Recognizing Christ in Our Midst: A Call to Transformation on the Feast of the Presentation
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.
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Persistent Faith and Humble Prayer: Lessons from the Canaanite Woman
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.
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Faith That Sees: The Blind Man’s Insight into God’s Kingdom
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.
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Becoming Living Temples: Embracing the Example of the Theotokos
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.
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Returning to Eden through the Cross
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.
Österreich