Sermons from St. Herman's

After hearing the gospel passage about the raising of Jairus' daughter and the healing of the woman with the flow of blood (Luke 8:41-56), Fr. Matthew Howell discusses the need for spiritual urgency and even desperation that motivates us to beg God for mercy while becoming "doers of the word and not just hearers" (James 1:22).

On the feast of St. Raphael of Brooklyn (celebrated by the Antiochian Archdiocese every year on the first Saturday of November), Fr. Matthew Howell talks about how St. Raphael founded 30 parishes in this country, how we should not take our freedom and ability to worship or confess for granted, and how joy is the fruit of the abundant life that Christ promises in John chapter 10. 

On the Sunday in which the Orthodox Church reads the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), Fr. Matthew Howell encourages everyone to err on the side of compassion when it comes to dealing with the needy that we encounter. He points out that people who find themselves in poverty always come from complex circumstances and have a story that is usually more complicated than what we see...

On the feast of St. James the Brother of the Lord , Fr. Matthew Howell hones in on a verse from his epistle: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22). He ultimately reminds everyone that true faith is love in action (James 2:18), and that love is an action much more than merely an idea. To be practical, he gives a list of ideas of how people can move from...

On the Sunday of the year in which the Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council , Fr. Matthew Howell reminds everyone of the existential message of the Christian Gospel. He then connects that Gospel message to the depiction in pictures of Christ and the saints and points out how icons are true expressions of the Gospel and affirmations of the Incarnation of t...

On the 17th Sunday after Pentecost, Fr. Matthew Howell uses the epistle (2 Cor. 6:16-18; 7:1) to ask the question: Are we living as temples of God or are we amusement parks oriented at selfish pleasure? He then uses the Gospel reading for the third Sunday of Luke (Luke 7:11-16) to discuss our Lord's life-giving Body and Blood and how important it is to prepare to receive it as much as possible.&nb...

On a Sunday in which the Church presents a passage from the Sermon on the Mount (Luke 6:31-36), Fr. Matthew Howell quotes extensively from St. Nikolai of Zica while talking about what it means to love your enemies. 

On the First Sunday of the Church's readings from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 5:1-11), Fr. Matthew Howell explains how Peter's obedience to Christ to let down his nets leads to Peter's humility, which ultimately results in Peter's realization of Christ's divinity. Along the way, Fr. Matthew also talks about the obedience of the fishermen and the fish.

On the Sunday after the feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, Fr. Matthew Howell uses the gospel reading (Mark 8:34-9:1) to talk about the two hardest parts of carrying one's cross: 1) Walking the path of repentance in all humility and honesty; 2) Forgiving someone who has hurt you even though they are not asking for forgiveness, trying to make amends, or even acknowledging their offense. He t...

During the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about how our relationships need to be balanced and oriented in a cross-shape form (+): vertically oriented toward God in prayer and repentance, and horizontally oriented through love of our neighbor. He also explains how moments of joyful sorrow are the pivotal moments of our salvation in which w...

At the end of Great Vespers and Orthros for the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross , Fr. Matthew Howell explains how the precious and life-giving Cross is more powerful than Thor's hammer.

As he reflects on the 21st anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001 and prepares for the upcoming feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, Fr. Matthew Howell talks about the USA's "War on Terror" which was declared on by President Bush on September 20, 2001. He states that while 9/11 was a major event, the resurrection of Christ remains the only event that truly changed the world. He then...

On the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos , Fr. Matthew Howell reflects on the courageous patience of the Virgin Mary's parents, Joachim and Anna. Using Psalm 26:15-16 as a launching point, he encourages people to take courage and wait on the Lord in order to see good things in the land of the living and deepen their faith, hope, and trust in the Lord. Along the way, he quotes a plethora of sc...

On the 12th Sunday after Pentecost, Fr. Matthew Howell uses the Gospel passage (Matthew 19:16-26) to ask the question: What do you treasure? He explains that if there is something more important in your life than God, then you are at risk of committing idolatry. He discusses different things that we turn into idols in this life, such as money, pleasure, entertainment, power, prestige, or even fami...

While visiting All Saints of North America Orthodox Church in Homer, Alaska, Fr. Matthew Howell gives a homily to a newly-illumined family about what their mission is now that they have entered the fullness of the Orthodox Faith. Along the way, he borrows the phrase from the old Mission Impossible television show.

On the feast of the beheading of St. John the Baptist , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about lessons that we can learn from the life and ministry of St. John the Baptist. These lessons include preaching and living the gospel, even in Hades; repenting, "for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand;" and having courage to speak the truth when facing sin.  Previous Homilies for this feast by Fr. Matthew...

On the tenth Sunday after Pentecost, Fr. Matthew Howell ambitiously tackles four different subjects during his homily. He reminds his people of his homily from the feast of the Dormition two weeks earlier and encourages them to pick up the St. Herman Bible Reading Challenge printed in the narthex or found on the parish website . He apologizes for his tone during a certain part of the previous week...

After hearing in the Gospel reading (Matthew 17:14-23) that "this [demon] only comes out by prayer and fasting," Fr. Matthew Howell talks about the importance of prayer. Along the way, he explains the difference between merely saying prayers and actually praying, and also gets a little carried away when commenting on the difference between the phrases "taking communion" versus "receiving communion...

On this celebration of the Dormition of the Theotokos , Fr. Matthew Howell talks about the importance of reading Scriptures in order to draw near to God.

On the seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Fr. Matthew Howell passes on advice that he received the previous Sunday while serving liturgy at the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. He served with a retired OCA priest of 54 years, Fr. John Steffaro, who told him three things to do as a priest: 1) Preach the Gospel; 2) Pray the Liturgy; and 3) Love your people. Fr. M...

On the fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Fr. Matthew Howell takes a look at the humility and faith of the centurion who comes to Christ in Matthew chapter 8. He also takes time to point out that God asks us to be faithful and prepared to receive holy communion, but God does not ask us to be perfect.

On the third Sunday after Pentecost, Fr. Matthew Howell shares some of the teachings that he received from the previous week's diocesan Parish Life Conference where the theme was from Matthew 18:3: "Assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." He then connects this conference theme to today's gospel reading from...

On the second Sunday after Pentecost, Fr. Matthew Howell talks about the difference between a chicken and a pig when it comes to breakfast, how the first four disciples called by Jesus not only committed to Him by decommitted to many other things, how we must commit to Christ, and how we should go from being fans of God to true followers of Christ. He explains that followers have relationship with...

On the first Sunday after Pentecost , Fr. Matthew Howell breaks down the word "saint" (in Greek, "agios") and how we are all called to be saints and to do the will of our heavenly Father.

Fr. Matthew Howell gives a homily at the end of a baptism, and reminds the family that evangelism starts at home.