A Vigil Light Upon the Hill

In this homily I want to offer a bold and uncompromising reflection on a particular statement made by St. Arseny Uralsky, a hierarch of the Old Believers’ tradition, whose teaching stands in stark contrast to the diluted religiosity of the modern age. Citing the words of the Lord from John 3:36 and Mark 16:16, St. Arseny proclaims that salvation is inseparably tied to true faith in Christ and baptism into the life of the Church. His words reject the ecumenical pretences and relativistic theologies which dominate contemporary discourse, affirming instead the apostolic truth — that outside of Christ there is no life, and that rejection of Him is not a harmless difference of opinion but a path to condemnation. True faith liberates man from death—not in metaphor or sentiment, but in reality. We will examine how this liberation is ecclesial and sacramental, grounded in the Mystery of Baptism and the obedience of faith within the ancient Apostolic Church. I hope it will help expose the false assurances of modern spirituality, the errors of sentimental universalism, and the betrayal of apostolic doctrine by those who water down the Gospel to suit modern appetites.
Continue reading →

In an age of noise, distraction, and spiritual confusion, many have forgotten the reality of God’s presence. They chase after visions, feelings, and signs, thinking that God must be summoned or provoked to appear. But the living God is not like the idols of the nations. He does not hide behind curtains of emotion or spectacle. He is not silent because He is absent, but because He is near—too near for those who have dulled their hearts with the world. The Apostolic Church, faithful to ancient teaching and the witness of the saints, confesses that God is always present. He upholds all things by His Word. He sees, knows, and acts in every moment. To forget this is not just ignorance—it is outright rebellion. To remember it is the beginning of wisdom, the root of repentance, and the path to life. What follows is not speculation or opinion. It is the testimony of the Bible, the teaching of the Fathers, and the lived experience of the Church throughout the ages.
Continue reading →

Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!

Today, my beloved in Christ, we stand not at the grave of a dead teacher, not before the tomb of a fallen prophet, and not at the end of some moral philosophy. We stand before the empty tomb of the Living God. Death has been conquered, the grave has been shattered, and the ancient tyranny of sin has been undone. The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is not an allegory, not a metaphor, not an invention of the weak-minded, but the central and unshakable fact of human history. If Christ is not risen, then all our faith is in vain, and we are the most pitiable of all people. But as the Apostle proclaims, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)
Continue reading →

The words of our Saviour in Matthew 7:13-14 stand as a sharp rebuke to the easy-going spirit of this present age, and to every soft-hearted delusion which imagines that the Kingdom of Heaven is obtained without effort or cost: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” These words are not the ornamental advice of a religious teacher seeking admirers, nor are they the sentimental platitudes of the modern pulpit. They are the command of the King, the Creator, the Judge of the living and the dead. Our Lord does not give permission for men to fashion their own path toward salvation. He gives clear instruction. The wide and easy road leads to destruction — not to temporary misfortune, but to eternal ruin, and the Lord adds with dreadful clarity that many walk it. This is the true state of the world. Few will take the narrow road, because few are willing to sacrifice their self-will, to crucify their pride, and to tear out their sinful pleasures by the root. The wide road promises comfort, ease, and worldly satisfaction, but it is nothing but the road to Gehenna.
Continue reading →

Today we stand on the threshold of Holy Week. The Church sets before our eyes the Lord’s approach to His Passion—not in isolation, but in the context of both a great miracle and a great betrayal. The Gospel passage for Palm Sunday is not limited to the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem; it begins in Bethany, where the scent of pure nard and the stench of impending death intermingle.

Let us think about each of the verses with attention to what the Church has always known, what the Fathers have always taught, and what Holy Scripture reveals without ambiguity.
Continue reading →

The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, is not an abstract principle or a vague influence. He is God, co-eternal and consubstantial with the Father and the Son—“the Lord, the Giver of Life,” as we confess in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, which was formulated and defended by the Fathers of the First and Second Ecumenical Councils against the heresies of their day.

From the beginning, the Holy Spirit has been active. In the first words of Genesis, “the spirit of God swept over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) This is not poetic imagery. It is the Spirit Himself, hovering, preparing, ordering, bringing forth creation. He is not limited to a moment in history. His work is continuous. He gives breath to man, wisdom to the prophets, strength to the martyrs, grace to the saints, and unity to the Church. As we read in the Psalms, “When thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground.” (Psalm 104:30, RSV-CE)
Continue reading →

Once you come to understand the authority that Christ gave to His apostles, and what they passed down to those in their time, you will eventually realise how lost many within the Protestant denominations are. This authority was not abstract or theoretical—it was tangible, hierarchical, and preserved within the visible structure of the Church.

Christ said to the apostles, “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” (Luke 10:16) He breathed the Holy Spirit upon them, gave them the power to forgive sins (John 20:22–23), and commissioned them to go forth not simply with a message but with real authority: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18-19) That authority was never meant to vanish. The apostles laid hands upon bishops and presbyters, entrusting them with the same teaching, sacramental, and disciplinary authority. St. Paul told St. Timothy, “guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.” (2 Timothy 1:14). Again, “what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2) This is not democratic interpretation—it is hierarchy and succession. The Protestant break rejected this apostolic succession. It cut itself off from the living continuity of the Church, replacing priesthood with opinion, sacraments with symbolism, and authority with private judgment. Luther and Calvin did not reform—they amputated. They severed themselves from the very Church that gave the world the Bible they claim to revere.
Continue reading →

From the dawn of creation, mankind has sought after truth. Philosophers have wrestled with it, scientists have attempted to quantify it, and rulers have sought to impose it. Yet, truth is not a construct of human reason, nor is it discovered through earthly wisdom. Truth is not an abstraction but a Person—our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Apostle John said: “The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) In the Incarnation, truth is no longer veiled. Christ has walked among us, spoken to us, and suffered for our redemption. He is not one among many teachers who speak of truth—He is Truth itself, the eternal Logos who upholds all things.

Long before His coming in the flesh, the prophets bore witness to this reality. The great Isaiah proclaims: “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2) The Psalmist echoes this unshakable certainty: “The sum of your word is truth; and every one of your righteous ordinances endures for ever.” (Psalm 119:160) The truth of God is eternal, unchanging, and unyielding to the shifting sands of human opinion. It is not constructed by man—it is revealed by God. Christ does not conceal Himself from those who seek Him in sincerity. To the Samaritan woman at the well, He reveals the nature of true worship: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24) To the man born blind, He unveils His divinity: “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” (John 9:37) Those with humble hearts, untainted by pride, receive the light of truth.
Continue reading →