John, reading 56. Chapter 17:1-13 Dear brothers and sisters, Today we commemorate the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. On the eve of the feast of the Holy Trinity, the Church glorifies those who confirmed the true doctrine concerning the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. The First Ecumenical Council was convened by the…
On the Seventh Sunday after Pascha: Teaching of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom on the Council of the 318 Holy Fathers who gathered against the heretic Arius. Today, beloved faithful, we commemorate the memory of the holy fathers. For by their confession—that the Son of God became man, willingly suffered, died, was buried,…
Our Lord Jesus Christ, for forty days after His Resurrection, remained with His disciples, teaching them “the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven” and preparing them for the reception of Divine grace. For forty days we have glorified the Risen Christ, and today we glorify His Ascension— the completion of His earthly ministry. At the…
On the Ascension of the Lord, preached by our Holy Father John Chrysostom on the Thursday of the Sixth Week after Pascha. Three exceedingly glorious wonders of the Lord took place from the beginning: the first was His descent to earth; the second, His resurrection from the dead; the third, His ascension into the heavens. For Elijah, though he too was…
From the Book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, we know that after His Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the disciples repeatedly over the course of forty days, “with many infallible proofs, […] speaking of the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3)—that is, of His Second Coming, of the universal judgment of the living and…
This Sunday is called the Sunday of the Blind Man, or of the healing of the man born blind. The Gospel reading today, from the Gospel according to John, recounts this great miracle. Jesus Christ, walking through the city of Jerusalem, saw a blind man who was begging for alms. The disciples asked the Lord,…
On the Sixth Sunday after Pascha, the Teaching of Saint John Chrysostom on the Gospel concerning the Blind Man Christ our God prepares for us a spiritual banquet from the words of the Gospel and summons the faithful that we all may delight in His wonders. At that time, Jesus, walking with His disciples, saw…
On the final Sunday of the Paschal feast, the Church commemorates the healing of the man born blind by the Lord. As the Synaxarion for this day recounts, as Christ was leaving the temple, He once saw “a blind man who was stumbling, and who had been born that way, having only the outlines of eyes and…
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, Christ Resurrected! This Paschal greeting reminds us that during the weeks from the Resurrection of Christ until His Ascension, we continue to celebrate His rising from the dead. This most prolonged celebration testifies to the preeminence of the Feast of feasts and the Triumph of triumphs — the Pascha of…
On the Fifth Sunday after Pascha, a teaching of Saint John Chrysostom, on the Gospel concerning the Samaritan Woman. [John, Gospel reading 12] The Lord draws all things to Himself not only by miracles, but also by teaching: for by means of prophecy, He revealed His power to the woman. At that time, it says, Jesus…