5 MAY 2024 · Fr. Gregory delivers the Catechetical Paschal Homily of our father among the saints, St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. "If any man be devout and love God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast. If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord. If any have labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense. If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived thereof. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing. If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; He gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has wrought from the first hour. And He shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one He gives, and upon the other He bestows gifts. And He both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering. Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day. Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away. Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness. let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior’s death has set us free. He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it. By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive. He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was embittered, when it encountered Thee in the lower regions. It was embittered, for it was abolished. It was embittered, for it was mocked. It was embittered, for it was slain. It was embittered, for it was overthrown. It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains. It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen. O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen."

28 APR 2024 · In today’s sermon, Fr. Gregory details the events of the first three days of Holy Week, from Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem to the Last Supper. In the span of these three days, Jesus preaches several parables which compose the five “apocalyptic chapters.” We read these chapters during the next three days of Holy Week, and in the evenings we have the services of the Bridegroom Matins. Fr. Gregory expounds on the image of the bridegroom, pointing out that it is one of the most prevalent images of the Lord throughout both the Old and New Testament. But who is the bride? The church is the bride, the renewed Israel, who Christ comes to claim. On the cross, where Jesus consummates the marriage to his bride this Friday, he quotes Psalm 20, saying, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Fr. Gregory points out that the word for “abandon” here is used just one other time in the entirety of the Scriptures, in Genesis 2:24 which says, “Therefore a man leaves [abandons] his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.” The Son is the bridegroom who had to leave his Father to become one with the sinful bride, the bride who rejects him, spits on him, beats him, and crucifies him. Despite all this, the loving bridegroom weds the bride's humanity with his divinity. Fr. Gregory concludes by emphasizing the opportunity we have during Holy Week to challenge ourselves and prioritize our schedules, being the faithful bride who eagerly waits for the groom to come in the middle of the night.

21 APR 2024 · In today’s Gospel reading, Christ says, “Whosoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many.” Fr. Micah points out how difficult it is for us to serve not just our friends, but also our enemies — to become a "slave of all." He suggests two practices to help us follow Christ's teaching: meditation and prayer. Fr. Micah emphasizes the value of meditation and prayer that is done both deeply and consistently. Through these practices, we will experience and be overwhelmed by Christ’s love, mercy, and humility — not to keep to ourselves but to share, becoming servants of one another.

15 APR 2024 · On this Fourth Sunday of Lent, we celebrate St. John Climacus, who conceived of and wrote the Ladder of Divine Ascent. In today’s sermon, Fr. Gregory focuses on the eighth step of the ladder: “concerning freedom from anger.” St. John Climacus associates freedom from anger with Christ’s meekness. Fr. Gregory points out that, though we often correlate meekness with weakness, the term “meek” actually means “strength under control” in Greek. Christ maintained this meekness, being able to be angry without sin. From this, we can conclude that anger is not always sinful. As Psalm 4:4 and Ephesians 4:26 say, “Be angry, but do not sin.” What, therefore is sinful anger? True, sinful anger is anger festered. When we nurse our grievances, we have sinful anger inside us. This is why Ephesians 4:26 says, “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Further, Fr. Gregory addresses the root of anger: pride. When we are angry, we presume that we are better than those who anger us. Humility remedies pride, and without pride we would not have sinful anger. Therefore, humility is the antidote to anger. St. John Climacus also gives guidance on overcoming anger. There are three stages, each related to blessed patience. The first stage is accepting dishonor with bitterness and anguish of soul, but while being silent. The second stage is to no longer have inner turmoil, to not dwell on wrongdoing but obtain calmness of soul. The third stage is the perfect stage — regarding dishonor as praise, as dishonor helps our humility. Fr. Gregory concludes with a saying from St. John Climacus, “Freedom from anger is the ability to be impervious to insults.” He challenges us to be meek — strong but under control. He challenges us to be angry, but not sin.

7 APR 2024 · This Sunday, at the midpoint of Lent, we celebrate the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy Cross. Fr. Micah speaks of the beauty and power of the Holy Cross, which is the Tree of Life. He challenges us to ask ourselves, “How do we experience the Cross?” To experience the Cross as a Tree of Life, we must heed the words of our Lord. Christ tells us to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow him. Fr. Micah stresses the difficulty of these three commands, especially the third: “Follow me.” To follow Christ, we must lay aside our lives, not just for our neighbors, but for our enemies as well. To follow Christ, we must follow him into hell itself to share in the light of the resurrection. Herein lies the great law of Orthodox spiritual life, Fr. Micah explains. To ascend, we must first descend. To be filled, we must first empty ourselves. To live, we must first die. This is the way of the humility of Christ, the way of the Cross.

1 APR 2024 · This Sunday, His Grace Bishop Neophytos Kongai, Bishop of Kenya, shares about Orthodoxy in Kenya and what we can do to support his diocese. In today’s Gospel reading, we hear about the men who lowered the paralyzed man through a roof to be healed by Christ. His Grace Bishop Neophytos Kongai encourages us to be like those men, showing the love of Christ to the helpless and carrying them to healing. He shares the struggles of those in Kenya, and asks us to support his diocese in providing food, shelter, clothing, education, and a place of worship for the people there.

25 MAR 2024 · This Sunday we celebrate the Sunday of Orthodoxy, which commemorates the restoration of the use and veneration of icons in the church after a period of over 100 years of it being forbidden. This Sunday is also the Triumph of Orthodoxy, which recognizes universality of our faith, a faith that has spread throughout the world across 2,000 years. In this week's sermon, Fr. Gregory presents two main points related to the Sunday of Orthodoxy and the Triumph of Orthodoxy. First, he emphasizes that every human being is created in the image of God; that is, we are icons of God. Second, he expounds on Jesus' invitation to Nathanael in today's gospel reading: "Come and see." He points out that, if God wills that all men be saved, we should be willing too. We should not fall into the dangers of nationalism and parochialism, which counteract the universal nature of our faith. Since every person is an icon of God and since we've been directed by Christ to preach the Gospel to all nations, Fr. Gregory challenges us to ask ourselves, "What is my part in this universal faith?" We invite the world to, "Come and see."

18 MAR 2024 · In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord speaks to us about fasting. Fr. Micah shows us what fasting is truly about and shares practical advice as we enter into the season of Lent. First, Fr. Micah points out that fasting is not an individual endeavor, but it is about communion with one another and Christ. The Church has been fasting together for millennia, and it continues to connect the faithful all over the world. Fasting is also about freedom. If we deny our impulses, struggling against our desire to consume, we will slowly experience a childlike freedom. In addition, Fr. Micah explains that fasting is about death and life. During Lent, the Church teaches us to avoid eating anything pertaining to animals, because these things are associated with death. We live by the death of others; but through fasting, we can step outside this cycle. We fast on Sunday that the first thing to touch our lips is the body and blood of Christ. In this we learn that life does not come from food, but rather everlasting life comes from Christ. Finally, Fr. Micah shares two pieces of advice for fasting. First, our fasting must be done in secret. Not only is fasting about what we eat, but also about how we eat. Second, our fasting should be accompanied by hunger, which can be transformed into a hunger for Christ. Fr. Micah concludes with the words of a priest who said, “Fasting is to be so in love with God that we do not even remember to eat.”

10 MAR 2024 · On this Sunday of the Last Judgment, Fr. Stephen Freeman discusses how we should view Christ’s judgment. He first expounds on the parable of the sheep and the goats from today’s Gospel reading. He explains that, within each of us, there is both sheep (the good) and goat (the bad). They are mixed within our hearts, and the judgment separates the two. In the second part of today’s Gospel reading, Christ says that whatever we do for the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned, and the sick, we do for him. “In all human suffering, Jesus is there on the cross,” Fr. Stephen says. He shows us how the cross is the judgment seat of Christ, and this judgment is all around us in our fellow humans’ suffering. Therefore, we do not have to fear his judgment but can welcome it as an opportunity to serve him everywhere and in all people.

4 MAR 2024 · This Sunday is the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, during which we hear the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Fr. Gregory expounds on the parable, showing us how we are like the prodigal son and must return to our Father. We, like the prodigal son, stray far from our Father’s house and what God intended for our lives. However, we, like the prodigal son, can make a decision to return to our Father’s house. We, like the prodigal son can confess, saying, “I have sinned,” realizing how far from home we’ve strayed. We, like the prodigal son, can get up and begin the journey home. And our Father, like the compassionate father, waits for us and rejoices at our return with unconditional love. As we approach the Lenten season, Fr. Gregory emphasizes that we too can return to our Father’s house through confession, coming to church, and celebrating the Eucharist.