St. Mary Magdalene Orthodox Church Bible Study

In this sermon, Fr. Stephen reflects on Holy Friday and the painful truth revealed at the Cross. The message is not simply about what happened long ago in Jerusalem. It is about what our own sins, our pride, and our excuses still do to the soul. This sermon asks listeners to stop standing at a distance and to see themselves honestly before the Crucifixion. The heart of the sermon is a call to repe...

In this sermon, Fr. Stephen reflects on Holy Thursday Matins in Orthodox Christianity and why the Church speaks so strongly about Judas. The focus is not just on one man from the past. It is on the way every human heart can drift through excuses, distractions, and misplaced loves. This sermon asks a hard but necessary question: how often do we put lesser things before God? The sermon explains that...

In this sermon, Fr. Stephen reflects on one of the most moving themes of Orthodox Holy Week: the wedding garment. The Bridegroom services place us before the Lord with honesty and ask whether our hearts are truly ready for His coming. This is a sermon about humility, repentance, and the meaning of spiritual readiness in Orthodox Christianity. It helps listeners understand why these services are so...

In this sermon, Fr. Stephen reflects on the meaning of Bridegroom Matins and why Holy Week matters so deeply in Orthodox Christianity. The central theme is spiritual readiness. The Orthodox Church teaches that Christ comes to us as the Bridegroom, and we are called to meet Him with watchfulness, repentance, and love. This sermon explains why the Church places this message at the very beginning of...

In this sermon, Fr. Stephen reflects on Palm Sunday and why it is both joyful and serious in the life of the Orthodox Church. The feast celebrates Christ’s entry into Jerusalem, but it also places us at the doorway of Holy Week. This sermon explains why Orthodox Christianity treats this day as more than a celebration with palms and bright hymns. It is a call to walk with Christ toward His Passion...

In this sermon, Fr. Stephen reflects on Holy Unction and the true meaning of healing in Orthodox Christianity. The focus is not only on physical recovery, but on the healing of soul and body so that we may turn back to God in prayer. This is an important part of Orthodox teaching, especially as Christians prepare for Holy Week and Pascha. The sermon explains why the Church prays so deeply and seri...

In this sermon by Deacon Vassily, we hear how Jesus leads His disciples up to Jerusalem and tells them openly about His coming suffering, death, and resurrection. The Gospel shows that Christ goes to the Cross willingly. It also shows how easily people can misunderstand the Kingdom of God. While the Lord speaks of sacrifice, His disciples are still thinking about honor and glory. This sermon refle...

In this sermon, Fr. Stephen reflects on the feast of the Annunciation and why the Orthodox Church gives such great honor to the Virgin Mary. At the center of the sermon is a simple but searching question: what does it really mean to pray, “Thy will be done”? The Gospel of the Annunciation shows the Theotokos receiving God’s will with humility, trust, and obedience. Her yes to God becomes a living...

In this Q&A from our Orthodox Bible study, we look at a common question: what should we make of dreams and visions in the spiritual life? The Orthodox Church teaches caution here, reminding us that not everything we experience comes from God, even if it seems spiritual. The discussion explains how the Fathers approach dreams with sobriety and humility. Sometimes dreams are simply natural, even...

In this Bible study, we look at what it means to grow spiritually in Orthodox Christianity and why the journey toward Christ takes a lifetime. The teaching focuses on becoming an “unfinished icon,” slowly shaped into the likeness of Christ through prayer and repentance. We explore the levels of prayer described in the Orthodox tradition, including the Jesus Prayer and the call to “pray without cea...

In this sermon, we reflect on the image of the Ladder of Divine Ascent and what it teaches about the Orthodox Christian life. Why does following Christ sometimes feel harder, especially during Great Lent? The Orthodox Church teaches that the spiritual life is a steady climb toward Christ. Drawing from the teaching of St. John Climacus, this sermon explains how growth in faith often brings increase...

In this Bible study, Anthony Ally reflects on one of the deepest questions every human being asks: what happens after death? Orthodox Christianity teaches that death is not the end of the person. The soul remains alive before God, the body rests in hope of the resurrection, and every person will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is why the Orthodox Church speaks about death with both...

In this sermon we reflect on one of the most important themes of Great Lent in Orthodox Christianity: spiritual struggle and victory. Many people think of Lent only as a time of fasting and repentance, but the Orthodox Church teaches that these struggles lead toward the victory of Christ’s Resurrection. The Cross may look like defeat, but in the Gospel it becomes the instrument of salvation. The O...

In this last session of our 2026 Lenten Retreat, Fr. John Dresko took questions on stewardship, repentance, and the Christian life in the Orthodox Church. What does it mean to live faithfully with the gifts God has given us? This discussion helps answer that question in a clear and practical way. It shows that stewardship is not only about money, but about offering our whole life back to God. Orth...

In this 2nd retreat session we explore what stewardship means in the life of the Orthodox Church. Stewardship is not just about finances. It is about how Christians respond to the blessings God has given them. The talk explains how Scripture describes offerings such as first fruits and sacrificial giving. From the Old Testament sacrifices to the perfect sacrifice of Christ, the Bible shows that gi...

Stewardship in the Orthodox Church means more than giving money. It means offering our whole life back to God because everything we have comes from Him. In this retreat talk, Fr. John Dresko explains why stewardship is really about putting Christ first and learning to live as faithful servants in His Kingdom. He also shows how Great Lent is a time to reorder our priorities and let God reshape the...

In this homily, Fr. John Dresko reflects on the Gospel story of the paralytic and why the Orthodox Church places this reading during Great Lent. The story is simple but deeply meaningful. A paralyzed man is brought to Christ by his friends, and through forgiveness and healing he rises and walks again. Fr. John uses this Gospel to show something important about the human soul and our need for Chris...

In this talk we reflect on a prayer heard during the Presanctified Liturgy that calls us “sinful and useless servants.” At first, these words can sound harsh. Why would the Orthodox Church speak about human beings in this way? The answer reveals something important about Orthodox Christianity. The Church teaches that we come to Christ because we are broken and in need of healing. Orthodox worship...

In this adult Bible study, Anthony Ally reminded us that holiness is not reserved for monasteries or clergy. After we worship in the Divine Liturgy and receive Christ in the Eucharist, we are sent back into the world to live what we have received. Work, marriage, parenting, and daily responsibilities become the arena where we are shaped into the likeness of Christ. Scripture tells us, “Whatever yo...

On the Sunday of Orthodoxy, we celebrate victory in the very first week of Lent. That may seem strange in a season of repentance. But this feast reminds us why we are fasting and struggling in the first place. Our true identity is not found in politics, culture, sports, or personal branding. Our true identity is in Christ. The Church defended icons because the incarnation is real. God truly became...

On Saturday of Orthodoxy, the Church remembers a time when believers boldly proclaimed that Jesus Christ is truly God. They did not keep their faith private. They processed through the streets holding icons and declaring that the Word became flesh. The defense of icons was really a defense of the Incarnation. If Christ is truly God, then our faith cannot remain quiet or optional. The Church buildi...

Clean Week is intense because it is meant to wake us up. The Great Canon of St. Andrew confronts us with our weakness and reminds us that we are not as invincible as we often imagine. In a culture that constantly tells us we are good and self sufficient, the Church calls us back to reality. We are broken, and we need salvation. But the message is not despair. It is hope. When we finally admit that...

In this homily, Fr. Stephen reflects on the Presanctified Liturgy and why it is so essential during Great Lent. Though it is one of the oldest services in the Church, many Orthodox Christians attend it only a few times each year. Yet this deeply penitential service meets us in the middle of our weekly struggle and reminds us that heaven is still present even in the darkness of repentance. At the p...

In this homily, Fr. Stephen reflects on a powerful verse from the Canon of St. Andrew that calls us to prepare our souls and be courageous like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Great Lent is not simply about feeling sorrow for our sins. It is about taking responsibility for them and doing something about them. Repentance is active. It involves confession, prayer, almsgiving, and service. Stewardship dur...

In this homily, Fr. Stephen reflects on the Canon of St. Andrew and reminds us that Lent is not only about inward repentance. Yes, we fast. Yes, we pray. But healing does not stop there. The early Christians did not change the world by retreating from it. They changed it by serving it. True fasting moves outward. It means forgiving someone who hurt you. It means helping someone in need. It means s...