18 June 1996
The Pious Pastors
of the Holy Diocese of Denver
Beloved in the Lord,
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. (2 Timothy 4:1-2)
The obligation of a pastor to preach the Word of God, and to teach the faithful concerning our holy, catholic and Apostolic Orthodox faith is a most serious and sacred duty.
Indeed, each of us will stand before the judgment of our Lord to give an accounting for every word we spoke in His name, as well as for every word preached from the pulpits entrusted to us. Let us pray, therefore, that the Holy Spirit will inspire us always to teach and preach that which the fathers have handed down to us, and never our own ideas or the novel doctrines of this secular age.
In this light, I exhort each of you who are pastors to ensure that the sermon Ð or homily Ð in the Divine Liturgy is always focused on the readings given to us by the Church for our edification and is invariably in accord with the Apostolic tradition of our faith.
Additionally, please ensure that the sermon or homily is given only in one of two places: either immediately after the reading of the Gospel or immediately after the hymn, "Blessed be the name of the Lord" which follows the Prayer Before the Amvon.
The sermon must never be given while the Holy Mysteries are present on the Holy Altar; i.e., between the consecration and the distribution of Holy Communion. In fact, the priest may never turn his back to the Holy Altar Ð and to the Holy Mysteries Ð during this time except to proclaim "kai estai ta elei ..." and "Eirini pasi". The priest should recite the Our Father as well as the Communion Prayers facing the altar.
With Paternal Blessings,
+ Bishop Isaiah of Denver