Sunday of Zacchaeus

Beginning of the Lenten Triodion

Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Sunday before the Beginning of the Great Fast

Third Sunday of the Great Fast

Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast

Entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem

The Resurrection of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ

St Thomas Sunday - Second Sunday of Pascha

Holy Myrrhbearers - Third Sunday of Pascha

Sunday of the Paralytic - Fourth Sunday of Pascha

Sunday of the Blind Man - Sixth Sunday of Pascha

Great Feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit

All Saints of North America - Second Sunday after Pentecost

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Originally given July 27, 2008)

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Forgiveness is at the heart of the gospel message and Christian experience. As Christians living in the community of faith, we are called to share all things in common. Fr Tom explains that this includes sharing the mercy and compassion with one another that we first received from Christ. (Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost)

The readings presented by the Church on this day remind us of the most fundamental teachings about what we believe and who we are called to be as Christians. As we celebrate the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God, Fr Tom tells us that the Virgin Mary is the one who embodies hearing and keeping those most basic teachings. (Dormition of the Mother of God, Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost)

As Christians, we have been entrusted with the Kingdom of God. But this great gift comes with a responsibility. Fr Tom explains that the parable of the Vinedressers is God's warning to us to fulfill our essential mission to grow the Church. (Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

The scriptures are replete with examples describing the union between God and His people as a marriage. Fr Tom teaches us that the intimate union God desires to have with us begins with our baptism. It's up to us, however, to keep our garment undefiled in order to worthily partake of the eternal Marriage Supper of the Lamb with His Bride. (Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Beheading of St John the Baptist)

Even though we live in a pluraistic society, Orthodox Christians must uphold the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Fr Tom teaches us that Christ and the Cross are not simply one way to the Father, but the only way. (Sunday before the Elevation of the Precious Cross)

Membership in the Body of Christ is not like being a member of any human organization. Fr Tom teaches us the words of our Lord which clearly state that begin a joined to Him requires total commitment. (Sunday after the Elevation of the Cross)

Christ was obedient to His Father in all things. Fr Tom teaches us that God blesses those who are obedient to His commands and the result of loving obedience to God is the growth of the Church. (Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

God did not create sickness and disease nor does He desire for us to suffer. However, Fr Tom teaches us that the sovereign God uses suffering to draw us closer to Him. (Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

Our God is not a benign spirit in the sky. Our God is the God Who reaches out to us in our sinfulness. Fr Tom teaches us that we are called to have a life-changing encounter with the God Who snatches us from the grip of sin and death. (Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost)

We are partakers of the rich mercies and blessings that God has liberally poured out upon our lives. Fr Tom reminds us that all of our blessings, both spiritual and material, are meant to be freely given to others, just as they have been given to us. (Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost)

On Friday, October 29, 2010, St Nicholas Church in McKees Rocks/Pittsburgh was vandalized. The assailants smashed through a stained glass window, ripped down a royal door, and overturned a candle stand. Fr Tom reminded his flock that though these trials may come, no one can take away the gift of our faith in God. (Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost)

While the story of the Good Samaritan can inspire us to do good works, Fr Tom reminds us that ultimately the parable points to something much greater: Our salvation. (Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost)

As the popular holiday of Thanksgiving in the USA approaches, we gather around our tables to focus on being thankful to God for the many blessings He has given us. Fr Tom reminds us that the only thing we will take with us when we die is our virtue, not our 'stuff.'

The Creed which we profess states that God created things "visible and invisible." Fr Tom reminds us that there is an invisible warfare constantly being waged on us, and we must be prepared by putting on the whole armor of God.

Throughout the scriptures the imagery of the supper is used to depict the hospitality of God toward us. Fr Tom reminds us to respond well to the invitation to be united to Christ. (Twenty-ninth Sunday after Pentecost. Sermon given in Florida.)

The Gospel contains both words of comfort and words of challenge and warning. Fr Tom reminds us not to make the mistake of listening only to messages which comfort us, but to live up to the words that challenge our faith to continue on the difficult way of Christ. (Thirty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost)

Asking for mercy from God is at the heart of the Church's prayer. Fr Tom teaches us that that two seeminly opposing attitudes, humility and boldness, are necessary to continually approach the throne of God. (Thirty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost - The Canaanite Woman)

Short-of-stature Zacchaeus overcomes his obstacles to seeing Jesus. Fr Tom reminds us that our actions and behaviors reveal to the world and to God what things are most important to us, but we can rise above the crowd of the world in order to be united with God. (Thirty-seventh Sunday after Pentecost)

As we approach the Great Fast, the parable of the Prodigal Son prepares our hearts to return to God. Fr Tom teaches us that in this important parable we learn the truth about who we can be and who God is. (Sunday of the Prodigal Son)

On the second Sunday before the beginning of the Great Fast the Church calls to our attention the Last Judgment. Fr Tom teaches us that our fate at the appearance of the Son of Man in His glory will be determined by our reaction to the brightness of His Love and Mercy. (Sunday of the Last Judgment)

On the day before the beginning of Great Lent, the Church teaches us that our journey of repentance begins with offering forgiveness. Fr Tom reminds us that forgiveness is the essential action to grow in the likeness of God, because it is what He freely offers to us. (Forty-first Sunday after Pentecost - Forgiveness Sunday)

On this first Sunday of Lent we celebrate the historical Triumph of Orthodoxy over the Iconoclasts. Fr Tom reminds us that we also need an ever-present Triumph of Orthodoxy in our lives to fulfill the evangelical call of Christ. (Sunday of Orthodoxy)

In the gospel reading for the second Sunday of Great Lent, Christ heals a man of debilitating paralysis. But Fr Tom reminds us that Jesus reveals something even more important, that He forgives sins as the eternal Son of God. (Second Sunday of Great Lent - Healing of the Paralytic)

On the Third Sunday of the Great Fast, the Church places the precious cross of our Lord in the midst of the temple for our veneration and contemplation. Fr Tom reminds us that the scriptures present the cross as a sign both of comfort and of judgment, encouraging us to fulfill the Lenten effort to take up our cross and follow Christ. (Veneration of the Precious Cross)

We can all relate to the father who cries out to Jesus, "help my unbelief!" But Fr Tom teaches us that focusing on the unchanging promises of God will keep us faithful.