude, and our requests. The Lord, in response to sincere prayer offered with faith and repentance, sends us His countless blessings and miracles, testifying to His power and might….
During today’s Divine Liturgy, we hear the Gospel account of the Savior’s healing of the paralytic in the city of Capernaum. Attentive Christians may recall that this Gospel reading is presented to the faithful twice a year. This fact alone underscores how instructive this Gospel is for us. At the beginning of the reading, it…
Matthew, Reading 25 (8:5–13) Dear brothers and sisters, In the Gospel reading from Matthew heard today, we are told about the simple yet profound faith in the almighty power and authority of the Lord, who acts as He wills, who is everywhere present, able to cross all distances and pass through every wall, who can…
Matthew, Reading 18, Chapter 6:22–33 Dear brothers and sisters! In today’s Gospel, the Lord gives us very beneficial teachings—that we must first and foremost care for our soul, and also assures us that the Heavenly Creator, through His Providence, constantly cares for us. At the beginning of the Gospel, speaking of our soul, created in…
Gospel: John, reading 27 — chapter 7:37–52; chapter 8:12 Dear brothers and sisters, I congratulate you on the great Christian feast of the Most Holy Trinity! Today we render honor and glory to the Holy Divine Trinity — the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. “Glory to the Most Holy, Consubstantial, Life-giving, and…
Reading: Matthew, Reading 38 (10:32–33, 37–38; 19:27–30) Dear brothers and sisters! Today the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of all the saints. After the feast of the Descent of the Holy Ghost, the Church now reveals to us the operation and fruits of the glory and grace of the Holy Ghost, which sanctified, enlightened, strengthened,…
Gospel Reading 9: Matthew 4:18–23 Dear brothers and sisters! Our Divine Teacher Jesus Christ, who came down from Heaven to teach mankind the wisdom of Heaven, began His preaching in Galilee. His first sermon began with a call to repentance, which can draw us near to the Kingdom of God: “Jesus went into Galilee and…
In antiquity, it was customary to commemorate all the martyrs for the faith of Christ—both those known and those whose names were forgotten. This commemoration was observed on various days throughout the year in different local Churches. The custom of celebrating it on the Sunday following the Feast of Pentecost was originally a practice unique…