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The Resurrection of a Seamstress

Fr. Pat discusses three points related to the account of the seamstress who was resurrected in the book of Acts: the fall, the resurrection, and integration.




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The Well, the Woman, and the World

Fr. Pat discusses the longest dialogue in the Bible between Jesus and another person.




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Argument, Sight, and Creation

Fr. Pat reflects on the story of the man born blind.




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The Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council

Fr. Pat discusses the Council of Nicaea, which gave us the Creed in the year 325.




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The Trinity

Fr. Pat examines the three persons of the Holy Trinity.




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Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones

Fr. Pat discusses three points related to the Feast of All Saints.




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We Rejoice in Our Sufferings

Fr. Pat reflects on the Epistle to the Romans in light of the recent tragic events in South Carolina.




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Two Indispensable Channels of the Truth

Part of our communion with God is our connection to the saints; chief among them after the Theotokos are Peter and Paul.




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The Antimins

On the occasion of All Saints receiving the new Antimins, Fr. Pat explains its functions and use in worship.




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A Christian Tripod

Fr. Pat examines three rules for living that are found in Romans 12.




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The Tent Peg, the Rock, the Bread, the Sword, the Well

St. Paul sees the interpretation of the Old Testament as central to his responsibility in the apostolic ministry. So should we.




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Rock Johnson and the Ohio River

Fr. Pat discusses Peter walking on the water.




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The Call to a Generous Heart

Fr. Pat discusses the parable of the servant and the debt he owed to the king.




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The Essential Thesis of the Christian Faith

1 Corinthians 15 is arguable among the most important passages of the Bible. Fr. Pat examines this passage from today's reading.




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An Autobiographical Parable

In the parable of the Vineyard and the Vinedressers, Jesus is not giving a moral teaching, as might be expected, but rather is presenting His own story about His relationship to God and to the people of Israel. Fr. Pat discusses this.




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A Look at the Cross from Three Directions

In this homily, given on the Sunday after the Elevation of the Holy Cross, Fr. Pat looks at the cross through the eyes of Paul, Peter, and John.




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Inseparable

Fr. Pat reflects upon the inseparability of the message of Christ from the Person of Christ, and how that affects three aspects of our lives: our piety, our forgiveness of others, and our justification.




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Christian Philosophy

Fr. Pat explores the literary source of Christian philosophy as found in the Holy Scriptures.




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The Blind Man

Fr. Pat reflects on Luke's version of the blind man in Jericho.




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The Divine Fire

Fr. Pat explains the Holy Eucharist as Flaming Coal and Divine Bread.




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Jericho: Rumor, Vision, Praise

Fr. Pat reflects upon the healing of the blind man of Jericho as recounted in Luke Chapter 18.




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Today I Must Abide at Your House

Fr. Pat reflects upon the meaning of these words that Jesus said to Zacchaeus, considering where God abides, what it means, and who is our best model of one who lives with the understanding of these things.




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Falling Whole-Hog

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we see a Father who has lost a child who bears his image, a son running from himself, and an elder brother who is glad he is not like his younger sibling.




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Gift and Task

Fr. Pat speaks on the Gospel of the Final Judgment, and what it teaches us about Christ.




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The Abundant Life, Built on a Rock

As Lent begins Fr. Pat considers Jesus' words about the abundant life, about building one's house upon a rock, and about His standing at the door and knocking.




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The Triumph of Proper Focus

Lent, and particularly the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, is a time to reflect upon our being made in the image of God, our having an affinity to Christ, and our being healed by Him.




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Hanging on to Others

Fr. Pat looks at the story from Mark 2 of the paralytic being lowered through the roof.




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Baptism and the Chalice

Baptism and the Chalice represent the sacramental initiation into a new identity founded on union with Christ; thus the two questions Jesus put to the sons of Zebedee are for us today as well.




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The Christian Hope

The Christian hope is based on an oath God made to a man from Mesopotamia 4,000 years ago. Fr. Pat looks at the irony of hope, its source, and how we should go about strengthening it.




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St. Remy, Clovis, and Us

If Christ really is risen from the dead, we have the basis for the renewal of everything. Fr. Pat considers this in his Paschal homily.




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He Built Bigger Barns

Fr. Pat discusses the parable of the rich man's barns.




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The Memory of the Church

In this homily from the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, Fr. Pat looks at the characteristics of the memory of the Church—that it is reflective and rationally conscious, it is literary and rhetorical, and it is maternal.




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Things that Jump Out

In this homily from the Sunday of St. Thomas, Fr. Pat comments on three things that jump out at him from the Gospel text of John 20:19-31.




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A Conflict about the Sabbath

In the story of the healing of the paralytic in John 5, we learn about sin from three sources: the paralytic, the opponents of Jesus, and Jesus himself.




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To Proclaim, To Parse, and To Pray

In this homily from Pentecost Sunday, Fr. Pat looks at three benefits given by the Holy Spirit to the people of God: proclaiming God as our Father, parsing the Scriptures correctly, and praying.




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What Does it Mean to be Holy?

Holiness is not about an ideal to be striven for; it’s about a conformity to God’s will in the individual vocation of each person. In this homily from the Sunday of All Saints, Fr. Pat considers what it means to be holy.




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Purity of Heart

In this homily based upon Matthew 6:22-33, Fr. Pat looks at three things necessary for us to have purity of heart.




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Three Generations of Faith

Father Pat compares the characteristics of faith in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the events in their lives which shaped that faith.




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How are We to Live

If we are justified by faith, if we live in the Holy Spirit, and if Christ is our Lord, then what should our lives be like? Fr. Pat looks at Paul's exhortations to the believers at Rome.




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And We Share Her Vocation

On the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Fr. Pat offers reflections about the Mother of Our Lord: her presence in the early church, earliest references to her in the Scriptures, and about the Marian quality of the people of God.




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The Temple, Repeated Prayer, and Authenticity

The parable of the Publican and the Pharisee teaches us much about prayer. Father Pat looks at three things: the meaning of the temple, the issue of repeated prayer, and authenticity when speaking with God.




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Cultivation, Consecration, Navigation

Fr. Pat looks at three images of the Church found in 1 Corinthians 3 and Matthew 14.




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Have You Ever Misplaced an Elephant

Fr. Pat looks at three moral impediments to faith: chameleon morality, narcissistic morality, and indolent morality.




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Don't Ever Throw the Quadrant Overboard

St. Paul says, "It is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:21). In a certain sense, every verse in the Bible is telling us to stand firm. In this homily Fr. Pat encourages us to do just that.




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The Holy Ghost Over the Bent World Broods

In this homily based on 2 Corinthians 4:6-15, Fr. Pat reflects upon the glory of Christ in creation, in the Bible, and in our daily cross.




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Traffic Jam

In this homily on Luke 7:11-16, Fr. Pat offers reflections on Jesus' raising of the son of the widow of Nain.




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A Good and Noble Heart

In this homily based upon the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8, Fr. Pat teaches us about the qualities of the heart, its enemies, and our example of one with a patient heart.




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Live Close to the Cemetery

Using Luke 8:26-27 as a starting point of his reflections, Fr. Pat encourages us to live our lives with an awareness of death as an important part of our mental composition.




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Insight Through Experience

By giving Paul so dominant a place in the sacred Canon, the Fathers surely intended us to learn from his example how to examine the circumstances of our lives in order to attain wisdom in Christ.




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Consecrated to God

Each of us is the servant of the Lord, which means that we do not belong to ourselves. And if we do not belong to ourselves, we certainly do not belong to the world, we belong to God.