Sermon by Father Michel Fortunatto (Liturgy of Sunday, October 30)

This sermon by Father Michel Fortunatto, delivered during a Eucharistic liturgy according to the rite of Saint John Chrysostom at a gathering of the Orthodox Church in the diaspora, draws on the Gospel episode of the calling of the first disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The homily develops a reflection on the universal missionary vocation of the baptized, distinct from that of the apostles in the strict sense. The central idea is that the conversion of others depends less on a conquering action than on the humble witness of goodness, understood as a manifestation of the divine presence. On the theological level, the sermon articulates baptismal vocation, repentance and grace, showing that the inner renewal of the believer itself constitutes a form of apostolate, particularly significant for a Church seeking its presence in a Western context.