Fr. Gabriel

August 8, 2017

Sermons

Holy Patriotism

Fr. Gabriel

August 8, 2017

Sermons

Fr. Gabriel explains what Holy Patriotism is for Orthodox Christians living in 21st Century America

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September 9, 2026

Why Do We Celebrate The Birth of Mary?

September 9, 2026

…If we turn our heads to the east, there is a faint light beginning to grow brighter…just below the horizon. And what appears first in the midst of the dark sky? The morning star, which heralds the coming of the Sun of Righteousness.

September 9, 2026

August 31, 2026

Am I a Healthy Vine in My Church Community?

August 31, 2026

“If Father Gabriel took me and cloned me….If he were to take my level of fruit bearing, my level of worship, the amount of time I spend in Church and in prayer, the amount of effort I put into ministry and serving the Church, would this parish family…this vineyard…be stronger, or weaker?

August 31, 2026

August 11, 2026

True Orthodoxy is Life Itself

August 11, 2026

I think that sometimes, we fall into this trap of thinking that living our faith and developing a relationship with Christ is something that is external and intellectual. We try to cram all of this knowledge in our brains about the faith and watch apologetical conversations on youtube. We make sure we are checking labels on food items to see if they are fasting foods or not. We stand in front of our icon corners in the morning and at night, not to pray, but rather to fulfill some kind of external obligation. In some cases, we see our orthodox faith through the lens of some kind of western moralism: “Do the Right thing, don’t sin…maybe show up occasionally to Church…and you will get to a place called heaven where we can finally put our feet up.” …This is not Holy Orthodoxy.

August 11, 2026

August 3, 2026

Yes...Mary is a Big Deal!

August 3, 2026

How can we not venerate the one who’s voice John the Baptist greeted with a leap of joy in the womb, because it was that voice that heralded the presence of Christ in his midst?

How can we not echo the words of the Archangel in recognizing her as one that is full of Grace…and that she will be called blessed by all generations?

How can we call ourselves Christian and weep for our sins before the Crucified Christ, while ignoring the soul-pierced Mother?

August 3, 2026

July 13, 2026

Whitewashed Tombs

July 13, 2026

On Sundays and during weekday Liturgies, we also have a small battle with the internal and external when we approach the Holy Chalice. Externally, we will all cross our hands over of our hearts, cross ourselves, and prepare to take God’s very Body and Blood within ourselves. Yet what is the inner position of our souls in those moments? Where is our focus? On the tremendous and dread mystery that awaits us in the chalice…or on the world? Do we truly know and believe what the Eucharist can do for us…or are we following the person in front of us in line without paying any attention to what we are about to partake and the transformation that awaits us at the chalice? Are we focused on our outward piety, or on the inner state of our being?

July 13, 2026

July 6, 2026

Taking a Sober Stock of our Country After 250 Years

July 6, 2026

Now that the celebrations, the fireworks, and the excitement of the past few days of celebration are completed, all of us should be taking a moment to reflect on what we have done with this gift of a country that God has given us. While it is the job of the president and civil leaders to build up and highlight the accomplishments, its often the job of the priests and spiritual leaders to help us sober up and open our eyes to the work that we have yet to accomplish.

July 6, 2026

June 23, 2026

All About Money!

June 23, 2026

One thing that our Lord tells us, is that the acquisition of wealth can be an addiction. He is not talking about gambling addictions or dreaming of hitting the lottery…but rather is pointing out how we cannot serve both an addiction and God at the same time. This truly goes for all addictions…whether it’s money, pornography, alcohol, marijuana/drugs, gluttony…whatever the addiction, we become slaves to it.

June 23, 2026

June 1, 2026

The Raging Waters of the Holy Spirit

June 1, 2026

The Holy Spirit reached so many that no one, not even the devil himself, could stop the flood…although God knows he has tried. In those early days, he sent persecutors like Nero and Diocletian, who despite their best efforts couldn’t stop the flow of the life giving waters to God’s people. In more recent decades, the devil tried to stop the flow by getting into the hearts of people like Joseph Stalin and Nicolae Ceausescu…who did everything they could to dam the river…and it drowned both of them and their worldly governments.

June 1, 2026

May 11, 2026

The Cleaving Heart of St. Photini

May 11, 2026

St. Barnabas said this to the new Christians in Antioch, and he says it to us this morning. He knew that there are many who begin to walk on God’s road willingly and with excitement. Yet as soon as the first obstacles appear, we often get discouraged and fall back into our old and sinful ways. I am willing to bet that many of the people that heard these words of St. Barnabas didn’t heed them, and when the first threat was made against them, or the first passion was inflamed within them, they turned their back on Christ. Perhaps some denied Him…or cursed Him…or worse yet, simply ignored His Love and impact in their lives.

May 11, 2026

May 4, 2026

Putting Ourselves in the Bible

May 4, 2026

When we read from the Holy Scripture is not meant to be read as a “feel good” story that happened long ago. It isn’t written as a historical account for scholars to dissect dates or political movements. It wasn’t written as a justification for war in the Middle East. It was written for us to enter into it! We discover the depth of scripture by placing ourselves within its pages and within its Holy Words. Christ doesn’t speak to and heal people 2,000 years ago…He’s talking and healing us directly right now in the year 2026! When you read scripture this way, it’s meaning and depth is uncovered in a beautiful and profound way!

May 4, 2026

April 27, 2026

Going Against "The World"

April 27, 2026

Brothers and Sisters in Christ…Be different. The winds of change in “the world”, even in our own country, are constantly howling. Right will become wrongs, and wrongs will be made right. St. Anthony the Great once said: “A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him saying: ‘You are mad; you are not like us.”

April 27, 2026

April 20, 2026

Choosing Joy

April 20, 2026

In a very real way dear ones, when we miss a Sunday, we miss the joy of Pascha! We deprive ourselves of Christ’s joyful presence in our lives! We deny ourselves the Holy Eucharist…Christ Himself! We deny ourselves the inner change that comes from the descent of the Holy Spirit. We reject the peace that can only be found within the walls of the Church and in the presence of Christ…in favor of a war torn, broken, and confused world, that has no answers.

April 20, 2026

March 30, 2026

Saintly Sanity in an Insane Word

March 30, 2026

True and full happiness and satisfaction cannot be found in the world…but only in the love of God. To think otherwise is insanity.

March 30, 2026

March 23, 2026

Sunday Only Orthodox Christians?

March 23, 2026

If you are a “Sunday only Orthodox Christian”, you are deluding yourself into thinking that this journey through life, and into a real and meaningful relationship with God Himself, only requires you to sacrifice 2 hours on a Sunday morning to come to the Divine Liturgy.

March 23, 2026

March 20, 2026

Grumbling Against God

March 20, 2026

It is about this time, in the middle Great Lent, where those who have been taking their spiritual lives seriously begin to feel weary and overcome by their struggles to fast. It becomes harder to give alms and even to pray. It’s an annual tradition that every Orthodox Christian experiences: Great Lent around this time doesn’t always feel “Great”.

March 20, 2026