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 22 / 9 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

September 9 / 22. Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Theotokos. Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God Joachim and Anna . MartyrSeverian of Sebaste. St. Joseph, abbot of Volokolamsk (or Volotsk). Martyr Chariton. Martyr Straton. St. Theophanes the confessorand faster of Mt. Diabenos. Blessed Nicetas the Hidden of Constantinople. St. Joachim, abbot of Opochka Monastery (Pskov).Opening of the Relics of St. Theodosius, Archbishop of Chernigov. Commemoration of the Third Ecumenical Council. Repose ofElder Joachim of St. Annes Skete, Mt. Athos.

Photo of the Day:

 In the absence of the parish priest, I had the pleasure of serving the Sunday Liturgy at New Martyrs of Russia Church, in Mulino, Oregon. You can well realize the joy I felt, when the children chose to sit with me for the meal that followed. (click to enlarge)

Quote of the Day:

"For repentance is the way and the key to the Kingdom of Heaven, without which no one can enter into it."

St. Alexander of Svir

Scripture Readings for the Day:

Galatians 5:11-21

¹¹ And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased. ¹² I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off!
¹³ For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴ For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

Walking in the Spirit

¹⁶ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Mark 7:5-16

⁵ Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"
⁶ He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:


      ' This people honors Me with their lips,
      But their heart is far from Me.
       ⁷ And in vain they worship Me,
      Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'

 ⁸ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."
⁹ He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. ¹⁰ For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' ¹¹ But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban"—' (that is, a gift to God), ¹² then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, ¹³ making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do."
¹⁴ When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand: ¹⁵ There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. ¹⁶ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"