On Palm Sunday, at the beginning of this saddest of weeks, St. Paul exhorts us, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice."

In the petitions of the Great Litany, we begin by asking "for the peace from above and for the salvation of our souls." Only after we have asked for this peace do we ask "for the peace of the whole world." Christ is the source of our peace, and the only possible source of peace for the whole world.

Fr. Pat preaches on the Parable of the Rich Fool found in Luke 12:16-21.

A meditation on Thanksgiving from Fr. Pat, given in 2008.

Jesus' encounter with the Syrophoenician woman as recounted by Matthew (chapter 15) has much to teach us when we consider Phoenicia's history, the woman herself, and the meaning of the children's bread.

Fr. Pat looks at God’s providence with respect to three things: our sin, the moral order, and our conduct.

In this homily given on the Sunday before the Elevation of the Holy Cross, Fr. Pat looks at what death means to the Christian.

Fr. Pat preaches from Matthew 15:21-28, the encounter of Jesus with the Canaanite woman.

Fr. Pat preaches on the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican found in Luke 18.

Fr. Pat's homily delivered on the Sunday of the Holy Cross, 2008.

In this homily given on St. Thomas Sunday, 2012, Fr. Pat examines three subjects related to the resurrection of Christ our Lord.

Jesus' healing of the Paralytic in Matthew 9 teaches us many things about man's biggest problem, about the corporate nature of the Church's service to the sinner, and about the Lord's authority to forgive sins.

What was Jesus wearing in the manger? When he carried out his ministry? In his Resurrection appearances? How is he clothed today? We reflect on these questions with Fr. Pat.

Fr. Pat preaches on Ephesians 4:7-13 in this homily from January 2016.

Paul transforms his prison cell into a hub of missions work. The text is Colossians 3:4-11.

This past Sunday evening All Saints Church hosted a Pan-Orthodox Prayer Service for the Sanctity of Life, sponsored by the Orthodox Christian Clergy Association of Chicago. Fr. Pat was the guest speaker. These were his remarks.

January 30 in the Orthodox Church is the Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom. In this homily from 2011, Fr. Pat teaches us about these three Fathers of the Church and their contributions to the Faith.

Most people don't keep their new year's resolutions. Is it because we're too busy trying to do more rather than be more?

The Cross was an instrument of death. How did it become an instrument of life? And what can that teach us about being the bee?

What can sports teach us about being Christians? What have sports taught you?

Being a Christian and living the Gospel isn't always easy; in fact, it's usually challenging. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., experienced that as he fought for justice. So did Archbishop Iakovos when, despite opposition, he chose to stand with Reverend King in Selma. Fifty years after the Selma marches, let's look ahead to how we can live with the same spirit of courage and love.

Jesus Christ is our savior, but what does He save us from? To answer that, we need to take a closer look at Creation and the Fall. God made us neither mortal nor immortal, but with freedom: we could choose to either move closer to God, the source of life, or away from Him, and find death. When Adam and Eve sinned they separated themselves from God and each other, creating the wounded, sick humanity that they passed down to us.

Many people think that heaven and hell are the places God sends us to either reward or punish us. But Orthodox Christians don't believe in this "two story" model of the universe. We believe that God is "present in all places and filling all things," and that what we interpret as salvation or damnation is actually our response to, and experience of, God's unconditional love.

This week we're responding to another viewer question. Does a love of theology and academic study somehow contradict the mysticism of the Faith? We approach God as complete human persons, and that includes our minds. Reading and studying theology can be a great thing, but it should also be a part of our larger life in Christ. God is more than an idea we think about: He's a person we encounter.

The Church isn't run by a single person. Instead, we come together in councils to keep the Faith and guide the Church through challenges. From the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem (in the Book of Acts) through the upcoming Great and Holy Council, this spirit of togetherness opens us to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Christ asked His disciples something personal: "Who do you say that I am?" It's an invitation to do more than answer a question: He's asking us to share our relationship with Him. So who do you say that Christ is? And how is He active in your life? Share your answer and this video!

Dn John Chryssavgis, theological advisor to His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, joins Steve to explain the Council. They discuss the mission of the Church in the world, and our mission as Christians.

As we look ahead to the new Church year, we're not preparing simply to learn more about God: we're preparing to grow closer to God. And here are 6 things we can start doing right now to make the most of the year ahead as we take our first steps towards Christ and His Kingdom!

Our lives are chapters in a greater story. What part are you playing: the all-star athlete, the Greek American, the top of your class? What about the disciple of Christ? This week, let's refocus our lives in God's story, the greater story of salvation.

God is more than an abstract idea. And if He's real, that has important consequences for our lives.

Faith is often treated as a secret, private thing. But if we really believe that we know the way to eternal life in Christ, would we really keep that hidden from others?

The ways we spend our time and money say a lot about what we actually love. And our actions may reveal we don't love God as much as we'd like to think. Let's take an honest look at our lives so we can make some much-needed changes in the year ahead.

Vestments are more than decorations: they reveal something important about our relationship with God and the role of our clergy.

Lots of prayers say we should "fear God." Does that mean we should be terrified of Him? How can we fear God and love Him?

Lent is hard work, especially when so much of the modern world is designed to make things easy for us! Yet life isn't easy. Can we become the sort of people who learn how to do what's best, even when it's not easy?

Steve takes a walk in the park and shares important news about "Be the Bee."

You've heard it before: you are what you eat. That's most true when we eat Holy Communion. Christian joins Steve to consider the amazing insights that Fr Alexander Schmemann offers in "For the Life of the World."

Last week, Steve and Christian talked about how receiving Holy Communion forms us into Christ's Body. This week, they reflect on the ways our good habits can build a "second nature" and form us into the people God made us to be.

The Orthodox author Dostoevsky once said that "beauty will save the world." What does beauty have to do with our salvation and relationship with God?

There are a lot of different, even contradictory, interpretations of Scripture. So how do we understand what the Bible actually means?