In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Christ says, “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Fr. Micah believes that these words can be distilled into one word, the central theme of today’s homily: patience.

He gives examples of how we practice patience in our everyday lives — from fishing and farming to marriage and parenting. However, when we follow Christ, we must not only practice this self-denial for individual gain and for our friends and family, but also for the stranger. We must be patient with those whom we find difficult, listen to those with whom we disagree, and deny ourselves today for a future we may never see. When we endure, wait, and persevere, St. Paul says that what remains is faith, hope, and love. What will remain if we deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him will be faith in him, hope in him, and his love.

On this Sunday, we celebrate one of the twelve great feasts of the Church, the Elevation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross. Fr. Gregory begins his sermon by recounting the history of this feast, which began in the year 629.

He then focuses on the healing power of the Cross, on bringing our wounds and our sufferings to Christ. He encourages us to, instead of denying our pain, to offer it to God, who can transform it and heal us.

In this Sunday’s Epistle reading, St. Paul says, “But far be it for me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.” Fr. Micah explores what it means for the world to be crucified to us and for us to be crucified to the world in today’s homily.

First, he addresses the phrase, “The world has been crucified to me,” explaining that it means the world is dead — that is, the world is not viewed as a tool for our use, an idol, or a distraction. Rather, it’s a gift, a wonder, that we celebrate with thanksgiving, recognizing the Giver.

Next, he addresses what it means to be “crucified to the world,” which means that one is free from corruption, death, and the passions. This is true freedom, not the ability to do whatever we want, but to be free from wanting itself — to transfigure out wanting into what Christ wants.

Fr. Micah concludes by encouraging us in how we live in this way, looking to the Cross of Christ, knowing that we are not worthy or deserving of that love that is stronger than death.

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, we hear the story of the rich young ruler who comes to Jesus and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life, to which Jesus replies, “Keep the commandments.” The young man asks Christ which commandments, Christ names familiar ones, and the young man tells him he has kept them all since he was a boy. He asks Jesus, “What do I still lack?” Jesus tells him to give up his possessions, giving to the poor, and to follow him. He goes away sorrowful, choosing to cling to the security of his many possessions.

Fr. Gregory encourages us to be like the rich young ruler, asking what we still lack — how we can go beyond the minimum and pursue the perfection of love. When Christ calls us to take the next step — to give without fear, to detach our hearts from our possessions, to trust without compromise — he also strengthens us. At the end of the Gospel reading, Christ says that it will be very hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven, and the apostles ask, “Who then can be saved?” Christ replies, “With men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.”

The young rich ruler’s story ends in sorrow, but ours need not. Christ stands before us too, offering the same invitation: “Come, follow me.” May we loosen our grip on the things of this world, trusting God with our possessions, future, and life. May we continually ask ourselves, “What do I still lack?,” taking the next step toward Christ and knowing that with him, all things are possible.

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, our Lord uses a parable of servants who are indebted to their master to teach us about forgiveness, which is central to how we should live our lives as Christians.

In today’s sermon, Fr. Micah encourages us to always remember the debt that we owe our Lord, and that everything we have is a gift from God that we’ve done nothing to deserve. Every Sunday, we gather together to thank God for these gifts, and in the pre-communion prayer we say, “I am the first among sinners.” Fr. Micah challenges us to ask ourselves if we truly mean this when we say it. If we do mean it and believe it, there’s no offense we could receive that we could not forgive. Fr. Micah continues, emphasizing the importance of forgiveness in our lives and its relationship to communion and resurrection, the heart of our faith.

St. Paul tells the Corinthians in today’s Epistle reading, “We are fools for Christ’s sake.” St. Paul was very respected, a Pharisee of Pharisees. However, when Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus, all human prestige became “rubbish” compared to the surpassing worth of knowing the Lord. In his sermon, Fr. Gregory addresses this statement and the concept of foolishness, which has deep Biblical roots.

This concept of foolishness applies to us today, too. In a world obsessed with competence, success, and image, Christ calls us to humility, obedience, and self-sacrificial love — a life that can sometimes be misunderstood, ridiculed, or called foolish. The prophets, the apostles, the martyrs, the saints, and our Lord most of all bore this burden. May we have the courage to follow them, accepting when necessary the world’s laughter, knowing that, in heaven, such fools are crowned with glory. “Let us all be willing to be considered a little foolish for Christ in the eyes of the world,” Fr. Gregory concludes.

In today’s Gospel reading, Christ walks on water to approach the boat where the apostles are being tossed by a storm, afraid. Christ says, “Take heart, it is I.” Peter asks Christ to call him out onto the water. Christ calls him, and he begins to walk toward him on the water. However, when he sees the wind, he becomes afraid and begins to sink. He cries out, “Lord, save me.” Christ pulls him out of the water, asking him why he doubted. He brings him back to the boat, and the apostles gather around to worship him.

Fr. Micah explains that, in the sayings of the Desert Fathers, the wind is a metaphor for our thoughts. If you’re walking on water, you shouldn’t be worried about the wind, but the waves. However, just as Peter was afraid of the wind, we become overwhelmed with our thoughts, worrying about things that aren’t real.

When we are overwhelmed with these troublesome thoughts, Fr. Micah says, we can pray. Our prayer doesn’t have to be complicated. A simple “Lord, have mercy” or “Lord, save me,” repeated often, can transform our minds. We must also recognize that, though we may not be able to stop thoughts from coming up, we can fill our hearts and minds with good things, giving the dark thought no place to rest. Fr. Micah encourages us to pray often and attend church as much as possible, as this will fill our hearts and minds with beauty, truth, and gratitude.

On this Sunday, we hear the account of the Feeding of the Five Thousand from Matthew 14. A great multitude followed Christ into a remote place, where he healed and taught until late in the day. The disciples urged him to send away the crowds to find food. However, Christ proposes a different solution: “You give them something to eat.” They offer their meager five loaves and two fish, and Christ multiplies it to feed the whole crowd, with much leftover.

Fr. Gregory encourages us to cooperate with God in the same way that the disciples did, giving what little we have in love and having faith that the Lord will multiply it. When we offer what we have — our resources, talent, time, and effort — God can create abundance from it.

On this Sunday, the healing of blindness is a primary topic. However, Fr. Micah doesn’t speak on blindness or seeing, but rather on being seen by the Lord.

In today’s Gospel reading, Christ gave two blind men their sight, a great miracle. However, a great wonder, too, is that the Lord saw them. The one who created the universe sees us, and he loves us — in our pain, struggles, hopes, joys, and despair. He sees our sin, and he loves us. He sees the ones we love, and he sees the ones we hate, and he gave his life for us all.

Fr. Micah encourages us to remember that our Lord sees us at every moment. The Prophet Elias repeatedly says, “The Lord lives, before whom I stand.” Fr. Micah encourages us to live with this mindset, rejoicing in our Lord seeing us and living accordingly.

On July 20, we lift up the memory of the prophet Elijah, translated into Greek as Elias. To celebrate, Fr. Gregory recounts St. Elijah’s story from the Scriptures, which extends across six chapters. This story is not merely a record of a miracle worker, but the journey of a man who walked with God, wholeheartedly devoted to him, during a time of national crisis and spiritual confusion.

In sharing the prophet’s story, Fr. Gregory points out that St. Elijah stands as an example for our own lives. He reminds us that one person, filled with faith and obedience, can ignite a spiritual fire in a people wandering in darkness. He challenged the people of Israel with the question: “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him.” Fr. Gregory reminds us that the same question confronts each of us today. We live in a world filled with competing loyalties, divided hearts, and a temptation to compromise. However, St. Elijah calls us back to wholehearted devotion to God through boldness, obedience, and humility. May we be found faithful, ready to hear God in the still, small voice and to say, “The Lord, he is God.”