Today, Fr. Stephen Osburn preaches on the Gospel of the ten lepers and the one Samaritan who returns to give thanks. He shows how this simple story exposes the way many of us receive God’s gifts yet walk away without real gratitude, while the outsider is the one who truly sees Christ and glorifies Him. The homily calls us to see ourselves in that one who returns, especially as we move through the Nativity Fast.

Fr. Stephen then applies the Gospel to our own culture, where the Church is pressured to stay quiet, soften her teachings, and avoid offending anyone. He reminds us that the Orthodox Church cannot water down the Gospel on matters of sin, life, and holiness, and that real love speaks the truth while living a life of mercy and peace. Drawing on the witness of saints like St Ambrose and the teaching of St Seraphim of Sarov, he urges us  ...