When we gather as the family of God, we have the blessing to bring people to Christ who need His help and healing. When Christ saw the faith of four friends of a paralyzed man, He healed the man and forgave his sins. Our responsibility to God is bring people to the Church so they can be healed and forgiven.

On Forgiveness Sunday, the Gospel teaches us that God will only forgive once we have forgiven others. This is difficult when we fight about who was right and who was wrong. Since all since is against God, then forgiveness comes much easier. If we can forgive for reconciliation rather than right or wrong, then we unite with each other and God. Then, and only then, we God forgive us.

The Parable of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25 can confuse us into believing that our actions will save us. Our judgment isn’t about the works that we do, our ability to love others as if we are loving Christ. Even our giving to the Church should be out of love for God and not out of duty.

When someone who has wasted everything and lost everything, or has strayed away from God, chooses to return in repentance, it is a blessing to witness. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is much more than just a story about repentance. It is also a story of the ‘one left behind’ and being too cold to be joyful over another’s repentance. You never know when you will meet a prodigal son returning to God. It is just as important to welcome others home as it is to repent and return home.

There are special days in our life when we feel so happy and content that we can’t imagine life getting any better. Saint Symeon had such a day when he saw Jesus Christ. “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace.” The Church invites us to consider what it might take for our hearts to be filled with so much peace and joy at seeing Him that we are ‘ready’ to die.

We say ‘thank you’ all the time, but we rarely live a life of gratitude. Being truly thankful requires a life-change, more than just a few words. When we want to thank God, we come to His Church, bow and worship Him, and live a new life of gratitude.

When we hear the human lineage of Christ in Matthew 1.1-25, we hear about our human ancestors. The ‘list of names’ reminds us that God has never walked away from us, no matter how far we have strayed away from Him. The Feast of Christmas is a celebration of God’s saving act of becoming human and saving us. The story of our ancestors is a story of faith. It is a story of those who kept returning to God no matter how often or how far they may have strayed. It inspires us to return to Him and celebrate Christmas and our salvation.

When we think of the Holy Canons of the Church, we most often think of them as ‘laws’ to be followed. They should be followed but not because they are laws. In the story of the women bent over for eighteen years, Christ reveals the true purpose of the Law. Following the laws and Canons of the Church frees us from the burden of sin. When we allow the Holy Canons to change our hearts, we change the way we think of Christ and the Church. Fast, but not because it is the law. Fast to change your heart. Fast to be free from sin.

When faced with the choice to give up our wealth or follow Christ, most of us choose our wealth and walk away from God. Until we are willing to separate ourselves from money and wealth we cannot have eternal life. This is impossible without God’s help.

When we are blessed to have more than we need, it is a challenge for our soul. In the Parable of the Barns, the rich man died without ever using the ‘good things’ that God had given to him. What are we doing with all the good things that God has given to us? We always focus on ourselves, but God wants us to think about others more than ourselves. The best way to learn to care about others is to Tithe to the Church. It was the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Church.