The homily is a short teaching given by the priest right after the Gospel reading during the Divine Liturgy. It’s meant to help you understand the Scriptures you just heard and apply them to your life as an Orthodox Christian.
If you’re coming from a Baptist or non-denominational background in Southeast Texas, you’re probably used to sermons being the main event. Thirty minutes, maybe forty-five. The preacher works through a passage, tells stories, makes applications, builds to an altar call. That’s not what we do.
Our homilies are brief. Ten minutes is typical, maybe fifteen. Some priests go shorter. The homily isn’t the centerpiece of the service, the Eucharist is. We gather primarily to receive Christ’s Body and Blood, not to hear a lecture. The homily serves the Liturgy. It doesn’t replace it.
When It Happens
After the deacon or priest chants the Gospel, we sing a brief hymn and then the priest gives the homily. This happens during what we call the Liturgy of the Catechumens, the first half of the service when we hear Scripture and receive teaching. In the early Church, catechumens (those preparing for baptism) could attend this part but had to leave before the Eucharist. The homily was one of their main sources of instruction.
These days everyone stays, but the placement tells you something. The homily connects the Gospel reading to our lives right when the Word is fresh in our ears.
What It’s About
Orthodox homilies focus on salvation understood as theosis, our transformation into the likeness of Christ. A priest might explain how the day’s Gospel shows us Christ’s divinity and humanity. He might talk about repentance, the Cross, the Resurrection, or how a particular saint exemplified what we just heard in Scripture.
You won’t typically hear topical sermons on marriage or finances or current events. You won’t hear verse-by-verse exposition that takes six months to get through Romans. The homily follows the Church’s lectionary, which means it’s tied to the feast day or Sunday’s assigned readings. If it’s the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee, the homily addresses humility and pride. If it’s Pascha, it’s about Christ trampling down death by death.
St. Severus of Antioch, one of our great teachers, preached homilies that addressed both theology and daily life. He’d explain doctrine clearly but also challenge his hearers to restrain their passions and pursue holiness. That’s still the model. Good homilies teach you what the Church believes and how to live it.
How It’s Different
Protestant preaching often treats the sermon as the delivery system for the Gospel itself. The preacher explains Scripture so you can understand it and respond. There’s an assumption that you need the sermon to access God’s truth, because Scripture alone (interpreted by the individual or the preacher) is your authority.
We don’t think that way. The Gospel isn’t just a text, it’s a Person, Jesus Christ, whom we encounter in the whole Liturgy. The homily helps us understand that encounter, but it’s not the encounter itself. We receive Christ in the Eucharist. We hear Him in the Gospel reading. We meet Him in the prayers and hymns that carry the Church’s faith. The homily serves all of this. It’s one part of the larger reality of worship.
Also, Orthodox preaching assumes the Church’s Tradition. A priest doesn’t get up and offer his personal interpretation of a passage. He’s teaching what the Church has always taught, drawing on the Fathers, the saints, the councils. If you hear something in a homily that contradicts what St. John Chrysostom or St. Basil taught, something’s wrong.
Is It Required?
Most Sundays and feast days you’ll hear a homily, but it’s not absolutely required at every Liturgy. Weekday services often don’t include one. Vespers and Matins typically don’t either. The priest has discretion. If there’s a pastoral reason to teach, he does. If not, the Liturgy stands on its own.
This might feel strange if you’re used to preaching being non-negotiable. But remember, the Liturgy itself is teaching you. Every prayer, every hymn, every action at the altar carries theological meaning. You’re being formed by participating, not just by listening to someone explain things.
Why We Preach
We preach because Christ commanded it. “Go and make disciples of all nations.” The apostles preached. The Fathers preached. We continue that work. But preaching in Orthodoxy is always connected to the Church’s sacramental life. It’s not information transfer. It’s spiritual formation within the Body of Christ.
The goal isn’t to convince you to make a decision for Jesus. It’s to help you grow in your knowledge of Him, to cooperate with His grace, to become more like Him. That takes a lifetime. So our homilies are less about dramatic conversion moments and more about steady, patient instruction in the faith once delivered to the saints.
If you visit on a Sunday, listen to the homily as part of the whole experience. Let it help you understand what you’re participating in. And don’t worry if it’s shorter than you expect. We’re not trying to entertain you or sell you on anything. We’re just trying to help you hear what Christ is saying through His Church.
