March 30, 2026

0:00Welcome to the Father's Speak, a production of the Orthodox West. Each day, Father John Finton reads a selection fitted to the Western liturgical calendar from one of the fathers of the Church. On this day we commemorate St. Tikhon, the Metropolitan of Moscow, who is also the patron saint of the Antiochian Western right, Vicariet. It is fitting, then, that we listen to a portion of a homily by our Father among the saints, Tikhon. Orthodox people ought to remember it is their sacred duty to stand firm in their Orthodox faith, and carefully to keep it. For us it is a precious treasure. In it we were born and raised, all the important events of our life are related to it, and it is ever ready to give us its help and blessing in all our needs and good undertakings,

1:03however unimportant they may seem. It supplies us with strength, good cheer and consolation. It heals, purifies, and saves us. The Orthodox faith is also dear to us because it is the faith of our fathers. For it's sake, the apostles bore pain and labored. Doctors and preachers suffered for it. Champions who were like unto the saints shed their tears and their blood. Pastors and teachers fought for it. And our ancestors stood for it, whose legacy it was that to us it should be dearer than the pupil of our eyes. Holding to the Orthodox faith has to something holy, loving it with all their hearts and pricing it above all. Orthodox people ought moreover to endeavor to spread it amongst people of other creeds. Christ the Savior has said that neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel,

2:03but on a candlestick and a giveeth light unto all that are in the house. The light of Orthodoxy was not lit to shine only on a small number of men. The Orthodox Church is universal. It remembers the words of its founder, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Go ye therefore and teach all nations. We ought to share our spiritual wealth, our truth, light and joy with others who are deprived of these blessings, but often are seeking them and thirsting for them. But who is to work for the spread of the Orthodox faith, for the increase of children of the Orthodox Church? Pastors and missionaries you may answer, and you are right. But are they to be alone? St. Paul wisely compares the Church of Christ to a body, and the life of a body is shared by all the members. So it ought to be in the life of the Church also.

3:05The whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supply of, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, make a increase of the body onto the edifying of itself and love. At the beginning, not only pastors alone suffered for the faith of Christ, but lay people also, men, women and even children. Heresies were fought against by lay people as well, likewise the spread of Christ's faith ought to be near and precious to the heart of every Christian. In this work, every member of the Church ought to take a lively and heartfelt interest. This interest may show itself in personal preaching of the gospel of Christ. Needless to say, it is not everybody among us who has the opportunity or the faculty to preach the gospel personally. In view of this, I shall indicate to you, brethren, what every man can do for the spread of Orthodoxy and what he ought to do.

4:06We can express the interests we take in the cause of the gospel in praying to the Lord, that he should take this holy cause under protection, that he should give his servants the strength to do their work worthily, that he should help them to conquer difficulties and dangers, which are part of the work, that he should not allow them to grow depressed or weaken in their zeal, that he should open the hearts of the unbelieving for the hearing and acceptance of the gospel of Christ, that he should impart to them the word of truth, that he should unite them to the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and that he should confirm, increase and pacify his church, keeping it forever invincible.