PODCAST · religion
Give Me A Word
by St. Vladimir's Seminary, and Ancient Faith Ministries
A collection of daily and weekly homilies from the seminarians, faculty, and honored guests of St. Vladimir's Seminary - straight from the ambo of Three Hierarch's Chapel.
Episodes
-
Recognizing Christ in Our Midst: A Call to Transformation on the Feast of the Presentation
On the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the Very Rev. Dr. Alexander Rentel emphasizes the profound significance of Christ’s presence, highlighting that He is not only the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel but also a light to all nations; the meeting of the Lord there in the temple is...
-
Persistent Faith and Humble Prayer: Lessons from the Canaanite Woman
Drawing from the Epistle reading from St Paul's Letter to Timothy, and the Gospel story of the Canaanite woman, Hieromonk Vasily (Permiakov) explores the transformative power of humility, faith, and perseverance in seeking Christ's mercy. He emphasizes the importance of acknowledging our…
more -
Faith That Sees: The Blind Man’s Insight into God’s Kingdom
This homily by the Very Rev. Dr Alexander Rentel reflects on the Gospel passage from Luke 18, where a blind man recognizes Jesus as the "Son of David" and receives healing through faith. Fr Alexander emphasizes the contrast between the crowd’s superficial recognition of Jesus and the blind man's...
-
Becoming Living Temples: Embracing the Example of the Theotokos
In this homily for the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos, Fr Bogdan Bucur emphasizes that the Theotokos, or Mother of God, is not an exceptional figure for us to admire from afar, but an example for us to follow closely in our own lives. Just as she became the living temple that bore Christ,...
-
Returning to Eden through the Cross
From the perspective of a first-century Jew, the account of the man named Legion in the Gospel of Luke would be surprising in several ways. Dn Harrison Russin highlights how Jesus defies expectations by going into Gentile territory (where herding pigs was an acceptable occupation), to save a...
-
Becoming the Living Temple of God
In this homily, the Very Rev. Dr Alexander Rentel reminds us of the profound truth that we are the living temple of God and encourages us to strive to maintain closeness to God. He urges us to shun worldly idols, like wealth and pride, which can distance us from God, and to embrace humility and...
-
Become Like Your Father: Compassionate
Therefore be compassionate, just as your Father also is compassionate!" (Luke 6:36). Our Lord’s command in the Gospel of Luke offers a more concrete counterpart to the command, in the Gospel of Matthew, to be perfect as our Father in heaven (Mat 5:48). If the Lord is "compassionate and merciful,...
-
Uncovering Layers of Meaning in Christ’s Actions
The account in the Gospel of Luke about how the Lord called Peter, James, and John may seem like a straightforward retelling of events. However, like all Scripture, this passage contains deeper meanings, available to the reader only with deeper study and prayer. The Very Rev. Dr Alexander Rentel...
-
The Cross Transforms Our Suffering into Joy
In this homily given on the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA) describes the Cross as both a symbol of suffering and of victory. The Cross represents the transformation of suffering into joy and death into life through Christ's sacrifice. It is central to...
-
Bearers of Courage and Love
The tomb was blocked. Roman guards stood watch, armed and vigilant. Yet, in spite of the very real risk of danger and personal suffering that could await them, a group of women disciples went ahead anyway, determined to anoint the body of their Lord and Master. Why? On this Third Sunday of…
more -
A Christian Response to Achievement and Failure
Nothing is more natural to the fallen mind than to be delighted with praise and one’s own achievement, and likewise to be frustrated and embarrassed by criticism and failure. But the examples of our Lord and His apostles tell us they were not beholden to anyone or anything in this world. Our...
-
Believing in Christ that We Might Have Life in His Name
As we continue to celebrate the most glorious Pascha of our Lord, says the Very Rev. Dr Alexander Rentel, we must remind ourselves how difficult it must have been for His disciples immediately after His crucifixion. There was fear, doubt, and extreme discouragement. This is what made their joy…
more -
Partaking in the Lord’s Mystical Supper
In this homily on Holy Thursday, the Very Rev. Dr Bogdan Bucur invites us to consider the establishment of the Holy Eucharist as a sacrament and God’s core invitation to us to partake in His life. Fr Bogdan draws on the many Scripture readings of Holy Week to emphasize both the characters who...
-
Looking Beyond the Raising of Lazarus
In the wake of an untimely death in the seminary community, the Very Rev. Dr Bogdan Bucur asks all the questions of the grieving person, of Martha and Mary at the tomb of Lazarus, of each of us when we encounter the loss of a loved one. Fr Bogdan leads us to see how God Himself mourns and weeps...
-
Let Us Crucify Our Minds with Christ
Drawing on the gospel reading for the liturgy of the 5th Sunday of Great Lent, in which our Lord recounts his upcoming sufferings in detail, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon (OCA) calls upon us to “truly lay aside all earthly cares and crucify our minds with Christ” during this last week of…
more -
I Believe, Help My Unbelief
The prayer of the father of the demon-possessed boy, “I believe, help my unbelief,” (Mk 9.24) is an example for us of how we ought to prayer, says Fr Vincent Temirov. It is the humility and faith in our words, not the “multiplicity” or complexity of our words in prayer, that are most pleasing to...
-
Our God Who Heals and Forgives All Sins
In reading about the healing of paralytic let down through the roof by his friends, the Very Rev. Dr Bogdan Bucur encourages us to also consider the damaged roof. Perhaps we in the Church have to accept some sort of discomfort in order to open ourselves to experience Christ’s healing power.…
more -
The Sunday of Orthodoxy and the Meaning of the Holy Icons We Venerate
On the Sunday of Orthodoxy, we remember the restoration of the veneration of the holy icons within the Orthodox Church in the 8th century, after decades of bloody iconoclasm. Yet this first Sunday of Lent is not called the “Sunday of Icons,” points out Fr Vincent Temirov. This is because the...
-
Returning to Christ Through Fasting in Faith
As Orthodox Christians prepare to enter the Great Fast, the Very Rev. Dr Alexander Rentel reminds us to contemplate anew the reason for our fasting. We fast, not because God requires or needs us to fast, but because, through fasting in faith and humility, we learn to turn away from our sins and...
-
Returning to the Father’s House
As we draw closer to the beginning of Great Lent, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield reviews the preparatory Sundays we have just experienced, starting with Zaccheus Sunday, followed by the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, and this week, the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. Fr Chad emphasizes the...
-
Preparing for Great Lent with Zaccheus
As we meditate on Zaccheus Sunday, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield encourages to heed the Church’s initiation of the four preparatory Sundays leading up to Great Lent. We all are subject to the temptation to get lost in the externals of Lent, or to let the season pass by without engaging ourselves...
-
Approaching the Lord Like the Canaanite Woman
Reflecting on the conversation between Jesus and the Canaanite woman in the Gospel of Matthew, the Rev. Dn Dr Vitaly Permiakov calls us to follow her example. We can only be healed of our brokenness by approaching the Lord with humility and a real understanding that we are only saved and made…
more -
Offering Our Talents Back to God and Our Neighbor
It’s hard to understand, at first, why the man who hid his one talent in the parable of the talents was so harshly punished by his master, says the Rev. Dn Dr Harrison Basil Russin. Drawing on related texts in Deuteronomy, Dn Harrison explains by emphasizing the importance of receiving God’s...
-
Theophany–The Sanctification of the Cosmos
The Feast of Theophany is an occasion to meditate on the cosmic nature of Christ’s entering into the waters of the Jordan, preaches the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield. By entering the water to be baptized, Christ shows us the way we must also follow, and sanctifies all of creation, the cosmos itself....
-
The Life of St Herman as a Fulfillment of the Gospel
On the feast of St Herman of Alaska, His Grace Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth, Auxiliary to the Diocese of the South (OCA) calls us to consider how St Herman embodied the fruit of the Spirit described by St Paul: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, and self-control....
-
Reflecting Upon Our Commitment to Christ
During the Nativity Fast, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield points out, four recurring themes stand out in the hymnography: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. We must be especially watchful during the fast, striving to pay special attention to our relationship with the Living God, lest we move away...
-
St Nicholas: A True High Priest
On the feast of St Nicholas of Myra, the Rev. Dn Dr Vitaly Permiakov describes the venerable hierarch as a “living image of that one and only High Priest, according to the order of Melchizedek...our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave his life on the tree of the Cross.” For St Nicholas, the life of a...
-
Offer the Things of God Back to God
The story of the young rich ruler who could not distribute his wealth and follow Christ reminds us that we are all guilty of a similar failure to recognize that all things ultimately belong to God, says the Very Rev. Vincent Temirov. The lesson in this gospel account is not that the wealthy are...
-
Practicing Gratitude Towards God and Mercy to Our Fellow Human
In examining the healing of the woman who had been bent over for 18 years, the Very Rev. Dr Bogdan Bucur asks us to consider the symbolism behind her unique ailment. For almost two decades, she was only able to see the ground beneath her; she was unable to lift her gaze and look toward heaven,...
-
This Night Your Soul Will Be Required of You
Upon hearing the parable of the rich man who only thought of building himself bigger barns for his crops, Fr Vincent Temirov asks us to consider the ways in which we also worry about gaining wealth and security in this life, rather than striving to build up treasure in heaven. We all have...
-
Widening the Circle of Our Care
On the last Sunday before the start of the Nativity Fast, Fr Vincent Temirov preaches on the parable of the Good Samaritan, read during the Divine Liturgy. The lawyer who asks the Lord Jesus Christ, “Who is my neighbor?” certainly didn’t expect to be told that a Samaritan would also be considered...
-
St Vladimir’s Struggle to Become Christian
On the local feast of St Vladimir, established at the seminary in 2014 in commemoration of the reception of a portion of our patron saint’s relics, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield reviews the legacy of St Vladimir as a missionary saint. Over the course of his life, St Vladimir went from a...
-
Recognizing Ourselves in the People of the Gadarenes
The Gospel account of the man possessed by a host of demons in the country of the Gadarenes gives us great hope and assurance in the unsurpassed healing power of our Savior, preaches Fr Bogdan Bucur. However, there is another, more hidden message for us to glean from this reading: the so-called...
-
Christian Love: Self-Effacing and Sacrificial
On the feast of the Great Martyr Demetrios, the Rev. Demetrios Harper makes a clear distinction between love as it is understood in the worldly sense and love from the Christian point of view. To truly understand what real love is, we must look to Christ and His saints. Our Lord Jesus Christ did...
-
Seek to Know God’s Love through Loving Your Neighbor
The gospel parable about Lazarus and the rich man, preaches Fr Vincent Temirov, reveals several key points: first of all, earthly success and wealth in no way equate to holiness or a special relationship with God. Fr Vincent reminds us that the rich man’s sufferings after death were a direct...
-
The Parable of the Sower and Holy Baptism
In this homily, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield relates the baptism of a seminary newborn to the parable of the Sower read during the Liturgy. We as Christians are all reborn in Baptism; said another way, we are planted as seeds, and nurtured by the love, truth, and community in the Church. We…
more -
Offering A Song of Thanks and Praise with the Women of God
The Feast of the Holy Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God on Oct. 1 coincides with the Church’s commemoration of St Romanos the Melodist, which is why, the Rev. Dn Dr Harrison Russin points out, the OCA has recently designated the Sunday closest to Oct. 1 as Church Musician Sunday. Dn...
-
Humility–The Starting Point of All the Virtues
His Eminence, Metropolitan Saba (AOCANA) spoke from the ambo of Three Hierarchs Chapel about the lessons from the life of St Isaac the Syrian, whose memory was commemorated on the day of his archpastoral visit. St Isaac the Syrian’s writings cover a range of topics in the spiritual life, but…
more -
Be Prepared to Obey Christ in Faith and Humility
In considering the Gospel reading about Our Lord Jesus Christ calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be His disciples, Fr Vincent Temirov asks us to ponder the great obedience and humility they showed in this encounter. In our lives, we must always turn to God and learn to trust Him...
-
From the Moment of Conception, We Are Human
On the Feast of the Conception of the Honorable Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield points out the singular importance the Church places on celebrating the moment of conception–marking feastdays to celebrate this event in the lives of John the Baptist…
more -
The Cross and the Paradox of Our Salvation
On the Sunday after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, Fr Vincent Temirov calls our attention to the paradox of the Christian Gospel: that the very instrument of Christ’s death becomes the means of His victory over sin and death. In this way, Christ can transform any of us, no matter how...
-
Belonging to the One Who Ascended the Cross in the Flesh
The very first thing that the priest does when bringing a new believer into the Holy Church through Baptism is to make the sign of the cross on their head. In this way, says His Eminence Archbishop Daniel (OCA), the Church is claiming that individual for Christ, the Crucified Savior. The Feast of...
-
Remembering Our Ever-Present Need for Salvation
In this homily from the Rev. Dn Dr Vitaly Permiakov, we are called to remember and be mindful of our need for salvation. It is sometimes easy to lose sight of this fact, especially if we are closely involved in service to the Church. Dn Vitaly encourages us to continually call on God and to take…
more -
Beginning the School Year with Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving
Following the Divine Liturgy, for the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, Primate of the OCA, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon addressed the student body for the opening of the academic year. In his address, His Beatitude called on students to follow the example of Christ’s Most…
more -
Looking to the Mother of God on the Feast of Her Nativity
On the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, Primate of the OCA, His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon calls us to look to the example of all the righteous forebears in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, culminating in the person of His Mother, the ever Virgin Mary. His Beatitude...
-
The Rich Young Man and the Lack in His Life
The story of the rich young man who approached Jesus is told several different ways in the Gospels. The Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield identifies the main theme which unifies the various versions: although the rich young man thought he had done everything he needed to do to please the Lord, he was...
-
The Conversion Legacy of St Vladimir
On the patronal feast of St Vladimir’s Seminary, the Very Rev. Dr Chad Hatfield hearkens back to the original reason why St Vladimir was chosen as the namesake for our school–his missionary legacy, and more than that–his great journey of conversion. In his lifetime, St Vladimir went from…
more -
Their Proclamation Has Gone Out Into All the Earth
On the feast of Sts Peter and Paul, the Very Rev. Dr Alexander Rentel calls us to give thanks for the great work of these two apostles, who taught the Faith so loudly and persistently that we still receive it today, 2000 years later. Fr Alexander also reminds us that Sts Peter and Paul never...
-
Standing in the Gift of Justification We Have Received
On the third Sunday after Pentecost, Dn Mark Therrien (Th.M. ‘24) focuses on two key words in the Epistle reading:”justified” and “stand”. As we now settle into a more “normal”, post-Paschal and post-Pentecost season of the year, the temptation is to relax into complacency or lukewarmness towards...
-
I am Among You as One Who Serves
At the end of the week-long Diaconal Liturgical Program and the 2023 Summer Music Institute on June 23, 2023, His Grace, Bishop Gerasim of Fort Worth (OCA) encouraged all participants to heed Christ’s call to live a life of service to others. By turning away from self-centeredness to...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
A collection of daily and weekly homilies from the seminarians, faculty, and honored guests of St. Vladimir's Seminary - straight from the ambo of Three Hierarch's Chapel.
HOSTED BY
St. Vladimir's Seminary, and Ancient Faith Ministries
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Give Me A Word have?
Give Me A Word currently has 108 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Give Me A Word about?
A collection of daily and weekly homilies from the seminarians, faculty, and honored guests of St. Vladimir's Seminary - straight from the ambo of Three Hierarch's Chapel.
How often does Give Me A Word release new episodes?
Give Me A Word publishes regularly with 108 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Give Me A Word?
You can listen to Give Me A Word on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Give Me A Word?
Give Me A Word is created and hosted by St. Vladimir's Seminary, and Ancient Faith Ministries.
URL copied to clipboard!