Homily on the Feast of the Kazan Mother of God (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily on the Feast of the Kazan Mother of God 

By St. John of Kronstadt

"O diligent Intercessor... pray for all to Your Son, Christ our God, and grant salvation to all who flee to Your mighty protection." (Troparion to the Kazan Mother of God).

Do you all, beloved brethren, always pray diligently to the Mother of God? If any of you do not pray to Her, or do so not from the bottom of your heart, I implore you from this day forth to begin to pray to Her with all fervor, for the Lady is a swift Intercessor for all Christians who fervently seek Her protection and intercession. She does not turn away from anyone and does not neglect anyone. To be granted Her intercession, all that is required is a firm faith in the power of Her prayers and a humble, sincere prayer.

What calamity has befallen you, or what inner sorrow do you bear: hasten to prayer to the Lady, and do not seek solace in any earthly comforts – be it in theaters, circuses, or social gatherings, much less should you resort to wine to alleviate your sorrow and forget your misfortune, as many do. Theaters, circuses, and entertainments that involve wine or other similar distractions are new calamities, though they may not be evident at first glance, for they are beguiling.

Homily for the Feast of Saint Kyriaki (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homily for the Feast of Saint Kyriaki 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Delivered on Monday 7 July 2025 in the Church of Saint Kyriaki in Leptokarya of Mountainous Nafpaktia)

We came here today to the settlement of Agia Kyriaki, in order to celebrate this great Saint, whom we respect and honor, and in fact this entire region of Nafpaktia, of mountainous Nafpaktia, respects and honors Saint Kyriaki, who was a Great Martyr, a Venerable Virgin Martyr, who was martyred at the beginning of the 4th century, when there were very great persecutions within the Church of Christ. And we came here to this place, which is about 1,300 meters above sea level, to honor this Holy Great Martyr and Venerable Virgin Saint Kyriaki. I see that all the people, not only those who live here in the area and in the villages, but also in Nafpaktos, love Saint Kyriaki and come up here not only during her commemoration, that is, today and yesterday during Vespers and today during the Divine Liturgy, but they come up regularly because the environment is also beautiful and therefore to appreciate it and pray to the Holy Venerable Virgin Martyr Kyriaki the Prize-Bearer. 

The Example of the Centurion (Fr. George Metallinos)

The Example of the Centurion 

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Metallinos

4TH SUNDAY OF MATTHEW (Matthew 8:5-13)

“When Jesus heard it, He marveled…” (Matthew 8:10)

1. Today's Gospel presents us with the rough portrait of a soldier who is drawn to the charm of our Christ. When one sees so many qualities in a person's soul, it is understandable to feel a certain surprise. Life and history have accustomed us to perceive a soldier somewhat differently, as a hard and violent individual. Not infrequently, the abuses of certain individuals lead to a disgust towards the military class and, in general, towards anyone in uniform, as they are believed to be associated with violence and imposition.

The centurion has a specific reason for coming to Christ. He rushes to meet Him, to plead for his servant, who suffered from paralysis. Just this act elevates this man significantly in our consciousness, considering the status of slaves, especially during that time. Slaves were only human in form; socially, they were not different from animals. They performed all the heavy labor – similar to what foreign workers do today or what illegal immigrants endure – and they lived at the mercy of their masters, who treated them as they wished. For such a socially degraded being, the centurion comes to plead. What weighs even more heavily on his action is that he sees his servant not as his property, but as a member of his family. For it is certain that he would not have shown greater concern for one of his children.

Homily on the Fourth Sunday of Matthew: The Healing of the Servant of the Roman Centurion (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Fourth Sunday of Matthew

The Healing of the Servant of the Roman Centurion

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1964)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, today we have been offered the wonderful Gospel of the miraculous healing of the Roman centurion's servant by our Lord Jesus Christ. The Capernaum centurion, whose servant Jesus Christ healed, is a very bright and kind person and can in many ways serve as an example for us to follow in our salvation. This man was a pagan, but he showed such faith before the Lord that Christ was amazed: He did not find such faith, as the Savior Himself testified, even in Israel.

In what exactly did the Capernaum centurion discover a special faith that surprised Christ the Savior and which we can learn from him?

Homily Two for the Fourth Sunday of Matthew (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two for the Fourth Sunday of Matthew
(4th Sunday of Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt 

When Jesus heard (the centurion's answer), He marveled and said to those who followed Him: "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel" (Matt. 8:10).

In today's Gospel, brethren, the Lord praised the faith of one centurion, who asked the Lord to heal his servant who was very sick. It was like this: The Savior entered the city of Capernaum. His disciples and a great multitude followed Him. Here the centurion appears to Him with a bow, and says to Him: "Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed and grievously afflicted." Jesus says to him: "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said: "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who followed Him: "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel." And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way, and as you have believed, let it be done to you." And his servant was healed from that very hour (Matthew 8:6–10, 13).