Reflection on the Great Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos
Last week we celebrated the beginning of a new ecclesiastical year; now we mark the first great feast of the year, the birth of the Theotokos. The outer proclamation of…
Reflections in Christ
Greetings at the Conclusion of Liturgy Concelebration with Archbishop Stefan of the Macedonian Orthodox Church
It is my great joy to welcome you to my primatial See of Washington, D.C., and to my cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. I pray that this historic concelebration will mark the beginning…
Sermon for the Divine Liturgy Concelebration with Archbishop Stefan of the Macedonian Church
In today’s Gospel, we hear of the calling of the apostles, and we are reminded of the ragtag and varied group of men that our Lord called to his service: Peter, bold but wavering; the thunderous…
Reflection on the Ecclesiastical New Year
Happy New Year to all! September 1 marks the beginning of the ecclesiastical new year, which has always been reckoned according to the creation of the world. This is not a matter of mere pious tradition…
Reflection on the Placing of the Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos
On July 2, we celebrated the robe of the Theotokos; today we celebrate the placing of her belt. These feasts are not merely connected with ancient relics as a source of pious…
Reflection on the Beheading of Saint John the Forerunner
Today we fast, honoring the greatest born of women, the crown of the prophets, the one who must decrease, the friend of the Bridegroom, the holy Prophet and Forerunner and Baptist John. John’s death…
Exhortation to the Newly-Ordained Bishop Vasily
Our Lord Jesus Christ, whose image we honor today, has gathered us together to participate in this glorious liturgy and in the sacred office for the ordination to the holy episcopacy of His Grace…
Sermon at the Divine Liturgy of the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Vasily
Today, we continue to celebrate the great feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. As Christians, we understand that death, the last enemy, has already…
Reflection on the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos
Today, we celebrate the death of the Mother of God, not because death is worth celebrating in and of itself, but because her Son has made death a passage-way to everlasting life. In particular…
Reflection on the Transfiguration of Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ
In the Russian tradition, the Transfiguration is regarded as the second of three major feasts of the Savior during the month of August. Each of these feasts is associated with the blessing of a late-summer agricultural…