o The Contrite Heart By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-02-17T21:49:16+00:00 Fr. Pat preaches on the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican found in Luke 18. Full Article
o The Door, the Shepherd, the Voice By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-02-18T05:02:02+00:00 Fr. Pat considers three aspects of what St. Paul calls "the mind of Christ"; three ways in which Christ thought of himself with respect to us. Full Article
o Man's Metaphysical Homesickness By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-02-24T03:22:57+00:00 Fr. Pat preaches on the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15. Full Article
o Two Aspects of Forgiveness By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-03-10T21:14:31+00:00 Fr. Pat's homily from Forgiveness Vespers 2012. Full Article
o The Evangelization of the Theotokos By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-03-25T18:03:51+00:00 The heart of Feast of the Annunciation is evangelism in its most perfect reception, by a Woman who hears and believes the proclamation of the Gospel. Full Article
o The Cross: Our Healing, Victory, and Peace By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-03-30T16:33:52+00:00 Fr. Pat's homily delivered on the Sunday of the Holy Cross, 2008. Full Article
o The God of Cash Value By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-04-06T16:59:54+00:00 Is the god we’re worshipping actually the God of the Bible? Or are we worshiping the benevolent, optimistic, political, social, economic god of contemporary American culture? Because the worship of a false god is worse than the worship of no god. Full Article
o This Messes Up All of Our Statistics By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-04-06T17:01:01+00:00 In the Holy Communion, there is a change of substance. The bread and the wine have been transformed. We receive into our flesh the risen power of Christ. Full Article
o The Embodiment of Our Memory By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-04-29T15:25:40+00:00 Fr. Pat offers reflections on baptism and the Creed. This homily was given on Great and Holy Saturday, Full Article
o The Reality of the Risen Christ By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-05-04T17:25:26+00:00 In this homily given on St. Thomas Sunday, 2012, Fr. Pat examines three subjects related to the resurrection of Christ our Lord. Full Article
o Mary of Bethany By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-05-11T19:32:51+00:00 Mary of Bethany appears in the gospels of St. Luke and St. John, and in both books she stands as a point of contrast with someone else. Fr. Pat's brief meditation on these contrasts was given at Bridegroom Matins on Tuesday, April 30, 2013. Full Article
o A Once For All Witness By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-05-17T13:18:04+00:00 The institution of the Twelve Apostles is the link between the Church and the Resurrection of Christ. Fr. Pat preaches from Acts 1:15-26. This homily was given April 2, 2015. Full Article
o The Moral Structure of the World By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-06-05T01:50:25+00:00 Fr. Pat explores the question, "What makes something evil?” Full Article
o Three Apostolic Modifiers By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-06-30T04:40:47+00:00 Fr. Pat reflects upon the Apostolic Office by means of three adjectives, which, when considered, can greatly enrich our understanding of the apostles, and can deepen our own relationship with Christ. Full Article
o How to Approach Jesus By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-07-05T20:12:28+00:00 Fr. Pat shows us how the Roman centurion who comes to Jesus for healing for his servant can be a model to us of how to approach Jesus. The text is Matthew 8:5-13. Full Article
o To Walk Under the Direct Gaze of God By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-07-11T03:54:56+00:00 The call placed on every man’s life is to walk under the direct gaze of God. And the joy of heaven consists of gazing upon the transfigured face of Christ, and going from glory to glory, as much as we are able to bear. Full Article
o Servants, Fellow Servants, Brothers By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-07-12T21:30:50+00:00 What sort of life we live is determined by who we think we are. If we are servants of God, that means that not one of us belongs to himself. His time, his energy, his resources, all belong to the King that he serves. Full Article
o Can Any Good Come Out of Nazareth? By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-07-13T00:35:27+00:00 Using as a jumping-off point the Parable of the Vineyard in Matthew 21, Fr. Pat asks the same question asked by Nathaniel in John 1. Full Article
o The Word of the Cross: Three Stages By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-07-13T02:56:51+00:00 Fr. Pat focuses his attention on that which Saint Paul calls “of primary importance” for us to learn both from the saint’s words and from his life experience. Full Article
o The Worries of the 5th Century By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-07-20T19:49:56+00:00 The mid-5th century was a time of chaos, war, poverty, decay, and destruction, but the one concern of the Church was an abbott named Eutyches Full Article
o The Heart of the Christian Gospel By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-08-01T20:43:14+00:00 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. Full Article
o Generosity, Freedom, and a Problem By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-08-02T16:48:46+00:00 There is no easy way to eternal life. We are made to know God, to love God, to serve God, and that is hard. Fr. Pat offers reflections on this via three theses. Full Article
o Two Men Meeting Christ By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-08-02T19:33:17+00:00 Both Galatians 1 and Luke 8 contain stories of men converting to Christ. Fr. Pat examines these two accounts. Full Article
o Reflections on the Transfiguration of Our Lord By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-08-12T01:45:54+00:00 In this homily from 2006, Fr. Pat reflects upon the Body of Christ, the Sacraments, and our own transfiguration in Christ. Full Article
o Of Ourselves, of Christ Our Lord, and of His Mother By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-08-16T19:41:11+00:00 In this homily given on the Feast of the Dormition in 2010, Fr. Pat reflects upon the revelation of the Gospel disclosed in the human face Full Article
o Two Miracles, Three Common Elements By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-08-24T17:06:08+00:00 Fr. Pat compares the story of Peter walking on the water with that of the man who brings his son to Jesus. Full Article
o The Journey Through the Desert By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-08-24T22:22:28+00:00 Fr. Pat explains why the Church emphasizes Christ's multiplication of the loaves and fish. Full Article
o Prayer, Patience, Persuasion By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-08-25T02:20:35+00:00 n 1 Corinthian 4:9-16, the Apostle Paul gives a portrayal of a style of life very much in contrast with the style of life preferred by the Corinthians. In this homily from 2009, Fr. Pat looks at the contrasts enumerated by St. Paul. Full Article
o One Verb and Two Nouns By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-08-31T18:05:12+00:00 Fr. Pat discusses three words from the first chapter of 2 Corinthians. Full Article
o Historical Claims, Their Interpretation, and the History of Salvation By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-09-02T12:35:09+00:00 A homily on 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, given on August 26, 2012. Full Article
o Two Types of Souls By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-09-14T03:30:58+00:00 On the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple, Fr. Pat compares our Lord's Mother with the rich man in Luke 12, today's Gospel reading. Full Article
o The Imagination and the Moral Order By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-10-05T15:44:24+00:00 Preaching from Luke 6:31-26, Fr. Pat discusses the Golden Rule. Full Article
o Biblical Meditation By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-10-10T19:38:19+00:00 A vesperal homily based upon Joshua 1:1-9 Full Article
o The Practice of Prayer in the Pursuit of Wisdom By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-11-03T17:37:24+00:00 A vesperal homily about James the Just. The text is James 1:1-11. Full Article
o Obedient Faith By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-11-08T18:33:21+00:00 A homily from Fr. Pat on Galatians 2:16-20, given in 2004. Full Article
o Who By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-11-14T21:47:11+00:00 In this homily from 2014, Fr. Pat takes a close look at the word "who" in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).Who Full Article
o The Gracious Bounty of the Father By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-11-23T01:19:55+00:00 In this homily from Thanksgiving of 2010, Fr. Pat considers with us God's Covenant with Noah given in Genesis 9. Full Article
o Abraham: History, Theology, Morality By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-12-06T19:24:45+00:00 Paul tells us in Galatians that if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed. In this homily from 2016, Fr. Pat takes a closer look at Abraham, considering historical fact, theological truth, and moral responsibility. The text is Galatians 3:23-4:5. Full Article
o Invitation to the Banquet By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-12-13T19:42:48+00:00 The theory of the perenial philosophy says that there’s a certain core experience of truth that all human beings have. Fr. Pat discusses this theory in light of Luke 14:16-24, the Parable of the Great Banquet. Full Article
o On Solomon’s Porch By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-12-21T01:17:13+00:00 John's Gospel tells us of a time during the Feast of Hanukkah when Jesus was teaching on Solomon's porch (John 10:22-23). Hanukkah is the feast of dedication; Fr. Pat examines this theme of dedication in the lives of three Old Testament saints. Full Article
o Christ Alone By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2022-12-28T22:12:21+00:00 In this homily from Christmas Day 2007, Fr. Pat reflects upon the Incarnation in terms of Christ the Only Holy One, Christ our Mediator, and Christ our Brother. Full Article
o His Intrusion into This World By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2023-01-03T17:04:07+00:00 Fr. Pat gave this brief meditation at approximately midnight on January 1, 2014. Full Article
o The Measure of Grace By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2023-01-10T17:45:29+00:00 Fr. Pat preaches on Ephesians 4:7-13 in this homily from January 2016. Full Article
o A Letter from Caesarea By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2023-01-18T20:24:18+00:00 Paul transforms his prison cell into a hub of missions work. The text is Colossians 3:4-11. Full Article
o The Mind’s Contract with Reality By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2023-01-25T16:25:55+00:00 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. Full Article
o The Depth, the Height, and the Breadth of the Life in Christ By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2023-01-30T20:15:29+00:00 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. Full Article
o The Supremacy of Love By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2023-02-14T01:10:10+00:00 When the Apostle Paul lists faith, hope, and love as a triad of things that abide, he takes care to assert that the greatest of these is love. In this homily from Vespers on January 5, 2014, Fr. Pat examines these three things more closely. Full Article
o Our Elders in the Faith By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2023-03-10T15:13:32+00:00 In this homily from 2008 preached on the Feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (which was also Forgiveness Sunday), Fr. Pat reminds us of the great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. The text is Hebrews 12:1-10. Full Article
o Saint Paul or Faust? By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2023-03-23T18:06:57+00:00 Both Saint Paul and Faust, the man who sells his soul to the devil, have something to say about faith, hope, and patience. Fr. Pat considers the great divide between these two men. Full Article
o The Struggle of Faith By www.ancientfaith.com Published On :: 2023-03-29T20:09:51+00:00 The 9th chapter of the Gospel of Mark opens with the account of the Transfiguration, then is immediately followed by the the story of Jesus healing a boy possessed by an unclean spirit, a spirit which Jesus’ disciples were unable to cast out. Fr. Pat makes three observations about faith which we can learn from this story. The painting Fr. Pat refers to is The Transfiguration by Rafael. Full Article