Give Me A Word

On the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel emphasizes the profound significance of Christ’s presence, highlighting that He is not only the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel but also a light to all nations; the meeting of the Lord there in the temple is our meeting here. He urges us to recognize Christ in our midst, particularly through one another, as each person is a reflection of the divine. Fr Alexander reminds us that while we can and will encounter Christ, we must allow this encounter to transform us in order to attain salvation.

Drawing from the Epistle reading from St Paul's Letter to Timothy, and the Gospel story of the Canaanite woman, Hieromonk Vasily (Permiakov) explores the transformative power of humility, faith, and perseverance in seeking Christ's mercy. He emphasizes the importance of acknowledging our brokenness and confessing our need for salvation, echoing the woman’s persistent plea for her daughter’s healing. Through this example, the homily reveals how Christ’s grace and healing are granted to those who approach Him with unwavering faith and humility.

This homily by the Very Rev. Dr Alexander Rentel reflects on the Gospel passage from Luke 18, where a blind man recognizes Jesus as the "Son of David" and receives healing through faith. Fr Alexander emphasizes the contrast between the crowd’s superficial recognition of Jesus and the blind man's profound spiritual insight, illustrating the "upside-down" nature of God's kingdom, where the vulnerable, needy, sick, and marginalized often display the deepest faith. He calls on Christians to emulate this faith through humility, compassion, kindness, and reliance on God's promises as revealed in Scripture.

In this homily for the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos, Fr Bogdan Bucur emphasizes that the Theotokos, or Mother of God, is not an exceptional figure for us to admire from afar, but an example for us to follow closely in our own lives. Just as she became the living temple that bore Christ, we too are called to become living temples by "becoming pregnant" with the Word of God, allowing it to transform us. While the practical tasks of life are important, they should not overshadow the one thing needful—our connection with God. This feast reminds us to focus on becoming like the Theotokos, Christ-bearers and sanctified vessels of divine glory.

From the perspective of a first-century Jew, the account of the man named Legion in the Gospel of Luke would be surprising in several ways. Dn Harrison Russin highlights how Jesus defies expectations by going into Gentile territory (where herding pigs was an acceptable occupation), to save a demon-possessed man living in the most unclean conditions. Furthermore, Jesus is clearly more concerned with healing and restoring the individual man than with triumphantly defeating the hordes of demons who had possessed him. Dn Harrison encourages the hearer to draw parallels to Adam and Eve’s exile from Eden. Just as God provided clothing and a path forward for humanity after the Fall, Jesus restores the man’s dignity and mind, offering a “third tree of life” through the Cross as a means of return to Eden. The homily concludes with a call to recognize Jesus' acts of salvation in our lives, clothing us in His grace and inviting us to live in right relationship with God.

In this homily, the Very Rev. Dr Alexander Rentel reminds us of the profound truth that we are the living temple of God and encourages us to strive to maintain closeness to God. He urges us to shun worldly idols, like wealth and pride, which can distance us from God, and to embrace humility and compassion as exemplified by Lazarus in the Gospel. By examining our choices and seeking God's will, we can transform our lives and truly become temples of the living God, living in a close and intimate relationship with Him.

Therefore be compassionate, just as your Father also is compassionate!" (Luke 6:36). Our Lord’s command in the Gospel of Luke offers a more concrete counterpart to the command, in the Gospel of Matthew, to be perfect as our Father in heaven (Mat 5:48). If the Lord is "compassionate and merciful, long-suffering and most merciful," as we read in Scriptures (Exod 34:6; Ps 102/103:8), then "becoming sons of the Most High" or, as our theology calls it, "deification" is also about becoming merciful. The Very Rev. Dr Bogdan Bucur exhorts the faithful to strive to follow Christ’s commandment, not just for the sake of keeping the commandments, but because by becoming compassionate we participate increasingly in a living relationship with the Lord. Ultimately, says Fr Bogdan, there is no way to salvation and deification except together with our brothers and sisters, who are given to us by God Himself.

The account in the Gospel of Luke about how the Lord called Peter, James, and John may seem like a straightforward retelling of events. However, like all Scripture, this passage contains deeper meanings, available to the reader only with deeper study and prayer. The Very Rev. Dr Alexander Rentel highlights the significance of the "great haul of fish," linking it to the original state of Creation in the Garden. He also underscores the manner in which these three great apostles were called, which points to their great role in sharing the Faith with all nations. Fr Rentel also draws connections between this Gospel reading and the epistle reading of the day, where St Paul exhorts the Corinthians to be subject to the apostolic mission, and thereby be led to salvation.

In this homily given on the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA) describes the Cross as both a symbol of suffering and of victory. The Cross represents the transformation of suffering into joy and death into life through Christ's sacrifice. It is central to our Christian worship and salvation. When we embrace our own crosses in our lives, our suffering, like Christ's, can be redeemed and transformed into a path to eternal life.

The tomb was blocked. Roman guards stood watch, armed and vigilant. Yet, in spite of the very real risk of danger and personal suffering that could await them, a group of women disciples went ahead anyway, determined to anoint the body of their Lord and Master. Why? On this Third Sunday of Pascha, The Very Rev. Prot. Vincent Temirov speaks to the motivations of the Holy Myrrhbearing Women—those women who would become the first witnesses of Jesus' resurrection and the first to proclaim to the world "Christ is risen!"