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The Power of Speech

Fr. Apostolos Hill preaches a homily taken from the end of the Epistle reading about the weight of our words.




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Somebody That I Used to Know

Fr. Apostolos Hill shares a homily on the Gospel reading, an examination of the difference between following or pursuing Jesus and being casually associated with Him.




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How Do We Deal With Thoughts (Logismoi) During Prayer?

What should we do when thoughts come? The Psalms will help wash your heart of the distractions and you will reach the point where you can pray better.




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What Does Spiritual Growth Look Like?




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How is humility different from simple self-criticism?




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How Do I Keep the Commandments and Acquire Virtue?




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How Do We Practice Asceticism After Communion?




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How Do I Live Modestly in the World?




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Allowing God to Transform Evil in Our Lives




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How do we Move from Mere Confession to True Repentance




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Since the harrowing of hades, are the demonic powers still active?




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What are the causes of self-love and how can we protect our children?




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The Inner Person in the Orthodox Tradition: The Powers of the Soul

In this second episode on the inner person, Fr. Maxym discusses the powers of the soul: nous, word and spirit. He shows how these powers were placed in us by God, reflect His image and demonstrate what a whole, balanced and healthy human being is meant to be.




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Not Perfect, but Working Toward Perfection

Sermon on the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost (Romans 15:1-7; Matthew 9:27-35)




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Empowering Our Faith

Sermon on the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Galatians 2:16-20; Luke 8:41-56)




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Gifts for Our Growth

Sermon on the Sunday After the Theophany (Ephesians 4:7-13; Matthew 4:12-17)




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The Need for Knowledgeable Zeal for God (Rom 10:1-10)

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost




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Harnessing the Power of Religion (Mt 17:14-23)

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost




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The Healing of Jairus' Daughter and the Woman with the Flow of Blood (Luke 8:41-56)

Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost




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Growing God's Kingdom (Matthew 21:33-42)

As Christians, we have been entrusted with the Kingdom of God. But this great gift comes with a responsibility. Fr Tom explains that the parable of the Vinedressers is God's warning to us to fulfill our essential mission to grow the Church. (Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost)




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The Narrow Way of the Gospel (Luke 18:18-25)

The Gospel contains both words of comfort and words of challenge and warning. Fr Tom reminds us not to make the mistake of listening only to messages which comfort us, but to live up to the words that challenge our faith to continue on the difficult way of Christ. (Thirty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost)




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The Kingdom of God Here and Now (John 20:19-31)

Eight days after the Lord's Resurrection, Jesus appeard to Thomas in His glorified body, manifesting the power of God's Kingdom. Fr Tom reminds us that the Lord grants us His Kingdom, here and now, and we recieve it when we are faithful. (Second Sunday of Pascha)




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The Necessity of Showing Mercy (Luke 10:25-37)

The parable of the Good Samaritan is among the most beloved of all stories in scripture. Fr Tom reminds us that showing mercy to those who have fallen into the ravages of sin is essential to their healing. (Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost)




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Our Attitude Toward God (Luke 18:10-14)

The Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee is presented to us by the church to set the tone in our preparation for Great Lent. Fr Tom reminds us that both our actions and our attitude counts when it comes to loving God and neighbor. (Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee)




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God Demonstrates His Power in Healed Lives (Mk 2:1-12)

The healing of the paralytic is a wonderful gospel scene rich with meaning for us. Fr Tom reminds us that God demonstrates His power when formerly "paralyzed" lives are healed and transformed to become living testimonies to the truth of Christ.




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How God Gets Our Attention (Mt 15:21-28)

Though oftentimes it seems God is silent and does not hear our prayers, Fr Thomas reminds us that God is always reaching out to us and uses the circumstances of our life to draw us closer to Him. (Thirty-first Sunday after Pentecost)




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How to Combat Apathy in the Church (Rom 15:1-7)

Jesus issued a stern warning in the book of Revelation for the church which was lukewarm and apathetic: "I will spit you out of my mouth." Fr Thomas reminds us that every Divine Service we attend at church, we have an opportunity "practice" the unity and care that we're called to manifest every day of the week. (7th Sunday after Pentecost)




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Growing in God's Likeness (Mt 22:35-46)

The two great commandments of loving God and neighbor are presented by Christ as the focus of all the Law and Prophets. Fr Thomas reminds us that in fulfilling these commands, we grow in God's likeness, accomplishing our original purpose. (15th Sunday after Pentecost/Leavetaking of the Exaltation of the Cross)




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How to be Healed (Gal 6:11-18)

The New Testament is full of amazing stories about the healings performed by Jesus and the Apostles. Fr Thomas reminds us that in order to be made completely whole by the Lord, we must continue in our effort to glory in the cross by dying to the world. (22nd Sunday after Pentecost)




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How to Turn Unbelief into Belief (John 20:19-31)

On the Sunday after Pascha, we commemorate the Lord's appearance to His disciples and St Thomas's proclamation, "My Lord and My God!" In this practical and helpful message, Fr Thomas teaches us three important points from this story to help us turn unbelief into belief.




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How the Cross Strengthens Our Faith

On the Sunday before the Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, the Church presents readings to prepare us to celebrate the feast. Fr Thomas reminds us that the Cross is lifted up in our midst to encourage us and to show us how to become more faithful and loving.




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How to Grow the Gift of Faith

The parable of the talents can sometimes seem unfair. Why have some been given more than others? Fr Thomas relates this parable to the contemporary decline in religious faith and reminds us that, today, our cross is to take up the gift of faith and grow it. (Sunday after the Elevation of the Precious Cross)




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Following the “Complete” Gospel

In the wake of the Roman Catholic Papal visit to the US, Pope Francis received much adulation for his message of inclusiveness. Fr Thomas reminds us that while the gospel calls us to love all people, we're also called to love a holy God who separates us from the world of sin and leads us to a transformed life.




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How to Strengthen Your Faith (Mk 9:17-31)

The gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent is about the healing of the demon-possessed boy. In it, we can all relate to the pleading of the boy's father: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!" To help us in our Lenten journey, Father Thomas gives us three practical ways to strengthen and deepen our faith, taken directly from this Sunday's readings.




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Cooperating With God For Growth (Jn 5:1-15)

Jesus's question to the paralytic, "Do you want to be made well?" is at the heart of our Christian life. Fr Thomas explains the important doctrine of synergy, or cooperation with God, as the key to our daily growth in life, faith, and spiritual understanding.




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How To Share Your Faith (Jn 4:5-42)

In a spirited presentation about growing the Church, Fr Thomas gives us practical advice about sharing our faith taken from the example of Jesus's conversion of the Samaritan Woman.




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How Your Faith Survives the Winds of Change

Recent news has reported that, in the US, church attendance is down, in direct relation to the social changes sweeping the country. Fr Thomas teaches us that when the winds of change blow, the most important thing we can do is assess our own commitment to faith in Christ by checking for spiritual blindness.




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How to Know that God is Working in My Life

In an age when people are cynically feeling distant from (the concept of) God, it is important to be reminded that God is nearer than our very breath. Citing the gospel story of the great catch of fish, Fr Thomas teaches us concerning the assurance of the living God in our lives and the abundant life He promises.




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The Key to Experiencing Eternal Life Now

The question, "What must I do to be saved?" is usually interpreted of as, "How can I get to heaven?" Fr Thomas teaches us that eternal life is defined by Jesus as something we can have here and now and He teaches us what we need to do to experience it.




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How God Forgives

When we hear the story of the Prodigal Son, our focus is often on the actions of the son in his return to the father. Fr Thomas emphasizes from the same story, that we can also learn much about the nature of God, how He is eager to forgive us with abundant mercy, and how He wants everyone in the community to share in His joy. (Luke 15:11-32)




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How Faith Can Affect the Culture

St Paul bemoaned that his fellow Jews "have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge." Fr Thomas discusses the relationship between faith and the prevailing culture and how we can make a greater impact on society. The second half of the podcast features a conversation with Dr John Burgess of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary about the lessons we can learn from the Russian Orthodox Church regarding faith and culture.




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How Can I Love My Enemy?

One of the most challenging commands of the teachings of Christ is to love our enemies. Fr Thomas explains what it looks like and why it's so important.




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Truth Doesn't Bow to Feelings

St Paul's letter to the Galatians opens with an impassioned plea to those who once embraced the truth of the Gospel, to return to it. In our own day, numerous Christians are succumbing to the spirit of the age and compromising fundamental truths. Fr Thomas makes his own fervent plea not to accept any other Gospel but that which is given to us by the apostles and their successors. As a listener to the podcast wrote, "truth doesn't bow to feelings."




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How to Take Up the Cross

On the Sunday of the Cross in Great Lent, Fr Thomas teaches us that the power of God is found in the righteous actions required of us when we take up our own cross to follow Christ.




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The Power of Forgiveness

In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Jesus illustrates the consequences of unforgiveness. Fr Thomas teaches us that it is the God of love, mercy, and compassion who commands us to forgive and warns us of the judgment to come if we do not.




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How Do I Find the Will of God for My Life?

Christians are called to live in the will of God, but how do we find it? Fr Thomas teaches us that living in the will of God means identifying with God's Kingdom and not with the values of this fallen world.




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If God is Love, Why Can't I Live However I Want?

"God is Love" has become one of the most abused verses of Scripture. It's used today to justify every sin and excuse every condition. Fr Thomas urges us to look at the entirety of the Gospel message to truly understand the implications of being a creature of God Who is Love.




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How to Share the Gospel with Anyone

In John 4, Jesus, the Master Teacher, shares the good news with the Samaritan Woman that He is the Savior of the World, and brings her to a life-changing faith. Fr Thomas shows us how this incredible story is the pattern for sharing our faith in Christ with anyone.




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Knowing God is More Than Knowing About God

Fr. John Parker, Dean of St Tikhon's Orthodox Seminary in South Canaan, PA, delivered the sermon on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha. Fr. John shares the story of his new leadership position at the seminary and how he grew to know the life of the seminary through daily experience. He reminds us that our knowledge of God must exceed simply knowing about Him to become instead the daily experience of God as members of the Church. (The recording begins in mid-story as he relates a call he received from Archbishop Michael to organize a talk at the All-American Council on church growth.)




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Living by the Power of the Holy Spirit

On the Feast of Pentecost, Fr Thomas teaches us that our Christian life must be empowered by the Holy Spirit of God in order to be one with each other and to tell the world of the good things God has done for us.