Fr. Lawrence says it is safe to say that the allegorical method has fallen upon hard times in the scholarly world.

Like many Orthodox clergy, I have lost track of the number of times my Protestant brethren have objected to the priestly title (in my case, “Father Lawrence”), citing the Bible which commands that they “call no man ‘Father’”. They are, of course, thinking of our Lord’s words in Matthew 23:9. If I am feeling puckish and mischievous, I sometimes respond with a simple denial, insisting, “No, the Bible doesn’t say that” just to wind them up and make the final riposte more satisfying. It is not particularly sanctified, but it is fun. What is the difference between “call no man ‘father’” and “call no man your father”? The difference is the difference between a title or form of address and a relationship.

Commenting on the epistle reading of Paul to the Colossians, the Very Rev. Dr Bogdan Bucur concentrates on the idea that the passions we struggle with also lead us into idolatry. For “when Christ who is our life appears,” we either die to the passions, or we choose them over Him.This is a battle which happens in our hearts every day, as Christ has already appeared to us through our baptism, and continues to appear to us through our every encounter with Him spiritually and physically in the sacraments and the body of the Church.

The work of the prophet Haggai is short and easy to miss; it is a mere two chapters in our Bibles sandwiched in between the books of Zephaniah and Zechariah. If you are flipping quickly through the final pages of the Old Testament he easy to miss. After ploughing through longer works such as those of Isaiah (66 chapters), Jeremiah (52 chapters, plus 5 more chapters of Lamentations), and Ezekiel (48 chapters), Haggai looks positively puny in comparison

In reflecting on the Sunday of the Last Judgment, the Very Rev. Dr Bogdan Bucur calls our attention to the difference between the Lord’s invitation to those at his right hand in Matthew 25.34: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,” and the injunction to those on His left, “‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25.41). In this account of the last judgment, the difference between those on the right and the left is their deeds during their earthly lives. Fr Bogdan urges us to consider the concrete actions the Lord is expecting us to take during our time on this Earth to physically and practically minister to all those in need around us.

Presented for your consideration (as Rod Serling used to say): an old man dressed up as an Orthodox priest-monk who is actually neither priest nor monk, performing outrageous antics both in public and online in a furious attempt to draw attention to himself. Mr. Milton Kapner calls himself Brother Nathanael, and he is a Jewish man who has attracted a large following of online listeners to his regular virulent anti-Semitic rants. Though he was once a novice in an Old Calendarist monastery in Colorado, he was kicked out of that monastery and is now not a monk at all, despite wearing monastic garb, but “a showman with a persecution complex who likes to be the center of attention” (from “Orthodox Christianity Then and Now”).

"We are called to be saints. We are called to fellowship with God. We are called to sanctification and true freedom in Christ. We are called to lay hold of eternal life. May we ever strive to walk in that manner, worthy of the high calling as we press on in our Lenten journey."

Fr. Apostolos shares from 2 Corinthians 6:1-10.

This is lesson three in Fr. Apostolos' series on Divine Worship; this installment addressing the historical development of the Small Entrance and the significance of the Readings in view of the centrality of Holy Scripture in the lives of Christian believers.

Sermon on the Sunday of All Saints (Heb 11:33-12:2; Mt 10:32-33, 37-38; 19:27-30)

Sermon on the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (I Corinthians 3:9-17; Matthew 14:22-34)

Sermon on the Leavetaking of the Elevation of the Precious Cross (Galatians 2:16-20; Mark 8:34-9:1)

On the Sunday after Pentecost, we commemorate all of the men and women who attained holiness through obedience to the commandments of Christ. Fr Tom reminds us that it is within our free choice to love God above all and to follow His will for our lives. (First Sunday after Pentecost)

On the feast of the Annunciation to the Mother of God, we celebrate the good news that Jesus takes on human flesh from the womb of the Virgin Mary. In Mary's faithfulness, she becomes the icon of all believers who strive to live life in total obedience to God.

We can often take membership in the church for granted, wrongfully thinking it's just another organization. Fr Thomas reminds us that our calling is not just to be a member, but a disciple, a follower of Christ. (Second Sunday after Pentecost)

Bishops and priests are most accountable before God for the state of the church. But Fr Thomas reminds us that all of us share responsibility for our church communities and gives practical advice on how to remain faithful and focused.

On the first Sunday after Pentecost, the feast of All Saints, Fr Thomas teaches us that, because we are created in the image of God, we have the calling to become Saints who have grown in the likeness of God.

What must we remember when we bow before the Holy Cross? Fr. Tom reminds us that the central call of the cross is to die to ourselves.

The story of the Myrrh-Bearing Women should serve as a reminder to us that the resurrection demands action on our part, including a bold proclamation of the truth.

All Saints Sunday is about far more than remembering especially holy people. It's about hearing Christ's call for us to become truly human.

On the Sunday of All Saints, Fr. Tom reminds us that our sainthood can only be achieved through dying to the world and pursuing a life of true discipleship in the bosom of the Church.

Fr Thomas shows us the amazing examples of caring in the Myrrhbearers, explains the purpose of questioning with trust in God, and challenges us to go out and call others to the Truth. (Mark 15:43-16:8) Myrrhbearers Sunday, April 30, 2023.

Fr. Gregory talks about St. Paulinus of York—one of our wonderful western saints.

God came to earth to undo the ravages of sin and death. He could only do this by taking upon himself our flesh.

The greatest gift, the Gift beyond all gifts, is the Gift of God Himself in our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Divine Liturgy, that gift of Himself becomes something as basic as food and drink.

Great need calls out great faith.

What happens after we have worked hard, done our best and achieved nothing?

Today Christ is baptised in the Jordan, the Spirit alights on Him in the form of a dove and the Voice of the Father from heaven is heard …. “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”

Man can achieve true delight and true immortality through the grace of God. The reason for our existence is communion with God.

The entry to Jerusalem was a liturgical act; it was the entry into the great holy city of Israel by her rightful King and welcomed by the people as the fulfilling of national hope. Yet it is also proved to be a great disappointment.

Christ our God gave the paralytic a choice, and respected his free will, when He asked him:- “Do you want to be healed?”. As always, He asks the same question of each one of us.

In this Gospel according to St Matthew, Christ sets out His plan for four people—the brothers Simon and Andrew, and the brothers, James and John, the fishermen from two families, living in the town of Capernaum. Christ’s plan for these fishermen consists of a request and a promise.

The preacher today is Fr.Christopher who tells us that to experience the power of God in our lives we need faith.

For each of us, when we approach the things of God we need to be open to what God wants of us and we need to be taught by God, through His Church, through Holy Tradition and through the Scriptures, as we listen to what He wants us to know.

Fr. Christopher reminds us that the coming of Christ was an act of mercy and salvation in a world soiled by darkness, sin and evil.

Fr. Emmanuel Kahn gives the homily and compares Halloween with All Saints' Day.

Christ was born to save us, but what does that actually mean?

Fr. Emmanuel Kahn preaches on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son.

Fr. Gregory says we should take care every day to do a spiritual health check; to make sure that we are consciously living in the new life that Christ gives us out of his generosity and love.

Fr. Emmanuel talks to the adults and Fr. Gregory to the children about how we can each give more of ourselves—of our abilities, our insights, our time, our energy, our prayer life—to Christ and to this parish church.

We are not called to set ourselves free, but we do need to want to be healed. We do need to praise God for coming into our lives—for joining us to Him and to each other in the Church.

Fr. Emmanuel Kahn preaches on The Theophany, when God was revealed in the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan River in ancient Palestine.

The Epistle today from the fourth chapter of St Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians begins with the firm statement that “grace has been given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Fr. Emmanuel Kahn preaches on the Sunday of the Last Judgment, 2019.