The First Fruits of Achaia: Setting Ourselves for the Ministry of the Saints

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost / Thirteenth Sunday of Matthew, August 30, 2015 I Corinthians 16:13-24; Matthew 21:33-42 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Many times when we’re reading something, we come across a phrase or two in parentheses, and we might skip over that part because it’s…

What is the Secret to Eternity?

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost / Twelfth Sunday of Matthew, August 23, 2015 I Corinthians 15:1-11; Matthew 19:16-26 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. “What good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” So asks the rich young man who approaches Jesus. He is looking for the…

From “Membership” to Ministry: Feeding the Five Thousand

Feast of St. Paraskeva / Eighth Sunday of Matthew, July 26, 2015 Galatians 3:23-4:5; Matthew 14:14-22 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. We are all familiar with this account from the Gospels of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Though we read today from Matthew 14, this…

Not Abolition, But Fulfillment: Reading Everything in the Light of Christ

Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council, July 19, 2015 Titus 3:8-15; Matthew 5:14-19 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. I would like us to hear the short text of today’s Gospel again, because this is what we will speak on today. These are the words of the…

St. Paisios and Salvation from Distraction

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost / Sixth Sunday of Matthew, July 12, 2015 Romans 12:6-14; Matthew 9:1-8 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today we have a rare privilege in church life in that today is the very first time the feast of a saint is celebrated—St. Paisios…

The Christianity of the Ascension: Our Potential in Christ

Sunday after Ascension, May 24, 2015 Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. From middle school all the way through high school, if you could chart a single theme in the comments that teachers would make to my parents, whether in parent-teacher conferences, report cards, or notes sent…