Follow the Shepherd

What God Desires

📖 Scripture: Hosea 5:15–6:6; Matthew 9:9–13 What does God truly desire from His people? Fr. Michael explores Jesus' words in Matthew 9:13: "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice." Drawing from Hosea 6:6, he unpacks the rich biblical meaning of hesed—God's steadfast goodness, kindness, and mercy—and challenges us to consider whether we truly know God or simply know things about Him. As Christians enter the ordinary rhythms of life and discipleship, we are invited to move beyond self-righteousness and religious performance toward a life shaped by the same mercy God has shown us.

Anything but Ordinary

What is Ordinary Time, and why does the Church spend so much of the year there? On Trinity Sunday, Fr. Michael Strachan explores the meaning of Ordinary Time within the Christian calendar. Far from being a spiritual "off-season," Ordinary Time is where Christians live out the reality of Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Following the great celebrations of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, the Church enters a season focused on faithful discipleship, spiritual growth, and participating in God's ongoing work in the world. This message invites us to see our everyday lives as part of God's greater story and to consider who God is calling us to be through the power of the Holy Spirit. Whether you're new to the liturgical calendar or have followed it for years, this reflection offers a deeper understanding of why Ordinary Time is anything but ordinary.

Always Pentecostal

📖 Scripture: Acts 2:1–11, 1 Corinthians 12:4–13 What if Pentecost is not an appendix to Easter, but the climax of the story of salvation? Preaching on Pentecost Sunday, Fr. Michael Strachan reflects on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 and why the Church is, and always will be, Pentecostal. From Eden to the tabernacle, temple, incarnation, and finally the Church, Scripture tells the story of God dwelling with His people through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Drawing from Acts 2:1–11 and 1 Corinthians 12:4–13, Fr. Michael explores how the Holy Spirit forms the Church, transforms believers into the image of Christ, and bears fruit through a Spirit-filled community rooted in worship, prayer, Scripture, and love.

Episcopal Sermon

Bishop Morales reflects on what it means for the Church to remain rooted in Christ, shaped by His mission, and formed by compassion. Through baptisms, confirmations, and first communions, Bishop Morales points to the ordinary yet holy means through which God continues His work in the world: water, bread, wine, oil, Scripture, and the life of the Church together. As Christ ascends to the Father, the Church is sent into the world—not merely to believe privately, but to embody the love, mercy, and mission of Jesus Christ for others.

Especially Our Mothers

Fr. Michael explores the story of redemption through the women and mothers woven throughout Scripture—from Eve and Hannah to Pharaoh’s daughter and the Virgin Mary. Motherhood is presented not as sentimentality or cultural ideal, but as a vocation marked by courage, sacrifice, protection, adoption, grief, and life in the face of death. Through these stories, we are reminded that God continually brings life where there was no life before, and that even imperfect expressions of motherly love reflect something true about the love of God Himself.