Homily on St. Matthew 18:23-35: The forgiving Lord and the unforgiving servant.  The main theme of today's homily is that we have the power to transform the world for the better (through gratitude and mercy) or the worse (through ingratitude and tyranny).  Enjoy the show! 

The Post-Communion Prayers of the Holy Orthodox Church from the Prayer Book of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.

The Communion Prayers of the Holy Orthodox Church from the Prayer Book of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.

The Evening Prayers of the Holy Orthodox Church from the Prayer Book of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.

The Morning Prayers of the Holy Orthodox Church from the Prayer Book of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.

The Service of Repentance is designed to help believers enter into the spirit of contrition as they prepare for the traditional Rite of Confession.  This version consists of the Trisagion prayers, Psalm 50, the Prayer of Manasseh, The Canon of Repentance (abridged), and the the Litany of Repentance.  The Canon of Repentance intentionally resembles sections of the Funeral Service.

Today's Gospel (Matthew 14:22-34) includes the powerful image of Christ taming the storm and saving Peter from drowning.  Not only has He used this power to bring peace to our lives; He has given us the power - and responsibility - to do it for others.  The calm of Christ in us and us in Him must be shared with the world around us!

We have trust backwards, claiming to trust God in the big things (i.e. of the soul) while demonstrating little if any trust God in the little things (i.e. of the body).  In His homily on Matthew 14: 14-22, St. John Chrysostom makes the point that the disciples were only ready to believe that Christ was the master of the unseen world after they had learned that he was the master of the things they could see.  If we have skipped that first step - as is evidenced when we exhibit no confidence in His ability to rightly govern and bless our bodies and our budgets - it is quite possible that we are fooling ourselves when we say we trust him to rightly govern and bless our souls. 

Homily on Romans 15:1-7, focusing on the role of patience in the Christian life.

A meditation on Romans 10:9-10:  If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  Enjoy the show!