The Samaritan Woman (John 20:1-10) On the fifth Sunday of Pascha, the Church commemorates the Samaritan Woman. In the dismissal hymn we chant “give drink to my thirsty soul”, which is drawn from the Samaritan Woman’s words to the Lord, “give me this water, that I may not thirst.” (John 4:15) This hymn refers to Christ as the “fountain of life”, being as He revealed Himself: “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” [...]

The Flight to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)   This scene starts with the Magi departing Bethlehem and the angel warning Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt lest Herod kill Christ. It is symbolic that the Magi did not return to Jerusalem but went on to Persia instead. Babylon is often represented in the Bible, especially in Psalms and Revelation, as a place of sin. It was to this place that the Magi were commissioned as teachers to redeem the sinful land. A similar redemption occurs in Egypt which, together with Babylon, was described by St John Chrysostom as the [...]

The Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:5-15)   This parable is divided into three parts. The first part is the parable proper, showing how the seed is sown by the sower but requires a suitable environment to grow and yield a crop (v 5- 8). The second concerns the nature of parables, and explains why Christ spoke in parables (v 9 -10). The third is the explanation given by Christ to the Disciples of the initial parable (v 11-15). Looking at the parable, the seed is the word of God - the Gospel (v 11). The first fell along the [...]

Gospel Reading, Sunday 19th August The Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:16-26)   A rich young ruler approaches Christ in earnest seeking to know how to obtain eternal life. He calls Christ ‘good teacher’. That is, he recognises Christ's authority as a teacher, as one who can discern between good and evil, between a godly life and a sinful life; but he approaches Christ merely as a teacher, and fails to recognise His divinity. Because of this, St John Chrysostom says that Christ chooses to communicate with him as a man and teacher. He responds by saying “no one is good [...]

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve (Matthew 9:36-10:8)   This passage from Matthew is read on the feast day of the Holy Apostles (30 June). We read that Christ sent out the Twelve on their first apostolic mission and about how they were given power over demons and even the power to raise the dead! But Christ reminds them to accept these gifts in humility because every good thing given to them (and to us) is not their own, but a free gift of God’s grace. This is why the Apostles and all the Saints never sold their gifts. In gratitude [...]