Homily Two for the Eleventh Sunday of Matthew - On Hard-Heartedness (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

What man will not be angry and protest when he hears the parable of the wicked servant for whom the Lord forgave a great debt while he did not want to forgive his neighbor a small one? Our hearts are troubled when we see the worst manifestations of human passions and sinfulness. The Prophet David rightly said: "He has delivered my soul from the midst of lions' whelps: I lay down to sleep, though troubled. As for the sons of men, their teeth are weapons and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword" (Ps. 56:5). And he doesn't say it about murderers and criminals but about us ordinary people. He calls us lions and says that our teeth are weapons and arrows and our tongue is a sharpened sword. The sword is an instrument of murder.

Homily for the Tenth Sunday of Matthew - Prayer and Fasting (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

 Homily for the Tenth Sunday of Matthew

Prayer and Fasting

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The miracle we heard today refers to the healing of a demon possessed young man, who when possessed by demons fell into fire and water, had tendencies of self-destruction. Christ cast out the demons and the young man became well. To a related question from the disciples, Christ answered: "This kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting" (Matthew 17:21). Christ cast out the demon with the power of His divinity, the disciples could cast it out with the power of Christ, however, after they pray and fast.

Homily for the Ninth Sunday of Matthew - The Internal Problem of Mankind (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homily for the Ninth Sunday of Matthew

The Internal Problem of Mankind

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

"Take courage, it is I; be not afraid" (Matt. 14:27)

Sacred Chrysostom, interpreting the event according to which the Apostle Peter, while walking on the waves, then sank, says that Christ at that moment did not stop the wind, but stretched out His hand and caught him, saying "O you of little faith, why did you hesitate?" (Matt. 14:31). In this way, Christ showed that the change in Peter was not caused by the force of the wind, but by his lack of faith. If his faith did not weaken, then he could easily face the wind. That is why Christ took him by the hand and let the wind blow, showing that the wind cannot do any harm when the faith is firm.

A Village in Kerkyra Dedicated to the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew

One of the largest and most beautiful villages of Kerkyra is called Agios Mattheos, known locally as "Ai Mathias", where there is a parish church with an imposing bell tower dedicated to the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, which was the place of worship of the first inhabitants of the village.

Homily on the Power of a Good Word and Showing Mercy Towards Sinners (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

“And Jesus passing by there saw a man sitting at the tax office named Matthew, and He said to him: 'Follow me.' And he arose and followed Him.” (Matthew 9:9)

Who was this Matthew, who later became a great apostle and evangelist? He was a publican and collected taxes. The people hated tax collectors and perceived them as sinners, for they performed many injustices in order to obtain more money for themselves. And this man, whom everyone perceived as wretched, and whom they distanced themselves from, the Lord called, saying to him: “Follow me.”

Only two words, and these began a revolution in the soul of the publican. He arose immediately, and threw down his money and followed Christ.

Church of Saint Matthew of the Sinaites in Heraklion, Crete

Approximately 500m south of the Cathedral of Saint Menas, within the historic district of Heraklion, is the Church of Saint Matthew of the Sinaites. The present building dates back to just after the earthquake of 1508. However, the earliest references in the lists of churches of Candia (Crete), state that the first temple goes as far back as the second Byzantine period. Regarded as “Great and Unique”, the Church of Saint Matthew was inextricably connected with the life of the city.

Saint Fulvianus (in Baptism Matthew), Prince of Ethiopia

St. Fulvianus-Matthew (Feast Day - November 16)

It is believed that after the day of Pentecost, the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew preached the Gospel first in Palestine, and then in Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia and finally, Ethiopia. Tradition holds that the Lord appeared to Saint Matthew, giving him a wooden rod and instructing him to plant it in a particular place in Ethiopia. Upon his arrival at the place in Ethiopia described by the Lord, he met a man whom he ordained a Bishop named Platon. The rod was planted, as the Lord had instructed, and almost immediately it sprouted leaves and grew into a beautiful tree, the fruit of which was delicious. A spring also welled up nearby, the water of which could heal the sick.