Finding Peace Within During the 40 Days to the Holy Cross

In a sermon during the 40 days from the Feast of the Transfiguration to the Feast of the Holy Cross, the speaker addresses how people often claim they have no enemies yet treat relatives, neighbors, God, or even themselves as enemies. Using a Desert Fathers story of a monk confronted at heaven’s gate with a list of “enemies” that includes his own family and spiritual father, he explains that labeling others as enemies makes love impossible and leads to avoidance, distrust, anger, and gossip. Drawing from the day’s gospel, he teaches that peace cannot depend on how others act because the Kingdom of God is within; the real issue is our own vices and lack of patience. The gospel’s remedy is our response—bless, do good, pray, and go the extra mile—following Christ’s example on the cross, and choosing inner change over waiting for others to change.

Recorded: September 6, 2026 at St. Thomas Orthodox Church (Unruh) Philadelphia

Reflecting on Jesus’ words that a lit lamp is not hidden, this episode explains that God did not hide His Son—the light of the world—citing Saint Cyril of Alexandria on Christ rescuing humanity from Satanic darkness. It asks why a good and almighty God permits darkness, pain, and tragedy, referencing the lasting impact of 9/11 as well as everyday struggles like stress, sadness, and hardship. The message argues that a world without darkness would require removing genuine freedom, and love requires a will that can say no. Like parents who have children despite the risk of rejection, God made humanity with free will and, when things went wrong, entered the darkness through the cross, transforming death into light. Listeners are urged to examine their own hearts, choose love over harm, forgive, and become light in the darkness.

Recorded: September 13, 2026 at Sts. Basilios-Gregorios Orthodox Church in New Jersey

Is Jesus Still Remarkable? Returning to Routine with Christ as the Cornerstone

As summer ends and September routines return, the speaker asks whether Jesus Christ also returns to a normal place in our schedules—and whether we still remember who we are praying to. Reflecting on the Gospel where Nazareth rejects Jesus as merely “the carpenter’s son,” he warns that familiarity can make Christ seem unremarkable and cause people to stop seeing His power. Drawing from 1 Peter 2 and 1 Corinthians, he explains Jesus as the chief cornerstone on which our lives—family, career, reputation, and faith—must be built to withstand life’s floods and earthquakes. Christ’s true power is love (sneham): even when rejected, He still healed. The message calls listeners to receive Christ in the Qurbana, pray personally and as a family, and live each day grounded in His enduring love.

In this sermon, the speaker reflects on moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre’s claim that we can only answer “What am I to do?” by first knowing what story we are part of, illustrating it with the difference between moving through New York City as a tourist versus a marathon runner. Turning to Mark 6:1–6, she describes Jesus’ visit to Nazareth, where hometown familiarity led people to be scandalized because they held the wrong story about who Jesus is, forgetting He is God incarnate and the Messiah. She emphasizes that narratives shape priorities and behavior, urging the cultivation of a “Christian imagination” that sees the divine drama of creation, theosis, and discipleship amid competing stories told at church, school, online, and at home. On Onam, she affirms Malayali traditions while insisting the ultimate story is enacted in the Holy Qurbana, comparing the Onam sadhya with the Eucharistic feast and warning not to confuse size with significance.

Recorded: September 7, 2025

During Holy Qurbana alongside a harvest celebration, the Vijay Achen connects harvest festivals to Scripture, emphasizing that before any harvest there is seedtime and that God gives the growth. Citing Genesis, Mark 4, Galatians, and John 12, he explains what a seed is—holding within it what it will become—and urges listeners to focus on three kinds of “seeds”: those we plant in others through our expectations and judgments, those others plant in us through words and impressions, and the seed Jesus plants by transforming people and by planting His own life like a grain of wheat that dies and brings abundant life. He calls the congregation the harvest of Christ and invites them to “bury” pride, insecurity, and sin to follow Jesus. Concluding with the shared Onam Sadya meal, he highlights the Malayalam word “namma” (goodness) as the seed believers should plant.

Following the Feast of the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos and moving toward the Exaltation of the Cross, this episode reflects on a passage from Saint Luke in which Jesus addresses criticism and hypocrisy amid opposition from Hebrew leaders. Using the image of a log in one’s own eye versus a speck in another’s, the speaker connects the teaching to everyday family life, ethical struggles, and political criticism, noting how people often avoid judging right and wrong and instead worry about what others will say or simply follow the crowd. Jesus calls listeners to examine themselves first, seeking a clear conscience and vision so their lives can become a witness. From the abundance of the heart come the fruits, and the Theotokos is honored as the example of goodness producing the greatest fruit.

A Simple Lesson in Serving at Home

Sujit Achen reflects on the importance of age-appropriate service and recalls attending an MGOCSM conference about 25 years ago where Kuriakose Achen led the audience through a simple exercise: stand if you ate dinner at home the day before, then sit if you washed your plate afterward. The moment highlights how basic acts of responsibility and service can be overlooked, prompting the question of whether people do something as simple as cleaning up after themselves.

Recorded: August 16, 2026

The message explains the “Ulysses contract” from the Odyssey—Odysseus having his crew tie him to the mast to resist the sirens—as a picture of admitting human weakness and setting boundaries to avoid temptation, like removing junk food to prevent failure. It then connects this idea to the Gospel account where James and John ask to sit at Jesus’ right and left, believing they are able to share his glory, but Jesus redirects them to the cup of sacrifice, the cross, and true greatness as servanthood. The message emphasizes that the Christian life is not ultimately about becoming strong enough but trusting that God is able and will be with believers through temptation, suffering, and failure, echoing Isaiah 43’s promise. Concluding with the Malayalam word “ketta” (to tie), it urges staying bound to Christ, who has already bound himself to humanity through the incarnation and the cross.

Recorded: August 16, 2026

This episode reflects on Jesus’ scandalous warning that tax collectors and prostitutes enter the Kingdom ahead of religious leaders, explaining that repentance and transformed life matter more than intellectual religion. It challenges listeners to examine whether faith has become a “comfort toy”—a label or heritage claim (like boasting in Abraham or Orthodox tradition) without change, virtue, or repentance. The speaker distinguishes belief about God (mere knowledge, even the devil has it) from belief in God, shown through actions and love. Using St. Paul’s devotion and the martyrdom of St. Catherine of Alexandria—who rejected fame and marriage to remain “married to Christ”—the message calls for being “lovesick” for Christ, removing idols like money and pleasure, and following Him fully.

Recorded: August 9, 2026

Eternal Life: What the Rich Ruler Missed and Zacchaeus Found (Luke 18:18–27)

This Sunday message reflects on Luke 18:18–27, where a rich young ruler asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life and is told to keep the commandments and then sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him, but he leaves saddened. The sermon contrasts this with Zacchaeus in Luke 19, who responds to Jesus by sharing his wealth and repaying wrongdoing, and hears that salvation has come to his house. The key call is to confront Christ so He can reveal what we lack—often the very “strength” we rely on—and to enter God’s kingdom by sharing our resources, talents, love, time, and support with those who are “poor” in many ways. As the liturgical year ends, listeners are urged to examine prayer, family spirituality, and church life, and seek guidance from a spiritual father to make needed changes for the new year.