St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church - Selected Sunday Sermons

Selected Scripture Readings

March 16, 2025 - 2nd Sunday of Lent

Epistle: Hebrews. (1: 10 - 2: 3)

Brothers and Sisters! Lord of old you established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; all of them will grow old like a garment. You will roll them up like a cloak, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end. To which of the angels has God even said, “Sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool?” Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to serve those who are to inherit salvation? In view of this, we must attend all the more to what we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels stood unchanged, and all transgression and disobedience received its due punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore a salvation as great as ours? Announced first by the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who had heard him.

Gospel: Mark 2: 1 - 12

At that time when Jesus came to Capernaum after a lapse of several days and word got around that he was at home. At that they began to gather in great numbers. There was no longer any room for them, even around the door. While he was delivering God’s word to them, some people arrived bringing a paralyzed man to him. The four who carried him were unable to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they began to open up the roof over the spot were Jesus was. When they had made a hole, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves: “Why does the man talk in that way? He commits blasphemy! Who can forgive sins except God alone?” Jesus was immediately aware of their reasoning, though they kept it to themselves, and he said to them: “Why do you harbor these thoughts? Which is easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven, or to say, ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk again.’? That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (he said to the paralyzed man), “I command you: Stand up! Pick up your mat and go home.” The man stood and picked up his mat and went outside in the sight of everyone. They were awestruck; all gave praise to God saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

March 23, 2025 - 3rd Sunday of Lent

EPISTLE: Hebrews. (4: 14 - 5: 6)

Brothers and Sisters! Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession of faith. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet never sinned. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor and to find help in time of need. Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with erring sinners, for he himself is beset by weakness and so must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. One does not take this honor on his own initiative, but only when called by God as Aaron was. Even Christ did not glorify himself with the office of high priest; he received it from the One who said to him: “You are my son; today I have begotten you”; just as he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Gospel: Mark 8: 34 - 9:1

The Lord said: “If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and follow in my steps. Whoever would preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will preserve it. What profit does a man show who gains the whole world and destroys himself in the process? What can a man offer in exchange for his life? If anyone in this faithless and corrupt age is ashamed of me and my doctrine, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes with the holy angels in his Father's glory.” He also said to them: “I assure you, among those standing here there are some who will not taste death until they see the reign of God established in power.”

March 25, 2025 - Annunciation

Epistle: Hebrews. (2: 11 - 18)

Brothers and Sisters! He who consecrates and those who are consecrated have one and the same Father. Therefore he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will announce your name to my brothers, I will sing your praise in the midst of the assembly”; and, “I will put my trust in him”; and again, “Here am I, and the children God has given me?” Now since the children are men of blood and flesh, Jesus likewise had a full share in ours, that by his death he might rob the devil, the prince of death, of his power, and free those who through fear of death had been slaves their whole life long. Surely he did not come to help angels, but rather the children of Abraham; therefore he had to become like his brothers in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God on their behalf, to expiate the sins of the people. Since he was himself tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are tempted.

Gospel: Luke 1: 24 - 38

In those days, Elizabeth conceived. She went into seclusion for five months, saying: “In these days the Lord is acting on my behalf; he has seen fit to remove my reproach among men.” In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Upon arriving, the angel said to her: “Rejoice, O highly favoured daughter! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.” She was deeply troubled by his words, and wondered what his greeting meant. The angel went on to say to her: “Do not fear, Mary. You have found favor with God. You shall conceive and bear a son and give him the name of Jesus. Great will be his dignity and he will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over the house of Jacob forever and his reign will be without end. Mary said to the angel, “How can this be since I do not know man?” The angel answered her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; hence, the holy offspring to be born will be called Son of God. Know that Elizabeth your kinswoman has conceived a son in her old age; she who was thought to be sterile is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible with God.” Mary said: “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say.” With that the angel left her.

March 30, 2025 - Fourth Sunday of Lent

EPISTLE: Hebrews. (6: 13 - 20)

Brothers and Sisters! When God made his promise to Abraham, he swore by himself, having no one greater to swear by, and said, “I will indeed bless you, and multiply you.’’ And so, after patient waiting, Abraham obtained what God had promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves; an oath gives firmness to a promise and puts an end to all argument. God, wishing to give the heirs of his promise even clearer evidence that his purpose would not change, guaranteed it by oath, so that, by two things that are unchangeable, in which he could not lie, we who have taken refuge in him might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope which is placed before us. Like a sure and firm anchor, that hope extends beyond the veil through which Jesus, our forerunner, has entered on our behalf, being made high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Gospel: Mark 9: 17 - 31

At that time a man came up to Jesus and said: “Teacher, I have brought my son to you because he is possessed by a mute spirit. Whenever it seizes him it throws him down; he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. Just now I asked your disciples to expel him, but they were unable to do so.’’ He replied by saying to the crowd, “What an unbelieving lot you are! How long must I remain with you? How long can I endure you? Bring him to me.’’ When they did so the spirit caught sight of Jesus and immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then Jesus questioned the father: “How long has this been happening to him?’’ “From childhood,’’ the father replied. “Often it throws him into fire and into water. You would think it would kill him. If out of the kindness of your heart you can do anything to help us, please do!’’ Jesus said: “If you can? Everything is possible to a man who trusts.’’ The boy’s father immediately exclaimed, “I do believe! Help my lack of trust!’’ Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, reprimanded the unclean spirit by saying to him, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: Get out of him and never enter him again!’’ Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out of him; the boy became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead.’’ But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet. When Jesus arrived at the house his disciples began to ask him privately, “Why is it that we could not expel it?’’ He told them, “this kind you can drive out only by prayer. They left that district and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not want anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples in this vein: “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men who will put him to death; three days after his death he will rise.’’