You’re probably familiar with Jesus’ parable about hearing his words and putting them into practice: that the one who does so is like someone who builds his house on rock, and then the floods and storms cannot shake it, while with one who doesn’t is like one who builds his house on sand, which house [...]
I’d like to share a bit of what I experienced on the retreat I preached from January 8-14 at a place in the Colorado Rockies near Estes Park, which is about a two-hour drive (depending on weather) from Denver. There were 64 seminarians there (a bit less than I was originally told, but quite a [...]
Well, it’s that time of year once again. It seems to come around all too quickly, but here we are looking toward Lent again. Today we begin the series of preparatory Sundays for Lent. It’s time to gradually wean ourselves from the festive spirit of Christmas and Theophany and to start getting ourselves psychologically and [...]
Being an unprofitable and useless servant (Gospel: Lk. 17:3-10), I can’t expect any thanks for preaching this homily, which is only what I’ve been commanded to do, after all, but I do it anyway—for if I’m not to get thanks for doing my duty, I shudder to think of what I will get for not [...]
[This is a homily I gave on the feast of Theophany in 2003. In the Byzantine tradition, this feast is always celebrated on January 6. The mystery is the manifestation of God (which is what "Theophany" means) as Trinity on the occasion of Jesus' baptism.] When we celebrate a feast, the readings that we are [...]
The liturgical year advances us quite rapidly from the cave in Bethlehem to the banks of the River Jordan. At this Vigil Liturgy we’re beginning to open up the divine mystery of the Theophany, which will burst forth in its full splendor tomorrow with the Divine Liturgy and the Great Blessing of the Water. For [...]
Well, here we are at the beginning of 2012. Every time a new year arrives, I marvel that I am still here, because for some reason I have the impression as each new year arrives that it will be my last. It seems that quite a few people are expecting the world to end this [...]
