Hill Country Homilies

With restrictions on the size of gatherings, Bp. Irineos travels to San Antonio to serve a house liturgy for the faithful in the Alamo City. In his homily on the Sunday of the Adoration of the Cross, he assures the faithful to not lose faith even in the face of all the challenges of this year. Reflecting on the teachings of the fathers, he explains how the wood of the cross heals the damage done b...

On the Second Sunday of Great Lent, Bp. Irineos looks at the Gospel reading of the Paralytic carried on his bed, and the faith of his friends who bore him to Christ. Commenting on the difficult times we are facing, Bp. Irineos urges the faithful away from fear and to stand strongly in faith for themselves and for those around them who are struggling.

On Forgiveness Sunday we enter Great Lent where we are to focus on our own repentance. In his homily today, Bp. Irineos looks at the link between forgiving others and undertaking our own repentance.

On the Sunday of the Last Judgment, Fr. Elias shares his thoughts on Gospel reading and the criteria by which we will be and are being judged!

On the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, Bp. Irineos preaches on how great the forgiveness of the Father is and how our repentance can lead us back to His embrace, and that this forgiveness is for all who turn to Him.

As we enter the Lenten Triodion, Bp. Irineos reflects on the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee and particularly on how pride can separate us from God and prevent us from truly repenting of our sins. Drawing upon the teachings of the saints, we seek the humble heart of the publican and the endurance to take accusations as healing medicine for our ailing souls.

On Zacchaeus Sunday, Bp. Irineos compares the Gospel account of Zacchaeus with the preceding account of the healing of the blind man, and examines the role of "the crowd" in both readings. As we begin to prepare for Great Lent, Bp. Irineos encourages us to raise ourselves above the "crowd" and push back against the cares of the world and the detractors who tempt us during this season.

While visiting a prospective mission community in DeKalb County, Alabama, Bp. Irineos reflects on the calling of the Orthodox in North America to evangelize not just those in ethnic communities or large cities, but in the small towns and rural areas as well.

On the Sunday after Nativity, Bp. Irineos discusses the Gospel reading of Christ's flight to Egypt. Looking at the commentary of the Church Fathers, he contrasts light and darkness as it relates to the reading today.

On the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord in the Flesh, Bp. Irineos considers how the nativity is bound up both in creation and salvation, and, drawing upon the thoughts of St. Athanasius the Great in his seminal work "On the Incarnation" reflects upon the loving gift of salvation given to us through the Incarnation of Christ.

Who are the Holy Forefathers? Why do we remember them? How are the relevant to us today? Bp. Irineos tackles these questions while looking at the Gospel reading from today.

Reflecting on the Gospel account of Christ healing the blind man as he is walking to Jericho, Bp. Irineos ponders how our own use of idle time deprives us of healing communion with God each day. Echoing the Epistle, he urges us to redeem the time, and boldly allow our faith to shine forth and keep us ever in the gaze of Christ.

What if we had only one sin keeping us from eternal life? Would we immediately repent of it and make a metanoia for the salvation of our souls? Or would we cling to it, sorrowing of the idea of ever letting go, even at the cost of our own salvation? In today's Gospel, we hear of a man so beholden to riches, that he chooses money over eternal life. Bp. Irineos discusses the reading and asks for the...

The holy Theotokos is certainly the most exalted and sanctified vessel in all of God's creation. She became the gate by which God entered in to be with His people. As we celebrate the Feast of her Entry into the Temple, it is worthy to reflect upon how this time was a preparation for her anointed bearing of Christ. Bp. Irineos discusses her care and preparation and how this relates to our preparat...

In Paul's epistle to the Galatians, he testifies to the direct revelation of the Gospel to him by Christ. While this reading is a great proof of the apostleship of Paul, it is also a reminder to each of us that we too are meant to encounter God directly. Bp. Irineos discusses how Paul's direct experience of Christ is a prototype for us all.

Bp. Irineos discusses the parable of the sower, the explanation that Christ shares with his disciples and the fate of those groups that are discussed in the parable. Within the Church, we are given the grace to endure patiently the temptations that we may bring forth fruits to perfection, and for our salvation!

The Gospel account of Christ's raising from the dead of the son of the widow of Nain is best understood as part of a series of three accounts of Christ raising the dead. In these accounts, we find the compassionate and powerful Lord exercising his absolute dominion over death - a power that would become more evident in his own resurrection. In these account we may reflect on our own grief and the...

On the Second Sunday of Luke, Bp, Irineos discusses the gospel command to love our enemies and how the living of that command changes lives and preaches the gospel in its own right. He also calls to memory how the failure to love has been a burden on the faith since the earliest days of the Church.

On the First Sunday of Luke, we hear of the miraculous catch of fish. Bp. Irineos discusses how this miraculous event symbolizes the Apostles replacing the teachers of the law and the apostolic call given to each of us by our baptism.

Today Bp. Irineos preaches on Christ's response to the lawyer who tempted Him by asking which was the greatest of the Law. Christ responded with with his two Great Commandments: to love God and to love your neighbor as you love yourself. This vital command challenges us even to this day. Do we truly love God if we do not also love our neighbor? And how good of a job do we do with loving God?

On the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, we examine the question of why we might celebrate the normal human birth of the virgin Mary and how her birth to the righteous Joachim and Anna bound the law and the promise of the Old Covenant to the limits of time as the Incarnation of Christ drew ever closer and the promise of our salvation had began to be realized in the flesh.

In the parable of the wicked vinedressers, amidst the violence and rebellion against God, Bp. Irineos suggests we may learn something about God's love for his creation.

For the 12th Sunday after Pentecost we read Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians and Matthew's Gospel account of the rich young ruler. While both readings include important reminders about the faith and laying aside our worldly concerns, both also show the power of the grace of God.

On this Sunday the Gospel reading is the Parable of the 10,000 Talents. Bp. Irineos discusses how the Church understands this passage, and why it is so important that we include it in the Lectionary. Urging the faithful to practice forgiveness from the heart, Bp. Irineos warns that the plain meaning of the parable tells us that if we do not practice forgiveness, our very salvation is at risk.

For the feast of the Dormition, Fr. Elias talks about the role of the Theotokos and the readings for the feast from Vespers.