Reflection ~ St. John the Baptist Humility

Lecture ~ 2026 

Listen To Full Sermon: "Two Gates, Two Ways and Two Destinies" @ Coptic Community - Mobil, AL ~ February 28, 2026 https://on.soundcloud.com/ueJv1lBJJSsZdHOGQE 

​​A HOMILY of Fr David SmithSt Sophia's Orthodox Church in Syracuse, New Yorkfrdavidsmith.comstsophias.org 

Together, we begin the chapter on the sacraments of initiation, specifically the section on the sacrament of Baptism. Fr. Mike unpacks the different names that the Church employs when discussing Baptism, such as the “washing of regeneration and renewal” and “enlightenment.” He co ...  Show more

Baptism has profound effects upon the baptized: “purification from sins and new birth in the Holy Spirit.” The Catechism shows us that the graces of Baptism are so deep that—for the newly baptized—“nothing remains that would impede their entry into the Kingdom of God.” Fr. Mike r ...  Show more

St. John Maximovitch appears in a vision and comforts a young man who was grieving the death of his mother. As the young man understood, "[St. John] affirms the Church’s prohibition of offering public prayers for the departed non-orthodox, but also affirms the teaching that priva ...  Show more