All Saints Homilies

A Once For All Witness

The institution of the Twelve Apostles is the link between the Church and the Resurrection of Christ. Fr. Pat preaches from Acts 1:15-26. This homily was given April 2, 2015.

Mary of Bethany

Mary of Bethany appears in the gospels of St. Luke and St. John, and in both books she stands as a point of contrast with someone else. Fr. Pat's brief meditation on these contrasts was given at Bridegroom Matins on Tuesday, April 30, 2013.

The Reality of the Risen Christ

In this homily given on St. Thomas Sunday, 2012, Fr. Pat examines three subjects related to the resurrection of Christ our Lord.

The Embodiment of Our Memory

Fr. Pat offers reflections on baptism and the Creed. This homily was given on Great and Holy Saturday,

This Messes Up All of Our Statistics

In the Holy Communion, there is a change of substance. The bread and the wine have been transformed. We receive into our flesh the risen power of Christ.

The God of Cash Value

Is the god we’re worshipping actually the God of the Bible? Or are we worshiping the benevolent, optimistic, political, social, economic god of contemporary American culture? Because the worship of a false god is worse than the worship of no god.

Spiritual Paralysis

On the Sunday of the Paralytic, Fr. Pat reflects upon a most pernicious kind of paralysis—the spiritual kind.

The Cross: Our Healing, Victory, and Peace

Fr. Pat's homily delivered on the Sunday of the Holy Cross, 2008.

The Evangelization of the Theotokos

The heart of Feast of the Annunciation is evangelism in its most perfect reception, by a Woman who hears and believes the proclamation of the Gospel.

Two Aspects of Forgiveness

Fr. Pat's homily from Forgiveness Vespers 2012.

Judgment, Renewal, Image

On the Sunday of the Last Judgment, Fr. Pat preaches from Matthew 25:31-46.

Man’s Metaphysical Homesickness

Fr. Pat preaches on the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15.

Man's Metaphysical Homesickness

Fr. Pat preaches on the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15.

The Door, the Shepherd, the Voice

Fr. Pat considers three aspects of what St. Paul calls "the mind of Christ"; three ways in which Christ thought of himself with respect to us.

The Three Thieves

We are all familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Fr. Pat looks at persons from this story seldom, if ever, considered: the thieves who set the events in motion.

The Contrite Heart

Fr. Pat preaches on the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican found in Luke 18.

We Eat the Crumbs that Have Fallen from His Table

Fr. Pat preaches from Matthew 15:21-28, the encounter of Jesus with the Canaanite woman.

On the way of the Cross

Fr. Pat preaches from Luke 18:35-43, the story of the blind beggar of Jericho whom Jesus heals

The Anger of God and the Cross of Christ

When Holy Scripture speaks of the sacrifice of the cross in connection with God's anger, it is invariably in terms of deliverance; it has nothing to do with placating that anger. Fr. Pat addresses St. Anselm's theory of the Atonement.

The Life of Grace

Preaching from Luke 17 (The Healing of the Ten Lepers), Fr. Pat examines what it is to have a Christian perspective toward the world.

The Meaning of the Cross

In this homily given on the Sunday before the Elevation of the Holy Cross, Fr. Pat looks at what death means to the Christian.

How to Be Like God

When, in Matthew 18, Jesus instructs us to be merciful as the Heavenly Father is merciful, he is telling us how to partake of the life of God; how to arrive at theosis.

In the Desert, On the Mountain, and By the Waterside

Fr. Pat preaches on the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness as told in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 4.

The True Isaac and The Suffering Servant

When at His baptism the Father speaks of Jesus as his "Beloved Son", declaring Him "well-pleased", the expression would have evoked in the mind of Jesus and anyone else who heard them two Biblical texts with which Jesus Himself was already familiar from the years of study in the synagogue.

And Leave the Rest to God

Fr. Pat looks at God’s providence with respect to three things: our sin, the moral order, and our conduct.

God Brings Good Out of Evil

In Romans 8 Paul asserts that God causes all things to work for good to those who love him. Fr. Pat examines this thesis in regards to general history, in the lives of individuals, and in the life of Christ, the supreme example of this.

The Fourth Apostle

Fr. Pat preaches on the Apostle Andrew, whose feast day is November 30. He gave this homily on November 30, 2014.

Our Venerable Father Marcellus, Abbot of the Monastery of the Unsleeping Ones (485)

He was born to a wealthy family in Syria at the beginning of the fifth century. Early in life he saw the futility of worldly things, gave away all of his wealth, and went to Ephesus, where he earned his living as a scribe. There he was schooled in the virtues by his fellow-worker Promotus, a slave who distributed most of his earnings to the poor; after the day's work was done, Promotus would take Marcellus to pray all night in the churches and monasteries.   Marcellus heard of the Saint Alexa...

A Paradigm For the Christian Calling

The calling of the first four apostles gives us a model of the calling each of us receives from Christ. Fr. Pat looks at three qualities of this calling.

The Covenant

Holy Scripture uses three verbs in relation to the making of a covenant. In this homily from Palm Sunday, Fr. Pat explores these three Hebrew words.

The Cross and the Christian Family

Christ died for each of us personally, but he also died for families; and the context of the family is often the locus in our experience of the Cross. Fr. Pat considers three individuals whom Jesus loves as a family: Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.

Phoenicia, the Woman, and the Children's Bread

Jesus' encounter with the Syrophoenician woman as recounted by Matthew (chapter 15) has much to teach us when we consider Phoenicia's history, the woman herself, and the meaning of the children's bread.

The Affirmation of Our Hope

The season of Advent is not only a time when we prepare for the Feast of Christ's Birth; it is also the season in which we reflect more directly on the Second Coming of Christ. In this homily from 2009, Fr. Pat preaches from Colossians 3:4-11 about the Hope that is within us.

Stand Upright and Gaze at the Stars

Fr. Pat preaches from Luke 13:10-17, the story of Jesus healing a crippled woman on the Sabbath. This homily was given on December 4, 2014

Living Between Two Events

The Parable of the Talents is often used as a reminder to be the best you can be. It's really about the structure of history and the Lordship of Jesus.

Three Psychological Vices

Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon warns us about three things which impede our ability to walk worthy of the vocation with which we have been called.

How Are We to Live?

Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon discusses Paul’s response to the Gentile converts in Galatia being compelled by Jewish Christian teachers to live according to Jewish customs.

God Is Pleased When We Give Thanks

A meditation on Thanksgiving from Fr. Pat, given in 2008.

Thinking Ahead — But Not Far Enough

Fr. Pat preaches on the Parable of the Rich Fool found in Luke 12:16-21.

A Celebration of Spiritual Warfare

Fr. Pat takes a closer look at the true meaning of Hanukkah.

The Encyclopedia and the Self

Preaching from Luke 8:41-56, Fr. Pat considers what is important to know.

Failure and Triumph

Spirit Bearing Jesus

Becoming a Christian

Faith in Jesus, the Son of God

The Virgin Mary

For God so Loved the World

The Judgment of God

The Church is a Living Organism

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