St. Photini's Illumination - Fr. Gregory - May 10, 2026

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear the story of the Samaritan woman, St. Photini, who encounters Christ at Jacob’s Well. Fr. Gregory recounts the story and emphasizes a phrase near the end, in which Christ says, “The hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.”Fr. Gregory draws from the teachings of St. Symeon to explain what it means to worship in spirit and truth. It is not merely sincerity or correct doctrine, but knowing the Holy Spirit, consciously encountering the Living God. This, Fr. Gregory explains, is illumination, which is offered to all. St. Photini was illumined by her encounter with Christ, and even her name means “the luminous one.”Because this Sunday falls on Mother’s Day, Fr. Gregory also tells us how worshipping in spirit and truth is exemplified by a mother’s love. Motherhood, when lived faithfully, is a form of asceticism, spiritual training, and discipline to grow closer to God. He returns to St. Symeon’s teachings to show that worship in spirit and truth is not just found in the monks of the desert, but wherever the Spirit dwells, wherever a soul has been illumined, wherever Christ has come to dwell.