<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[St. Elias Melkite Catholic Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[St. Elias Melkite Catholic Church]]></description><link>https://www.steliasmelkite.org/homilies</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 26 May 2026 11:01:00 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.steliasmelkite.org/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Church Empowered for Mission Was Born at Pentecost]]></title><description><![CDATA[Homily for Pentecost (Seventh Sunday after Pascha) Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11…………….John 7:37-8:12   Today the whole Church celebrates the Pentecost—the 50th day after the Resurrection—the day on which, according to the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples of Jesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit that empowered them to speak in different languages and so to fulfill the Lord’s command to go and teach all nations.  For this reason, Pentecost is often called “the birthday of the Church.”...]]></description><link>https://www.steliasmelkite.org/post/the-church-empowered-for-mission-was-born-at-pentecost</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a13e25a8fa816dacc84af65</guid><pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2026 05:48:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14903b_3c5a37462c184ea1b0e5fafd4de116cd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_761,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Fr. James Graham</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bishops Guard Unity in the True Faith]]></title><description><![CDATA[Homily for the Sixth Sunday after Pascha (Sunday of the Holy Fathers) Acts of the Apostles 20:16-18, 28-36…………….John 17:1-13   The Scripture readings for this Sunday’s commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council call our attention to three foundational elements of the Christian Church:  Unity, True Doctrine, and Bishops. These three elements stand at the heart of the First Ecumenical Council, which convened in the Byzantine (now Turkish) city of Nicaea in the year 325 by...]]></description><link>https://www.steliasmelkite.org/post/bishops-guard-unity-in-the-true-faith</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a13db3eb6bdb307fe6fd4d5</guid><pubDate>Sun, 17 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14903b_68074bab758441e8be7e0f80b5253293~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_466,h_595,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Fr. James Graham</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[If We Believe We Will Act and We Will Be Saved]]></title><description><![CDATA[Homily for the Fifth Sunday after Pascha (Sunday of the Man Born Blind) Acts of the Apostles 16:16-34…………….John 9:1-38   In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the man in charge of the jail where the Apostles Paul and Silas are being held asks one of the most important questions any person can ever ask:  “What must I do to be saved?” “What must I do to be saved?” he asks, even though in a way he has just been saved.  When the earthquake broke open the jail, he was about to kill...]]></description><link>https://www.steliasmelkite.org/post/if-we-believe-we-will-act-and-we-will-be-saved</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a13aee5d681fe01d1674901</guid><pubDate>Mon, 11 May 2026 02:08:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14903b_3e3f13cda9a94073a7b59930aa0583ba~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Fr. James Graham</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[We Can Be God’s Instruments to Change Lives]]></title><description><![CDATA[Homily for the Fourth Sunday after Pascha (Sunday of the Samaritan Woman) Acts of the Apostles 11:19-30 and John 4:5-42   Today’s Gospel story of the encounter of the Samaritan Woman with Jesus at the well gives us a dramatic example of how accepting Christ into our lives can change us completely.  This story also shows us again how God chooses unlikely or unexpected people to demonstrate how He wants us to live. This woman has three strikes against her—she’s female, she’s Samaritan, and...]]></description><link>https://www.steliasmelkite.org/post/we-can-be-god-s-instruments-to-change-lives</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a13add7d681fe01d167470b</guid><pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14903b_24e17d5121cb46d1900db86dd0d40f90~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_957,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Fr. James Graham</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Every Healing Reflects Jesus's Resurrection]]></title><description><![CDATA[Homily for the Third Sunday after Pascha (Sunday of the Paralytic) Acts 9:32-42 and John 5:1-15 On this third Sunday after Pascha, the Scripture readings give us three stories of healing and three stories of faith.  People often focus on these healings as miracles—two men restored to mobility after years of paralysis and one young woman restored to life after she had died.  Because Jesus healed him, the paralyzed man gained faith in God and in himself.  Because Peter healed Aeneas and...]]></description><link>https://www.steliasmelkite.org/post/every-healing-reflects-jesus-s-resurrection</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a13aa96edb1760a64152fed</guid><pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/14903b_20de3bdc672648b696d9c677a4b4ebdc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_774,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Fr. James Graham</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>