Hill Country Homilies

Hill Country Homilies

Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church in Liberty Hill, Texas, located at the edge of the Texas Hill Country, brings you the weekly homilies from our clergy. Suited for Orthodox faithful and inquirers alike, join us for this weekly teaching on the Holy Scriptures and great saints of the Church.

Episodes

March 18, 2024 12 mins
On the Sunday before Great Lent, we cover a lot of ground. We have the physical Cheesefare, as we prepare for the abstinence of the Fast.  We have the beauty of the rite of mutual forgiveness, as we cleanse ourselves or grudges and retained wrongs, while seeking forgiveness for ourselves as well.  And on this day, the Church calls to remembrance the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise.  In today's homily, Abp. Irineos discusses...
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On the Sunday of the Last Judgment, Abp. Irineos preaches on the Gospel account of the Last Judgment from Matthew.  Commenting on our modern culture with division and outrage seen as de rigueur when we encounter those who differ from us for any number of reasons, Abp. Irineos asks whether we would be able to be judged among the sheep, or would following culture leave us with no defense before the dread judgment seat.  
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February 25, 2024 13 mins
On the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, we enter the Triodion with a focus on humility and repentance. Humility and repentance, of course, go hand in had, as in the absence of humility, pride prevents us from making the metanoia necessary to form true repentance. The Publican and the Pharisee approached the temple to pray from two very different perspectives. The Pharisee, in his pride, saw himself through his own eyes, a...
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In discussing the geneaology of Christ, Abp. Irineos discusses how the complementary genaologies of Matthew and Luke are important to our understanding of the incarnation, and how God's uniting of divinity to humanity in the incarnation calls us to unite our humanity to his divinity in our struggle for salvation. Understanding then the place of the Church as the Body of Christ, he urges Orthodox Christians to redouble their efforts...
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December 5, 2023 16 mins
This Sunday, we heard the Gospel reading of the Parable of the Rich Fool. This man, who has prospered greatly in his business, has such a great harvest he vows to tear down his existing barns which are overflowing, to build even bigger ones so that he might take his rest for many years. But then he hears from the Lord, "You fool, this night thy soul be required of thee. Then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?"

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November 14, 2023 15 mins
On the Sunday of Luke on which we read the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Abp. Irineos considers how this parable calls each of us to self-appraisal. The Rich Man was condemned, not for his riches, but for his vainglory and gluttony. Lazarus was saved, not for his poverty but for his humility and long-suffering. Lazarus was the rich man's opportunity for salvation, but he passed him by every day. Let us all consider who G...
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On the 4th Sunday of Luke, we read the Parable of the Sower. In this parable Christ both gives the parable to the listeners, but then he explains it to his disciples. In today's homily, Abp. Irineos discusses the four different types of ground discussed by Christ, and how they may present themselves today. More importantly, though he explains that the condition of the ground depends not on its location but on how it has been pre...
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September 12, 2023 12 mins
Today's Gospel reading is the Parable of the Wedding Feast of the Son of the King from the Gospel of St. Matthew. In his homily, Abp. Irineos discusses the wedding garment in the parable as a gift from the king, and how that relates to the failure of the guest to wear it. Comparing this parabolical robe to our own baptismal robe, Abp. Irineos urges us to be careful not to dishonor the gift our King has given to us. In closing, he t...
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September 3, 2023 17 mins
This week's Gospel is the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers. Abp. Irineos takes us through the explication of this reading from Blessed Theophylact and along the way poses some questions for us - asking whether not just the heterodox, but also the Orthodox, share too much in common with the evil husbandmen of the parable. Are we rejecting God's providential care for us, just as the Pharisee's rejected the many preparations God o...
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At Great Vespers, Abp. Irineos speaks of the trials of St. Catherine of Tyre, and the successive attempts of the governors to force the martyress to sacrifice to the pagan idols. Though we may not face the pain of death or imprisonment (yet) for our beliefs, still, the world it seems is constantly urging us to pay homage to the idols of modernity and challenging us if we refuse. May the holy martyress Catherine be an example and i...
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Today we commemorate the Holy Apostle Jude, the kinsman of the Lord. Abp. Irineos discusses the Epistle of Jude, which was read in part at the Liturgy and in full at Great Vespers, and how the Holy Apostle delivers a strident and still relevant message in an epistle composed of a mere 25 verses. Indeed, perhaps the concerns of the Apostle are even more relevant today than they were when he wrote.
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May 13, 2023 12 mins
In his homily for Thomas Sunday, Abp. Irineos discusses the different treatments that Thomas receives in the East and the West, and particularly the more modern Eastern trend to focus only on Thomas's belief. While his belief is important, the Fathers also speak clearly of his doubt. Knowing that his doubt was changed to belief, Thomas serves as our witness to the Resurrection of Christ!
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March 26, 2023 10 mins
Recounting the Gospel reading of the healing of the demon-possessed boy, Abp. Irineos looks at the exclamation of the boy's father: "Lord I believe; help my unbelief!" With guidance from the early church fathers, Abp. Irineos suggests that this prayer is as vital for us today as it was for the boy's father that day, and that we should pray it as often as we do the Jesus Prayer, for the completion and preservation of our own weak a...
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March 19, 2023 11 mins
On the Sunday of the Precious Cross, Abp. Irineos discusses how the Cross is a comfort to us during Lent, but also a means by which our Lenten efforts draw us closer to Christ. Abp. Irineos discusses the barrier that inertia poses to us during Lent and simple things we can do to change that inertia into energy.
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On the Second Sunday of Great Lent, Abp. Irineos explores the themes of faith and revelation embedded in the Gospel account of the healing of the paralytic, and calls the faithful to live a life in community with one another, strengthening one another in faith.
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On Forgiveness Sunday, Abp. Irineos reflects on the Gospel reading that both promises and warns. We are promised forgiveness by the Father, so long as we forgive those who trespass against us. But forgiveness is a hard ask to a man. Our pride so often works against us so that what we call forgiveness is more often just a transaction. We demand satisfaction. We don't grant forgiveness. Abp. Irineos asks the faithful to forgive...
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February 19, 2023 11 mins
On the Sunday of the Last Judgment, Abp. Irineos discusses the very real and very specific account of the Last Judgment from the lips of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Noting that our reward is the consequence of our deeds, Abp. Irineos questions the modern, evangelical conception of salvation. He also discusses the trend in modern Orthodoxy to soften the concept of fear of God to exclude the idea of fear of judgment. Drawing on sourc...
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February 12, 2023 16 mins
On the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, Abp. Irineos reminds the faithful that when we willingly separate ourselves from the Father, we are no longer living a truly human life. We are outside the life God has created for us, and living like the irrational beasts of the field and not the noble son of the Father. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the Church prepares us for Great Lent with examples of repentance and forgiveness. Let u...
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February 5, 2023 16 mins
As we begin the Lenten Triodion - a time in the Church when we prepare for Great Lent, which is itself a preparation for Pascha, Abp. Irineos looks at the Orthodox emphasis on preparation and how it should permeate our daily life, being an integral part of our faith. In this homily he discusses how our emphasis on preparation is both based on the Church's focus on eschatology and on beneficent God's preparation of His creation for...
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January 22, 2023 13 mins
On the Sunday after Theophany, Abp. Irineos comments on the Gospel account of the healing of the blind man nigh to Jericho and how that reading relates to the Gospel for the Sunday after Theophany. Using the gospel on the healing of the blind man, he exhorts the faithful to diligence, faith and to receive Christ as the light of this world.
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