St Mark Sermons

In this sermon, Fr James reflects on the Catholic Epistle of St. Jude, focusing on the dangers of destructive speech habits that are often dismissed as minor sins. He examines three major spiritual traps: grumbling and complaining, false flattery, and gossip.

In this sermon, Fr James explores Jesus's parable of the children in the marketplace from the Gospel, comparing the generation's constant complaining and criticism to children who refused to play either the wedding game or the funeral game. Just as the people criticized both John the Baptist for his austere, somber approach and Jesus for His joyful, relational ministry, people today often fall int...

This sermon, given on the sixth Sunday of Lent, reflects on the Gospel account of Jesus healing the man born blind (John 9). Fr Thomas connects this miracle to the Lenten journey of renewal, noting that Christ came to make all things new, giving not just physical but spiritual sight. A central theme is rejecting "either/or" thinking, illustrated by the disciples' question of who sinned to cause th...

The sermon reflects on the Gospel of the multiplication of the five loaves and two fish alongside Psalm 142's image of a soul longing for God like a thirsty land. Fr Pishoy calls the congregation to genuine spiritual hunger and thirst for God, rather than settling for busy but spiritually empty routines.

This sermon reflects on John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him" during the season when the Church presents Christ as the Bread of Life. Fr Pishoy explains that believers must partake of His body and blood to join the heavenly feast, and introduces the Orthodox concept of "synergy" — working together with God — noting that cooperation with God's grace produces the...

Delivered on the Second Sunday of Lent (Temptation Sunday), this sermon explores the inner struggle between good and evil and examines Jesus's temptations in the wilderness as a framework for our own spiritual battles. Fr Thomas emphasizes that temptation provides an opportunity to choose God, practice repentance, and feed the right spiritual desires rather than falling into the traps of the world...

The sermon draws on Acts 18:9–10, where the Lord tells Paul in a vision not to be afraid but to speak, promising protection. Fr Pishoy explains that fear paralyzes, but God calls His servants to courage, reminding them He is with them wherever they go.

This sermon, delivered on a Thanksgiving weekend, centers on three women from that Sunday's readings who were each given negative labels by others but received healing and a new identity through their bold encounters with Jesus. The sinful woman who anoints Jesus's feet is called a "Seeker" because she actively sought out Jesus despite social judgment. The woman with the issue of blood is called a...

This Advent sermon centers on the Visitation of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. Fr Thomas contrasts today's common exhortation to "slow down" with one thing Mary did not slow down on: recognizing a need and rushing to serve. Despite having just received the angel's astonishing announcement, Mary immediately traveled roughly 70 miles to help her elderly, pregnant cousin — choosing obedienc...

The sermon reflects on how the liturgical phrase "let us attend" calls for genuine inner attentiveness, not just physical posture. Fr Thomas contrasts the multitudes amazed by Christ's healing of a demon-possessed, blind, and mute man with the scribes and Pharisees who condemned Him — arguing the difference was attentiveness itself.

This Pentecost sermon is built around three stages: running on empty, charging, and fully charged. Fr Pishoy opens with Acts 1:8, noting that the Greek word for "power" (dunamis) means miraculous power, likened to a lightning-driven power surge. Before Pentecost, the disciples were depleted, afraid, and directionless, much like Christians today who feel spiritually empty amid distraction and busyn...

This sermon, titled "Family Feud," reflects on Mark 3, where Jesus's own relatives come to restrain him, believing he is "out of his mind," and he responds by declaring that whoever does God's will is his brother, sister, and mother. From this, Fr Pishoy explores four concentric circles of family that Christians depend on: the nuclear family, noting how parenting and honoring elders have evolved;...

This sermon, delivered on the feast day of Saint Athanasius, explores his legacy through three themes. First, Athanasius the defender of the faith: he accompanied Pope Alexander to the Council of Nicaea, where he opposed Arius's heresy that Christ was a created being rather than co-eternal with the Father, and was exiled five times for upholding this doctrine — illustrating that precision in faith...

This sermon reflects on the life of Saint Demiana, a Coptic martyr, exploring her consecration to serve God, her father's denial of the faith, and her own martyrdom. Fr Pishoy emphasizes that "martyria" means both witness and martyrdom, urging us that true Christian witness today is less about literal death and more about living out one's faith authentically and lovingly before a watching world.

Fr Lazarus Yassa explains that baptism, confession, communion, and obedience are actually expressions of love flowing from God’s forgiveness. Through the example of repentance from the sinful woman, Fr Lazarus emphasizes that we are to taking sin seriously, receiving guidance through confession, and being ready for Christ’s return.

This sermon based on the gospel of the woman who washed Christ’s feet with her tears, reminds us that while touching what is unclean once meant becoming unclean, Christ’s touch makes the unclean clean. We should never let feelings of unworthiness keep us from Him; when we return to the Lord in repentance, prayer, receiving His Holy Mysteries, serving others and striving to imitate Him, we touch Ch...

Fr Timothy Fam continues 'Sacred Spaces' by moving from guarding and cleaning the inner temple to filling it with prayer, thanksgiving, and God’s presence. It emphasizes that unceasing prayer means continually returning our hearts to God, while thanksgiving trains us to recognize His grace and allows true joy to grow.

This sermon based on the gospel of the woman who washed Christ’s feet with her tears, reminds us that while touching what is unclean once meant becoming unclean, Christ’s touch makes the unclean clean. We should never let feelings of unworthiness keep us from Him; when we return to the Lord in repentance, prayer, receiving His Holy Mysteries, serving others and striving to imitate Him, we touch Ch...

What does it really mean to receive something you know you don't deserve? This sermon unpacks the difference between mercy and grace through the story of the sinful woman and Simon the Pharisee, showing how vulnerability before God opens the door to a kind of forgiveness that transforms everything. This sermon explores: - The difference between mercy (not getting what you deserve) and grace (getti...

What are you actually willing to give God, and is it costing you anything? This sermon digs into a question most of us would rather avoid: not whether we call ourselves worshipers, but whether our lives actually reflect it. "I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing." This sermon explores: - Why true worship always requires sacrifice, and how that sacrifi...

What would it look like if the gospel actually made you uncomfortable? Today's reading presents two striking characters side by side: a sinful woman who was willing to humiliate herself just to get close to Jesus, and a Pharisee who thought he was doing God a favor by having Him over for dinner. The contrast challenges us to ask honestly, "Has my love for Christ grown cold?" This sermon explores:...

In times of trial, our suffering can feel overwhelming. Fr David speaks about the comfort that God provides to us through these times of trial

In times of trial, our suffering can feel overwhelming. Fr David speaks about the comfort that God provides to us through these times of trial

A reflection on seeing beyond outward appearances and learning to look at ourselves and others through the eyes of God. This sermon reminds us that God looks at the heart and calls us to grow in humility, repentance, and spiritual discernment.

Ther 4th Sunday of Tout, the Coptic Orthodox Church reads from Luke 7:36-50. Two sinners encounter Jesus, but only one recognizes how desperately she needs His mercy. Through the contrast between Simon the Pharisee and the sinful woman, we discover the danger of becoming more aware of the sins of others than our own need for forgiveness. The closer we come to Christ, the more deeply we recognize H...