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 15 / 2 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

September 2 / 15. Martyr Mama of Caesarea in Cappadocia, and his parents, Martyrs Theodotus and Rufina [Rom 8:28-39; Jn15:1-7]. St. John the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople. 3,618 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia. Righteous Eleazar, son ofAaron, and Righteous Phineas. (Greek Calendar: Martyrs Aeithalas and Ammon of Thrace.) Kaluga Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Photo of the Day:

The Metropolitan Laurus Memorial Library and Community Room, as seen from the porch of the trapeza. (click to enlarge)

Quote of the Day:

"The eye perceives the visible; the intellect apprehends the invisible. The intellect that enjoys the love of God is the light of the soul. He who has such an intellect is illumined in his heart, and sees God with his intellect."

St. Antony the Great

Scripture Readings for the Day: 

Galatians 2:21-3:7

²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes

through the law, then Christ died in vain."

Galatians 3

Justification by Faith

 ¹ O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? ² This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? ³ Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? ⁴ Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
⁵ Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— ⁶ just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." ⁷ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

Mark 6:1-7

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

 ¹ Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. ² And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! ³ Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him.
⁴ But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." ⁵ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. ⁶ And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

Sending Out the Twelve

⁷ And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.