English Bible Study

Fr. Benjamin gives the sermon on the eve of Great Friday. He speaks about the New Covenant, what it means to us as Orthodox Christians and the love of God for humanity.

Fr. Marcos gives the sermon on the eve of Covenant Thursday.

Fr. Kyrillos gives the sermon on Wednesday Eve of Pascha, he speaks about the parable of the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins and relates it to the life of prayer. He speaks about what prayer is, its necessity in the life of repentance, and our obstacles to it.

Fr. Mina gives the sermon on the eve of Tuesday, he continues the theme of repentance and focuses on 7 main points to help us enter into the narrow gate.

Fr. Mauritius gives the sermon on the eve of Monday of the Holy Pascha. He speaks about the two main events on Monday, the cursing of the fig tree and the cleansing of the temple. He also warns against hypocrisy.

Fr. Benjamin gives the sermon on Palm Sunday

Fr. Kyrillos gives the sermon on Palm Sunday.

Fr. Mauritius gives the sermon on the 6th Sunday of Lent concerning the blind man in John 9.

Fr. Mark gives the sermon on the 6th Sunday of Lent concerning the blind man in John 9.

Fr. Benjamin gives the sermon on the 5th Sunday of Lent concerning the paralyzed man.

Fr. Mina gives the sermon on the 5th Sunday of Lent concerning the paralyzed man.

The proverb starts off by stating that Wisdom has slaughtered her meat and mixed her wine. What is the meat or blood if they are not the very body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ? Who has prepared for us a meal of love, that we may enter into the eternal heavenly Kingdom with Him. Fr. Mina emphasizes that those who await their entrance into eternity in order to experience heaven, waste their effort because truly heaven is already within us. Wisdom cries out from the highest, inviting all to dine with her, while saying that the awareness of the Lord’s presence is the beginning of wisdom. Foolishness, adversely, uses the same words wisdom does to invite people over, but while mislabeling things in order to seduce its hearers. All sin can provide is a false reality that stems from lusts and desires that do not exist.

Wisdom existed before all ages. How then can we see Wisdom? God places us inside of His heart, mind, and thoughts throughout every prayer we offer, Wisdom invites us to have a very intimate relationship with the Holy Trinity and says, "Come, I will show you the economy of salvation of my love for you." The same love with which the Father loves Me and with which I love him. Jesus Christ, our Savior, is Wisdom. And how can one get hold of such fruits? It is through one's life's ongoing struggle and labor because, in asking for a virtue, one is asking for a Divine characteristic. Furthermore, when someone requests such fruit, he is taken on a journey along the path of righteousness (Proverbs 8: 20). Fr. Mina emphasizes that one is only able to ask God with boldness because Wisdom gives him the right to do so.

Fr. Benjamin gives the sermon on the feast of Annunciation.

Fr. Mark gives the sermon on the feast of Annunciation.

His Eminence Metropolitan Thomas gives the sermon on the 3rd Sunday of Lent on the gospel of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-32.

Fr. Mark gives the sermon on the 3rd Sunday of Lent on the gospel of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-32.

We are embarking on a journey to uncover God's Wisdom this week. King Solomon began the new proverb by saying that wisdom vies for the heart while lust vies for the external appearance. King Solomon had just concluded preaching against the practices of the immoral. As wisdom screams out from the top of the hills, inviting all of us who were found sick to come and have an encounter with her, this proverb encourages us to establish a genuine relationship with the Father. The unavoidable and recognizable voice of God is wisdom. Furthermore, it is spoken clearly to those who comprehend.

This week we are taken on a trip through the lens of Proverbs 7 which shows us the way that leads to the chambers of death. King Solomon shows us an example of a man who is lured down the path of iniquity. Not knowing that it would cost him his life. Sin here is represented by the immoral woman who seduces the simple to go with her and enjoy the luxurious, prideful, sinful life on her bed which is adorned with the finest linen on the outside, but in essence, it distorts the one word that best describes God: Love. Saying that love is the embrace of worldly longing and a vapid satisfaction.

Fr. Mina begins with Proverbs 6:20, where it is urgently urged that we retain God's commandment in our minds. According to Fr. Mina, until we temporarily live without God's commands, we are unable to fully appreciate their significance. The proverb then goes on to discuss living an immoral lifestyle outside of marriage, highlighting how many lives have been destroyed as a result of this route to sin and lifestyle. Pride and lust caused many people to lose their lives and walks with God. Fr. Mina makes a connection between the two, stating that people have made it their mission to follow their passions, which is why they are inextricably linked and frequently lead to one another. This week concludes with the opening of chapter 7, which emphasizes once more how crucial it is that we live according to God's instructions and bear His remembrance present in our lives!