In this sermon, Fr. Stephen reflects on Holy Thursday Matins in Orthodox Christianity and why the Church speaks so strongly about Judas. The focus is not just on one man from the past. It is on the way every human heart can drift through excuses, distractions, and misplaced loves. This sermon asks a hard but necessary question: how often do we put lesser things before God?

The sermon explains that Judas did not fall all at once. His betrayal grew out of a heart that had become attached to something less than the kingdom of God. That is why Holy Thursday Matins matters so much in the Orthodox Church. It shows how sin often begins quietly, not with open rebellion, but with compromise. It also shows why the hymns of Holy Week are meant to wake us up.

Fr. Stephen connects this message to the spiritual life of ordinary Christians. Many peo ...