Sermons & Homilies – Tagged "Martyrs & Confessors"– Holy Cross Monastery

Jan 11, 2026

How the Righteous Suffer - Sermon for the Sunday after Nativity (2026)

Today, on the Sunday after the Nativity of Our Lord and God Jesus Christ, we commemorate the Holy Righteous Prophet-King David, the Holy Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, and the Holy Apostle James the brother of God and first bishop of Jerusalem. Each of these saints requires their own accolades. Each requires their own sermons. Each requires their own rightful place of honor. Each possesses their own rich history. Each possesses a rich tradition of hagiography. Each is perpetually honored by the Church, whether explicitly or implicitly.

Sep 27, 2022

We Exalt the Cross by Ascending It: A Sermon on the Exaltation of the Cross (2022)

The Cross is the ultimate answer to all of mankind’s greatest questions. Who is God? What is love? What is the meaning and purpose of our life in this world, and how are we to come to terms with the inevitability of our death?

Sep 11, 2022

The Zeal of the Forerunner - A Sermon on the Beheading of John the Baptist (2022)

Today we celebrate the Beheading of the Forerunner, one of only three great feasts of the Church year not dedicated either to the Lord or the Mother of God. And despite the sorrowful nature of this day’s events, nevertheless it...

Feb 06, 2022

Heroes of the Last Days - A Sermon on the New Martyrs & Confessors of Russia (2022)

Some say that there are three paths to salvation for a Christian: marriage, monasticism, and martyrdom. But perhaps it is not too bold for me to say that really, there is only one path. Every Christian must become a martyr. There is no other path to Heaven than the path of the Cross.

1 comment ·Aug 15, 2021

Holy Lives and Martyrdom: On Bearing Our Cross - A Homily on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost (2021)

The whole world is undergoing a great trial, and COVID has turned the world upside down, and somehow having a vaccine, in many ways, has eased this trial very little. However, this is the cross that has come – to the world, to the Church, to Her Metropolitans, Bishops, and Priests, to the parishes and to the monasteries, and in short, this is the cross that has come to us.