St. Paul American Coptic Orthodox Church Podcast - Sermon

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 1st Sunday of Thout. Christ is the way, and our spiritual lives progress through three stages: ignorance, good conscience, and wisdom — each calling us to recognize God's authority, act on our faith, and respond to others with compassion rather than judgment.Click the icon below to listen.  Related StoriesSitting in the Tension that Leads to Virtue and HolinessResponding to Surprises in Our Spiritual LifeFinding Satisfaction in Christ

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the Sunday of Nasie. On the Sunday of Nasie, the church reflects on the end of the world, encouraging Christians to embrace life's tensions, which aim to produce virtue and holiness. The tensions, paradoxes, and restlessness within us are meant to lead us to greater faith, hope, and love. We are supported by the saints who come and aid us along the way.Click the icon below to listen.  Related StoriesThe Grace to Love Enemies and Endure InjusticeChrist as the Way: Stages of the Spiritual LifeResponding to Surprises in Our Spiritual Life

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 4th Sunday of Mesori. Jesus warns us to expect hardships like war, persecution, and family conflict, so we aren't caught off guard spiritually. By following St. Paul's guidance—praying, helping others, and avoiding evil—we stay prepared and focused on the reality of Christ's return.Click the icon below to listen.  Related StoriesChrist as the Way: Stages of the Spiritual LifeSitting in the Tension that Leads to Virtue and HolinessFinding Satisfaction in Christ

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Mesori. True satisfaction comes only from Christ, not worldly pursuits. Like St. Matthew, who left everything behind, we are called to recognize our restlessness and find lasting fulfillment in God alone.Click the icon below to listen.  Related StoriesThe Grace to Love Enemies and Endure InjusticeChrist as the Way: Stages of the Spiritual LifeSitting in the Tension that Leads to Virtue and Holiness

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 1st Sunday of Mesori. God has entrusted our hearts like a vineyard, giving us every grace to bear fruit. We must remain faithful stewards—respecting Christ in the sacraments and persevering until our final breath.Click the icon below to listen.  Related StoriesChrist as the Way: Stages of the Spiritual LifeSitting in the Tension that Leads to Virtue and HolinessResponding to Surprises in Our Spiritual Life

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 4th Sunday of Epip. Just as Jesus raised Lazarus, we can resurrect the good virtues and faith we've lost over time—because Christ's victory over death frees us from the curse and calls us to reclaim who we truly are.Click the icon below to listen.  Related StoriesChrist as the Way: Stages of the Spiritual LifeSitting in the Tension that Leads to Virtue and HolinessResponding to Surprises in Our Spiritual Life

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Epip. Drawing from 1 Timothy 6:11-12, this sermon calls Christians to flee evil, pursue righteousness, and lay hold of eternal life through daily prayer, the sacraments, obedience, and selfless love for one another.Click the icon below to listen.  Related StoriesThe Grace to Love Enemies and Endure InjusticeChrist as the Way: Stages of the Spiritual LifeSitting in the Tension that Leads to Virtue and Holiness

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Epip. True humility, modeled after the simplicity of children, is essential for salvation—letting go of anger, speaking honestly, avoiding excess, forgiving injuries, and trusting God.Click the icon below to listen.  Related StoriesChrist as the Way: Stages of the Spiritual LifeSitting in the Tension that Leads to Virtue and HolinessResponding to Surprises in Our Spiritual Life

HG Bishop Abraam - Abraam - Homily for Feast of the Apostles. Saint Peter's life teaches that no failure is final: through calling, falling, repenting, and restoration, Christ transforms weakness into holiness and calls us back to serve with love.Click the icon below to listen.  Related StoriesChrist as the Way: Stages of the Spiritual LifeSitting in the Tension that Leads to Virtue and HolinessResponding to Surprises in Our Spiritual Life

HG Bishop Kyrillos - A relic of St. Mark the Evangelist was officially placed in St. Paul American Coptic Orthodox Church in Irvine, California, during a celebration of the Feast of the Apostles and the establishment of the church.Click the icon below to listen.  Related StoriesChrist as the Way: Stages of the Spiritual LifeSitting in the Tension that Leads to Virtue and HolinessResponding to Surprises in Our Spiritual Life

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 4th Sunday of Paoni. God commands us to love our enemies, endure injustice, and do good to all. Such supernatural grace is possible only by the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to reflect God's own nature.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Paoni. The greatest spiritual danger isn't demonic possession, but the gradual resistance of the Holy Spirit through sin, negligence, and lukewarmness — a slow decline we must guard against through faithfulness to our spiritual duties and the rekindling of the fire of Divine Love.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Paoni. Through the healing of the paralytic, we learn that God's most important work is invisible — and like wearing special glasses, keeping our faith active through prayer, humility, and repentance allows us to perceive the deeper spiritual reality God invites us into.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 1st Sunday of Paoni. The Lord gives a parable of a friend's persistence at midnight to obtain bread from his friend for a visitor in order to instruct us to persist in asking, seeking and knocking in prayer for spiritual gifts, especially the Holy Spirit.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 5th Sunday of Pashons. In the feeding of the multitude, Jesus the new Moses reveals the path to spiritual newness: caring generously for others, creating order that makes space for God, eating well of the Eucharist and all that is good, and sharing the visible fragments of renewal with others.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the Feast of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ by reproducing Christ in the soul of the believer. A reflection on the verse "He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” (Jn. 16:15)Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 6th Sunday of Pentecost. Though Christ ascended to heaven, He promised to remain with us—and true joy comes not from perfect circumstances, but from trusting God through tribulation while continuing to do good.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 5th Sunday of Pentecost. Jesus is the only way to the Father, and following Him means living a life of love—serving others without grumbling, using our gifts without boasting, honoring others in word and deed, and loving beyond human limits.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 4th Sunday of Pentecost. Christ is the light of the world who frees us from spiritual darkness and self-centeredness. God's greatest joy is the repentance of even the worst sinner, whose single tear of remorse is more precious to Him than any act of virtue.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Pentecost. Through the story of the Samaritan woman, this sermon explores how Jesus calls all people into a divine relationship with God, offering a transformative sense of purpose that can spread to others.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Timothy Paul - Jesus as the Bread of Life applies not only to the Eucharist but also to Scripture, which nourishes the soul, drives away evil, and sanctifies those who read it faithfully.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - On Thomas Sunday, doubt is reframed not as shameful weakness but as an honest quest for deeper faith, and Thomas's cry 'My Lord and my God' reminds us that faith is a gift we can seek through sincere prayer and openness to God's touch.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for Great Friday.Click the icon below to listen.

Tony Soliman - A reflection for the Eve of Thursday of Holy Pascha.Click the icon below to listen.

Randy Fanous - A reflection for the Eve of Thursday of Holy Pascha.Click the icon below to listen.

Ashraf Ibrahim - A reflection for the Eve of Wednesday of Holy Pascha.Click the icon below to listen.

AD Mark Soliman - A reflection for the Eve of Tuesday of Holy Pascha.Click the icon below to listen.

Mena Ghebranious - A reflection for the Eve of Monday of Holy Pascha.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 7th Sunday of Lent. A reflection on the three icon offerings on Palm Sunday.Click the icon below to listen.

AD Mark Soliman - A discussion on the Paradise of the Spirit a book by Bishop Youanis.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - A Homily for the 6th Sunday of Lent. A reflection on going from hearing God to seeing Him.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent. A reflection on how to desire God instead of our passions.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 4th Sunday of Great Lent. Christ's encounter with the Samaritan Woman was shrouded in gentleness. The gentleness of Christ was a great source of attraction to the sinners and marginalized. A reflection on the relationship between meekness and gentleness and how we can practice this virtue.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent. A reflection on the spirituality of time, and how we deal with time in Lent.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent. At the heart of all temptations is the act of pushing God aside because we perceive him as secondary or in the way of our instinct towards self-sufficiency. The devil wants man to forget his true origin and destination, creating a form of spiritual amnesia where man forgets he is a creature dependent on a Creator.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for Treasure Sunday. A reflection on setting our treasures on the heavenly things.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the Feast of the Lord's Presentation. The Feast of the Lord's Presentation to the Temple weaves together themes of the Cross and the Eucharist. We also learn how we can present ourselves before the Lord.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 1st Sunday of Meshir. A reflection on how Christ labors for his creation and yet presents Himself concealed and how to labor for eternal life.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 4th Sunday of Tobe. A reflection on how God sees us, how God deals with us, and how that helps us in our relationship with God.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Tobi. The words of St. John the Baptist, "He must increase, and I must decrease," act as a foundational program for the whole Christian life. Some practical teachings on how we can accomplish this and a small reflection on the life and humility of a contemporary saint, the late Bishop Makarios of Qena.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Tobi. A reflection on the baptism of Christ, the one without sin.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 1st Sunday of Tobi. The first Sunday after Nativity relates the Holy Family's flight to Egypt and the slaughter of the innocents. We find both the hope and light of the Incarnation, but also its opposition. This reveals both the fragility of the human condition and its resilience by the grace and power of God in our lives.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 4th Sunday of Kiahk. A reflection on the significance of St. John the Baptist.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Kiahk. In the Magnifcat of St. Mary, she proclaims that God's mercy is "on those who fear Him from generation to generation” (Lk. 1:50). A reflection on the virtue of the Fear of the Lord - its meaning, its relationship to humility, trust and love, and how we can acquire it.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Khiakh. A reflection on the Annunciation, and having joy in the midst of uncertainty.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 1st Sunday of Kiahk. A reflection on the Mystery of the Incarnation as the meeting between the cry of God for His creation's redemption and salvation and the cry of humanity which is born from its bondage to sin and death. As God hears our cry, He also teaches us to hear the cry of our fellow human.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 4th Sunday of Hathor. A reflection on the parable of the rich, young man who asked Jesus how to enter Heaven.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Hathor. In Luke 14, the Lord calls us to count the cost of true discipleship: taking up our Cross and forsaking all. A reflection on the spiritual deformities that prevent us from true discipleship including being duplicitous, half-hearted, presumptuous, and lacking unity of life.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Andrew Iskander - Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Hathor. A reflection on the Parable of the Sower and how to be good soil.Click the icon below to listen.

Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Homily for the 1st Sunday of Hatour. In the reading for the Parable of the Sower, our Lord rejoices in revealing to His disciples the "mysteries of the Kingdom." The saints are the best witnesses to the reality and proximity of the Kingdom. We reflect on the life of a great contemporary saint, Anba Mina of Girga, commemorated this month.Click the icon below to listen.