Hill Country Homilies

On the Triodion Sunday of the Prodigal Son, Bp. Irineos looks at the parable and the significance of the saying that "He came to himself." In this homily we explore how "coming to ourselves", that is returning to our God created nature, is necessary before true repentance may be found.

As we begin the Lenten Triodion, Bp. Irineos discusses the passion of pride and the virtue of the humility, modeled in today's reading of the Publican and the Pharisee.

As Zacchaeus Sunday reminds us of the coming penitential season of Great Lent, Bp. Irineos discusses the mystery of confession and repentance and how we can make a better confession and why this matters for our salvation.

On the Feast of Theophany, Bishop Irineos discusses the Baptism of Christ and why the Church understands water to be a means of conveying grace and blessings. God's use of water to draw His people to Him shows water to be far more than a symbol, and the Church understands it to be a real means of connecting God and the faithful.

After the celebration of the Nativity and the preparation for the Baptism of Christ, Bp. Irineos looks at the scripture for today and comments on how it acts as proof of the humanity of Christ in between two feasts which reveal His Divinity.

Following the Divine Liturgy for Nativity, Bp. Irineos discusses the glory of the Nativity as reflected in one of the eucharistic prayers of the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil, reading one of the priestly prayers as a homiletic reflection on the Incarnation of our Lord.

Looking at both the Gospel reading of the Genealogy of Christ and the Epistle reading on the faith of the Holy Fathers of the Old Testament, Bp. Irineos discusses how we see faith evidenced not by words, but by actions. He also reminds us of the coming joy of the Nativity of our Lord.

On the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, Bp. Irineos looks as who we are talking about when we celebrate the Forefathers. Drawing on how their lives relate to the Gospel passage - the Parable of the Great Banquet - and how we must respond to our invitation to dine with the Lord!

For some reason, holiday seasons seem to bring out the opinions of those who call themselves "Spiritual but not Religious" and they like to explain how Jesus was against religions and just wanted us to love one another. And they point to Gospel passages like today where Jesus accuses religious leaders. But does the conclusion that Christ opposed organized religion flow from these encounters? Bisho...

Reflecting on the Gospel reading of the Parable of the Rich Fool, Bp. Irineos considers whether the overly prepared person is in any better place than the unprepared when called to meet the Lord. Looking at the wisdom of the early Church fathers, we examine how we can truly be prepared for that night when our soul shall be required of us!!

Fr. Irineos interviews Abp. Gavrilo of Moravia about his mission in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and evangelism in the Genuine Orthodox Church.

For this week's Gospel reading of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Fr. Irineos examines the view espoused by some that the rich man's care for his brothers might lead him to salvation.

In the Homily for the Sunday of the Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council, Fr. Irineos reflects upon the importance of safeguarding the faith from innovation and modernism.

Looking at the Epistle Reading for today (2 Corinthians 11:31-12:9), Fr. Irineos reflects on the dangers of the sin of pride, and how conquering our pride enables us to fulfill the Gospel commandment to love and serve others with no expectation of reward.

Fr. Irineos discusses the deeper meaning contained in the Gospel account of the Miraculous Catch of Fish! By looking at the church fathers, we can understand how this passage was understood other than as another miracle of Christ. (Fr. Irineos apologizes in advance for the somewhat disjointed presentation this week!)

"We are not called to be givers to the Church. We are called to be stewards over all of God's creation." The Gospel reading appointed for this Sunday is the Parable of the Talents. Quite often, this reading is used to remind the faithful of the importance of supporting the church. In today's homily, though, Fr. Irineos points out that Christian stewardship is a far broader calling than tithing to...

In this Homily for the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, Fr. Irineos calls us back to remember the special and vital role the Theotokos played in the restoration of the broken communion between God and His creation. Looking at both the scriptural foreshadowing of her role and the necessity of her assent, Fr. Irineos forcefully expounds the importance of the remembrance of the Theotokos in th...

In today's Gospel, we hear Christ's summation of the law and the prophets - love God, and love your neighbor. Why is it that these simple commands are so difficult to fulfill in our daily life?

Today's Gospel reading, the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, prompts Fr. Irineos to throw out his prepared homily and talk about the feast prepared by the king. After his invited guests decline, the king sends his servants out into the countryside to fill the banquet hall. But finding one of these last minute guests without a wedding garment, the king is outraged and throws him out. Why is that wed...

Using the parable of the wicked vinedressers, Fr. Irineos examines what fruits are spoken of in the parable and how they are to be rendered to the owner of the vineyard.

On the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Fr. Irineos reflects on various objections to the commemoration of Mary, and how, in fact, knowing Mary is essential to knowing and understanding Christ!

Fr, Irineos looks at the Gospel reading for the Feast of the Transfiguration as a series of proofs and promises, and examines how what happened on Mt. Tabor can lead us in our faith today.

In this week's homily, given during an air conditioning outage at the mission, Fr. Irineos reflects on the importance of prayer and fasting to the preparation of a Christian.

Using the example of a recent internet quotation making the rounds, and the lives of St. Boris and Gleb (commemorated today), Fr. Irineos examines why people are prone to question spiritual wisdom and the saints. Apologies for the audio - a fan was blowing directly across the microphone).

The story of the Feeding of the 5000 is contained in all four Gospels. It is widely read and perhaps even more widely preached on. In today's homily, Fr. Irineos looks at how the Church has historically interpreted this Gospel lesson, how that interpretation compares with modern preaching outside the Church, and how a proper understanding of scripture guides us to the right faith.