Dormition Parish Homily Replay

Sometimes the greatest obstacle to faith isn’t disbelief—it’s familiarity. When sacred words become routine, it’s easy to stop listening and miss what God is trying to say. This message is an invitation to approach the Gospel with fresh eyes, renewed attention, and an open heart, trusting that even a passage we’ve heard many times can speak to us in a new way. The healing of the paralytic reveals...

Healthy boundaries can protect what matters most, while barriers built out of fear, resentment, or hopelessness can quietly separate us from God and from one another. This message explores why some boundaries are essential for a healthy spiritual life, while others prevent us from experiencing the freedom and healing Christ offers. We’re invited to take an honest look at the walls we’ve built in o...

When we hear the word  slavery , we naturally think of one of history’s greatest injustices. Yet St. Paul uses that same language to challenge a difficult truth: everyone serves something. The question is not whether we have a master, but who or what has our allegiance. Sin often presents itself as freedom, but what begins as a choice can become a habit, and habits can become chains. Through Chris...

For many people, life can feel like an endless cycle of responsibilities, deadlines, bills, and worries. Yet Christ asks a simple question that cuts through the noise:  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  How we answer that question shapes everything else. When our attention is fixed only on worldly concerns, anxiety quickly takes hold. But when our eyes and hearts are tur...

For the first disciples, leaving their nets behind meant far more than walking away from a profession. Nets can become a powerful image of the burdens, distractions, and tangled priorities that often accumulate throughout life. Yet Christ’s call opens the door to something greater, transforming what once held us back into a path toward freedom and purpose. The Gospel reminds us that Christ does no...

Pentecost may be behind us on the calendar, but the work of the Holy Spirit continues every day in the life of the Church. On the Sunday of All Saints, we’re reminded that holiness is not reserved for a select few. The same Spirit who guided the apostles, inspired the saints, and continues to lead the Church is also at work in each of us. Many of the saints we admire lived extraordinary lives, but...

Pentecost is not simply a moment remembered from the past — it is the living breath of God entering the world again and again. Drawing from Genesis, Acts, and the words of St. Paul, this episode connects the “mighty rushing wind” of Pentecost to the very breath that gave life to Adam. The same Spirit that hovered over creation and descended upon the Apostles is still being poured out today, renewi...

Between Ascension and Pentecost, the apostles waited — not with fear or panic, but with trust that God was already at work. Christ’s prayer “that they may be one” reveals that the Church was never meant to be built on power, strategy, or perfection, but on communion with God and with one another. The quiet moments of faith often shape the Church more than we realize: a prayer through grief, forgiv...

The healing of the man born blind reveals that true blindness is often spiritual, not physical. While some recognize the work of God, others remain consumed by pride, power, profit, and self-interest. The stories from the Gospel and Acts both ask the same difficult question: what are we unable to see when our hearts become attached to the wrong things? The message also reflects on modern distracti...

Guilt says, “I made a mistake.” Shame says, “I am the mistake.” In this Gospel about the Samaritan Woman at the Well, Christ reveals the difference. He speaks truth without shaming, showing her that being fully known does not lead to rejection. Instead, it becomes the place of encounter. She comes to the well burdened and hidden, but leaves seen, known, and transformed—no longer defined by her sha...

In today’s Gospel, a man waits for years beside the pool, hoping for healing to come at just the right moment. But Christ doesn’t wait for conditions to change—He steps forward, speaks, and restores. This challenges a way of thinking we can easily fall into: treating faith like a formula instead of a living relationship. Christ meets us directly, offering healing through His presence, not through...

In the quiet of the early morning, the myrrh-bearing women come to the tomb carrying both spices and sorrow. They are not expecting resurrection—only seeking to remain faithful in love, even in the face of loss. Their actions reveal something deeply human: love does not simply end, even when death seems to have the final word. Drawing on the understanding that grief is something we move through ra...

One week after Pascha, the Gospel brings us back to the upper room, where fear, doubt, and faith meet face to face. Thomas seeks more than secondhand belief—he desires a real encounter with the risen Christ. And Christ responds, not with rejection, but with invitation. This reflection draws a connection between Thomas’s experience and the gift of the Eucharist, especially as young members of the p...

The message of Easter is simple and unchanging:  He has been raised. He is not here. We are reminded that Easter is the feast of hope—where love is stronger than death, and God’s final word is always life. The truth of Easter is not in question. The question is:  what will we do with that truth—and what will we let it do within us?

Life often begins with hope—plans, dreams, and expectations for how things should unfold. Yet over time, many of those hopes can fade or fall apart through disappointment, loss, or unexpected turns. What once felt full of promise can end up feeling empty, leaving us wondering what God is doing in the midst of it all. Even when dreams, plans, or relationships seem finished, God is still at work. Tr...

Christ does not rush to condemn, but creates space for repentance and mercy. This reflection asks a simple question: will we hold on to judgment, or let the stones fall? Forgiveness is only the beginning—each of us is called to rise, turn back to God, and walk a path of real transformation. A simple prayer to carry this week: Lord Jesus Christ, give me the courage to see my sins without despair, t...

Great Lent is a journey of faith. The story of Abraham reveals what it means to trust God’s promise even when its fulfillment seems impossible. Abraham lived between the promise and its fulfillment, a place where faith quietly grows. Lent reflects that same spiritual path—prayer, fasting, and struggle that often unfold slowly and unseen. Like roots growing beneath the soil, God is at work even whe...

During  Great Lent , the Church invites us to look more deeply at the cross—not only as a place of suffering, but as the eternal altar of God’s love. When we unite our struggles, prayers, and sacrifices with Christ, we share in His priestly offering for the life of the world. This episode invites us to rediscover the meaning of the cross—and the surprising ways God’s greatest work can appear in th...

On the final day of the Lenten Mission, we turn to Psalm 50 — the Church’s great psalm of repentance. This ancient prayer reveals our true condition, God’s mercy, and the path to restoration. Psalm 50 teaches us that repentance is not a one-time moment but an ongoing turning toward God.

On Day 2 of Dormition Parish’s Lenten Mission, Deacon Cyril Kennedy turns to Psalm 103 and the meaning of repentance. Repentance is not bad news — it is the invitation to turn back, to find our way home to the life God intends for us. Through Psalm 103, we are reminded that God is sovereign over creation, over chaos, and over our own lives. The Psalm calls us to stop centering everything on oursel...

On Day 1 of the Lenten Mission, Deacon Cyril Kennedy reflects on the purpose of a mission: repentance and renewal as we turn toward the Kingdom of God. Through Psalms 140 and 141, he shows how the Psalms give voice to our struggles, dependence, and need for God — while ultimately revealing Christ Himself. From the imagery of incense and sacrifice to their fulfillment in Christ’s death at the ninth...

On the First Sunday of the Great Fast, we celebrate the restoration of holy icons — and the deeper truth they proclaim: every human person is created in the image of God. Lent is a season of restoration. Through prayer, fasting, and forgiveness, the face of Christ begins to shine again within us.