The Morning Offering

Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever!

The Morning Offering
Monday, August 31 / August 18 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

August 18 / 31. Afterfeast of the Dormition. Martyrs Florus and Laurus of Illyria [Eph 6:10-17; Lk 12:2-12]. Martyrs Hermes, Serapion and Polyaenus of Rome. Martyrs Hilarion, Dionysius and Hermippus; Hieromartyr Emilian, and others (about 1,000) of Italy. Saints John and George, Patriarch of Constantinople. St. Barnabas and his nephew St. Sophronius, monks of Mt. Mela near Trebizond. St. Christopher, abbot of Mt. Mela Monastery. Repose of St. John, abbot of Rila. St. Sophronius of St. Anne's Skete on Mt. Athos. St. Arsenius the New of Paros. (Greek Calendar: Martyr Juliana near Strobilus. Martyr Leo, drowned near Myra in Lycia. Four Holy Ascetics.)

Photo of the Day:

Aerial view of Monastery, taken by Edward Pierson. (click to enlarge)

Quote of the Day:

"...though all will be resurrected, yet the resurrection of each individual will be in accordance with his own inner state (cf. I Cor. 15:23). He who through the power of the Spirit has extirpated his materialistic worldly proclivities in this life will hereafter live a divine and truly eternal life in communion with Christ. But he who through surrendering to his materialistic and worldly lusts and passions has in this life deadened his spiritual being will, alas, hereafter be co-judged with the devil, the agent-provocateur of evil, and will be handed over to unbearable and immeasurable chastisement, which is the second and final death."
St. Gregory Palamas

Scripture Readings for the Day:

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

⁷ But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.

Christ Our Pattern

⁸ I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
¹⁰ And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; ¹¹ but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. ¹² For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.
¹³ For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; ¹⁴ but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. ¹⁵ As it is written, "He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack."

Mark 3:6-12

⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

A Great Multitude Follows Jesus

⁷ But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea ⁸ and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him. ⁹ So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. ¹⁰ For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. ¹¹ And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God." ¹² But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.