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
Tuesday, September 8 / August 26 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

August 26 / September 8. Martyrs Adrian and Natalia and 33 companions of Nicomedia. Martyr Adrian at Nicomedia. St. Tithoes ofthe Thebaid, disciple of St. Pachomius the Great. St. Adrian, abbot of Ondrusov (Valaam). Blessed Cyprian of Storozhev, formeroutlaw. St. Adrian, abbot of Poshekhonye (Vologda). St. Ibestion the Confessor, Egyptian ascetic. St. Adrian of Uglich, disciple ofSt. Paisius of Uglich. Finding of the relics of St. Bassian of Alatry Monastery (17th century). (Greek Calendar: Martyrs Atticus andSisinnius.) Commemoration of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Repose of Schema-hieromonkAristocleus of Mt. Athos and Moscow (1918). Miraculous Renewal of the Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos in the hands ofRighteous Abbess Rufina in Harbin, Manchuria (1925).

Video of the Day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvijJTjZ8Rg&feature=related

Photo of the Day:

(click to enlarge)

Quote of the Day:

  "Christ is not found in the market place or in the city squares, as He could not be found in the market or the squares by her who said, 'I will rise now and go about the city, in the market and in the squares; and I will seek Him Whom my soul loves. I sought Him, but found Him not; I called Him, but He gave no answer.' You see, then, that we should never seek Christ where we will not find Him. Christ is not of the market place, for Christ is peace, while the market is strife; Christ is justice, the market, iniquity; Christ is at work, the market, stupidly idle; Christ is charity, the market, slander; Christ is trust, the market, fraud and faithlessness. Christ is in the Church, in the market place, idols."

St. Ambrose of Milan

Scripture Readings for the Day:

2 Corinthians 12:20-13:2

²⁰ For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; ²¹ lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.

2 Corinthians 13

Coming with Authority

 ¹ This will be the third time I am coming to you. "By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established." ² I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare—

Mark 4:24-34

²⁴ Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. ²⁵ For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶ And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, ²⁷ and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. ²⁸ For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. ²⁹ But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰ Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; ³² but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."

Jesus' Use of Parables

³³ And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. ³⁴ But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.