This post features a priest's homily centered on God's constant presence, the ministry of guardian angels, and the incompatibility of hatred with the Christian life. The priest begins with the assurance that God never leaves us and that our guardian angel is always at our side, while the devil's presence in our lives depends on our own choices. From this foundation he develops his central theme: we cannot claim to love God while holding grudges, anger, or judgment against others, since anger directed at our brothers and sisters is ultimately directed at God Himself. Cutting someone off in anger, he warns, cuts God out of our life as well. He connects the world's suffering to the loss of love, arguing that wars persist because people have come to love themselves, money, power, and control more than God and neighbor. Drawing on pastoral experience, he describes the difficulty of counseling spouses who battle one another because they have forgotten who made them and who loves them. The homily closes with a direct appeal: kneel and ask forgiveness for the grudges we hold. Forgiveness, he clarifies, does not mean agreeing with everyone, but it does mean forgiving and reaching out. He reminds listeners that at death they will meet their guardian angel, and that the heart has no room for hatred—only love, which brings peace. A childhood memory about free will underscores the point: God gave us free will precisely so that we could love, though we can also choose to hate and judge. The overall call is to change our hearts and become children of love rather than judgment.
God and our guardian angel are always with us; whether the devil remains near depends on our own choices.
Anger, grudges, and judgment toward others are directed at God, who commands love for our brothers and sisters.
Wars stem from people loving self, money, and power while losing God, brotherhood, and peace.
Forgiveness does not mean agreeing with everyone, but it does mean forgiving and reaching out.
The homily for the Feast of the Dormition reflects on the Virgin Mary's profound significance, which lies not in her recorded words—the Gospels scarcely mention them—but in her actions: humility, obedience, and silent love. The speaker contrasts this with the human tendency to offer advice, justify oneself, and correct others, illustrating through a personal childhood anecdote that a single revealing action outweighs all self-justifying words. He emphasizes that true discipleship follows Mary's example: directing others to Christ ("Do whatever he tells you"), correcting oneself rather than others, loving enemies, and living a quietly faithful life. The homily argues that love for God is demonstrated by deeds, not words, and that the world's turmoil persists because necessary actions—such as refusing to kill one's brother—are neglected, even by churches that support wars. The faithful are called to imitate the Theotokos by keeping Christ's word, staying silent under attack, praying, and loving, for love alone disarms anger and transforms hearts. The discussion underscores that example, not rhetoric, leads others; words impress only the foolish, while fidelity and love effect real change.
The Dormition completes the Theotokos's earthly life; her significance is in her deeds, not her few recorded words.
At Cana, she directed others to obey Christ: "Do whatever he tells you," modeling humility and silent worship.
People often give advice they don't follow; Mary's example is to love God and neighbor through action, not speech.
Example, not words, transforms others; love and fidelity matter more than impressive rhetoric.
The speaker addresses the painful experience of sincere prayers that seem unanswered and lives that do not improve. He identifies the root cause not in God's unwillingness but in the petitioner's weak faith and doubting heart. Drawing on the Gospel account of the disciples' failure to cast out a demon, he explains that such spiritual work requires both prayer and fasting. Fasting is defined broadly as abstinence from the passions — judgment, anger, lust — rather than merely from food. Christ's promise that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains is contrasted with the congregation's honest admission that they do not truly believe it. The talk turns to a common pattern: people ask God to change others, while God calls them to change themselves. This refusal stems from a lack of genuine faith. An anecdote illustrates the need to ask God for a decisive awakening — to "slap me in the face" — so that one recognizes a wasted life. Ultimately, no one harms us more than we harm ourselves through unbelief. The path forward is to trust God completely, acknowledge personal sinfulness, and seek His help to transform the self, resting in the assurance that God's love endures despite human unfaithfulness.
Unanswered prayers arise from weak faith and a doubting heart, not from God's reluctance.
Effective spiritual warfare requires prayer and fasting understood as abstinence from passions.
Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, yet believers often admit they do not trust this promise.
God calls us to change ourselves rather than demanding He change others; refusal reveals unbelief.
Treadwell
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