St. Maximus the Confessor: Resisting in Love When the Church and Empire Go Astray

About this sermon

St. Maximus the Confessor stands as one of the greatest lay theologians and martyrs in the history of the Orthodox Church. Though never ordained as a priest or bishop, his witness preserved the truth of the Gospel when emperors, patriarchs, and much of the Church leadership had fallen into error. In this talk, we reflect on the life, suffering, and unwavering faith of St. Maximus the Confessor, commemorated on January 21, and what his witness teaches us today about truth, love, resistance, and martyrdom. During the Monothelite controversy, when political pressure and cultural compromise distorted the faith, St. Maximus courageously defended the Orthodox teaching that Christ is fully God and fully man, possessing two natures and two wills. For this confession, he endured imprisonment, public humiliation, torture, the removal of his tongue, the severing of his hand, and exile—yet never ceased to respond with love, humility, and forgiveness. This reflection also explores: What it means to resist in love, not hatred How early Christian martyrs understood suffering and the Cross The contrast between the eschatological mindset of the early Church and modern Christianity Why the saints are venerated—not to avoid suffering, but to help us carry our own cross The danger of seeking comfort instead of transformation Drawing from the teachings of Fr. Thomas Hopko and the writings of St. Maximus—especially his Centuries on Love—this message challenges us to rediscover authentic Christian witness in a world shaped by power, comfort, and compromise. “The only way to resurrection is through the Cross — and no other way.” May the prayers of St. Maximus the Confessor strengthen us to stand firm in truth, speak with love, forgive our enemies, and offer our whole lives to God. 00:00 – Opening Prayer 00:17 – Who Was St. Maximus the Confessor? 00:32 – A Layman Who Became a Light to the World 00:47 – Political Pressure and Church Compromise 01:16 – “Who Do You Think You Are?” — Humility in Truth 01:36 – Resisting Like St. Maximus (Fr. Thomas Hopko) 01:49 – Martyrdom: Tongue Torn Out, Hand Severed 02:02 – The Heart of St. Maximus: Love and Eros 02:47 – January 21: Feast of St. Maximus 03:14 – The Monothelite Heresy Explained 03:35 – Standing Against Emperor and Patriarch 04:05 – Suffering at Nearly 80 Years Old 04:31 – “Some Saints Are Persecuted by the Church” 04:55 – Early Christian Martyrdom and Forgiveness 05:49 – Venerating Saints: Then vs. Now 06:19 – From Cross-Bearing to Comfort-Seeking 07:14 – The Radical Eschatology of the Early Church 07:39 – Why We Venerate Martyrs 08:09 – Gripping the Cross With White Knuckles 08:37 – Final Exhortation and Prayer For more please visit https://www.youtube.com/@assumption_az & say 3 Hail Marys for the priest. 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.us for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StMaximusTheConfessor #OrthodoxChristianity #OrthodoxSaints #ChurchFathers #ChristianMartyrdom #EasternOrthodoxy #Resisting

Topics

• Love & Compassion
• Church & Fellowship
• The Church