All Saints Homilies

In this homily on Luke 7:11-16, Fr. Pat offers reflections on Jesus' raising of the son of the widow of Nain.

In this homily based on 2 Corinthians 4:6-15, Fr. Pat reflects upon the glory of Christ in creation, in the Bible, and in our daily cross.

St. Paul says, "It is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:21). In a certain sense, every verse in the Bible is telling us to stand firm. In this homily Fr. Pat encourages us to do just that.

Fr. Pat looks at three moral impediments to faith: chameleon morality, narcissistic morality, and indolent morality.

Fr. Pat looks at three images of the Church found in 1 Corinthians 3 and Matthew 14.

The parable of the Publican and the Pharisee teaches us much about prayer. Father Pat looks at three things: the meaning of the temple, the issue of repeated prayer, and authenticity when speaking with God.

On the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Fr. Pat offers reflections about the Mother of Our Lord: her presence in the early church, earliest references to her in the Scriptures, and about the Marian quality of the people of God.

If we are justified by faith, if we live in the Holy Spirit, and if Christ is our Lord, then what should our lives be like? Fr. Pat looks at Paul's exhortations to the believers at Rome.

Father Pat compares the characteristics of faith in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the events in their lives which shaped that faith.

In this homily based upon Matthew 6:22-33, Fr. Pat looks at three things necessary for us to have purity of heart.

Holiness is not about an ideal to be striven for; it’s about a conformity to God’s will in the individual vocation of each person. In this homily from the Sunday of All Saints, Fr. Pat considers what it means to be holy.

In this homily from Pentecost Sunday, Fr. Pat looks at three benefits given by the Holy Spirit to the people of God: proclaiming God as our Father, parsing the Scriptures correctly, and praying.

In the story of the healing of the paralytic in John 5, we learn about sin from three sources: the paralytic, the opponents of Jesus, and Jesus himself.

In this homily from the Sunday of St. Thomas, Fr. Pat comments on three things that jump out at him from the Gospel text of John 20:19-31.

In this homily from the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, Fr. Pat looks at the characteristics of the memory of the Church—that it is reflective and rationally conscious, it is literary and rhetorical, and it is maternal.

Fr. Pat discusses the parable of the rich man's barns.

If Christ really is risen from the dead, we have the basis for the renewal of everything. Fr. Pat considers this in his Paschal homily.

The Christian hope is based on an oath God made to a man from Mesopotamia 4,000 years ago. Fr. Pat looks at the irony of hope, its source, and how we should go about strengthening it.

Baptism and the Chalice represent the sacramental initiation into a new identity founded on union with Christ; thus the two questions Jesus put to the sons of Zebedee are for us today as well.

Fr. Pat looks at the story from Mark 2 of the paralytic being lowered through the roof.

Lent, and particularly the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, is a time to reflect upon our being made in the image of God, our having an affinity to Christ, and our being healed by Him.

As Lent begins Fr. Pat considers Jesus' words about the abundant life, about building one's house upon a rock, and about His standing at the door and knocking.

Fr. Pat speaks on the Gospel of the Final Judgment, and what it teaches us about Christ.

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we see a Father who has lost a child who bears his image, a son running from himself, and an elder brother who is glad he is not like his younger sibling.

Fr. Pat reflects upon the meaning of these words that Jesus said to Zacchaeus, considering where God abides, what it means, and who is our best model of one who lives with the understanding of these things.

Fr. Pat reflects upon the healing of the blind man of Jericho as recounted in Luke Chapter 18.

Fr. Pat explains the Holy Eucharist as Flaming Coal and Divine Bread.

Fr. Pat reflects on Luke's version of the blind man in Jericho.

Fr. Pat explores the literary source of Christian philosophy as found in the Holy Scriptures.

Fr. Pat reflects upon the inseparability of the message of Christ from the Person of Christ, and how that affects three aspects of our lives: our piety, our forgiveness of others, and our justification.

In this homily, given on the Sunday after the Elevation of the Holy Cross, Fr. Pat looks at the cross through the eyes of Paul, Peter, and John.

In the parable of the Vineyard and the Vinedressers, Jesus is not giving a moral teaching, as might be expected, but rather is presenting His own story about His relationship to God and to the people of Israel. Fr. Pat discusses this.

1 Corinthians 15 is arguable among the most important passages of the Bible. Fr. Pat examines this passage from today's reading.

Fr. Pat discusses the parable of the servant and the debt he owed to the king.

Fr. Pat discusses Peter walking on the water.

St. Paul sees the interpretation of the Old Testament as central to his responsibility in the apostolic ministry. So should we.

Fr. Pat examines three rules for living that are found in Romans 12.

On the occasion of All Saints receiving the new Antimins, Fr. Pat explains its functions and use in worship.

Part of our communion with God is our connection to the saints; chief among them after the Theotokos are Peter and Paul.

Fr. Pat reflects on the Epistle to the Romans in light of the recent tragic events in South Carolina.

Fr. Pat discusses three points related to the Feast of All Saints.

Fr. Pat examines the three persons of the Holy Trinity.

Fr. Pat discusses the Council of Nicaea, which gave us the Creed in the year 325.

Fr. Pat reflects on the story of the man born blind.

Fr. Pat discusses the longest dialogue in the Bible between Jesus and another person.

Fr. Pat discusses three points related to the account of the seamstress who was resurrected in the book of Acts: the fall, the resurrection, and integration.

Fr. Pat explores three essential components of Biblical worship: the sanctuary itself, the bread, and the lamp stand.

Fr. Pat explains what the story of the Myrrh-Bearers can teach us about the mission of the Church.

How the Church moved from unbelief to belief is an immense mystery.

Fr. Pat reflects on the mystery of the Incarnation.