The Theotokos as the Living Temple — And Our Call to Imitate Her

About this sermon

In this homily for the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple, we reflect on Mary as the living Temple of God and our own call to become purified temples of the Holy Spirit. Drawing on the Protoevangelium of James, the words of Vespers, and the writings in The Winter Pascha by Fr. Thomas Hopko, this meditation explores repentance, preparation, and spiritual renewal during the Nativity Fast. As the Church proclaims “Christ is born!” in the early hymns of the season, we are invited to examine our hearts: What must we cleanse? What weighs on our conscience? How are we preparing to receive Christ? Are we living as vessels of God’s glory? This heartfelt reflection encourages every Christian to engage deeply with the fast, embrace repentance, and enter more fully into the mystery of God dwelling among us. Christ is among us! He is and ever shall be. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction 00:19 – Invocation: “In the name of the Father…” 00:31 – The Feast and Theme of the Temple of God 00:41 – Nativity Fast and Spiritual Reading 00:53 – Reading The Winter Pascha by Fr. Thomas Hopko 01:01 – We Are Called to Be Temples of the Living God 01:30 – Reflection During Vespers 01:45 – Personal Examination: Becoming a Worthy Temple 01:59 – The Theotokos in the Temple (Protoevangelium of James) 02:35 – Nativity Fast: Preparing for Christ’s Birth 03:04 – The Need for Cleansing and Preparation 03:15 – Reflection on Mortality and Spiritual Readiness 03:45 – Asking: “Am I ready to receive Him?” 04:02 – The Call to Repentance 04:28 – Becoming the Pure Temple God Desires 04:35 – Closing Invocation & “Christ is among us.” For more please visit https://www.youtube.com/@steliasbrampton & 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 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 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/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 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" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 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 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 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 #OrthodoxChristianity #Theotokos #NativityFast #WinterPascha #ThomasHopko #OrthodoxHomily #ChristianRepentance #ByzantineCatholic #EntranceOfTheTheotokos #FeastDay #PrepareForChrist #TempleOfGod #OrthodoxFaith #ChristianSpirituality