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
Friday, October 23 / 10 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

October 10 / 23. Martyrs Eulampius and Eulampia at Nicomedia, and 200 Martyrs with them. Martyr Theotecnus of Antioch. St. Theophilus the Confessor of Bulgaria. St. Bassian of Constantinople. Blessed Andrew of Totma, fool-for-Christ. Martyrdom of the 26 Martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, by the Latins: Abbot Thomas, monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Micah, Simon, Hilarion, Job, James, Cyprian, Sabbas, James, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Paul, Menas, Ioasaph, Ioannicius, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, Parthenius, and four laymen. Synaxis of the Seven Saints of Volhynia: St. Job of Pochaev; Saints Stephen and Amphilochius, Bishops of Vladimir in Volhynia; Hieromartyr Macarius, archimandrite of Kanev; St. Yaropolk, prince of Vladimir-Volhynia; St. Theodore (in monasticism Theodosius), prince of Ostrog; and St. Juliana Olshanskaya. Zographou Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos Of the Akathist. Repose of Bishop Innocent of Penze (1819), and Elder Ambrose of Optina (1891)

Photo of the Day:

 (click to enlarge)

Quote of the Day:

"He removed grace from you so that you may become wise. But it will come again. It does not abandon you. This is a law of God. But it will leave again. Yet once more it will come. As long as you don't stop seeking it, it will keep coming and going until it renders you perfect."

Elder Joseph the Hesychast

Scripture Readings for the Day:

Philippians 3:8-19

⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing Toward the Goal

¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. ¹⁶ Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

Our Citizenship in Heaven

¹⁷ Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. ¹⁸ For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: ¹⁹ whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.

Luke 7:31-35

³¹ And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:


      'We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
      We mourned to you,
And you did not weep.'

 ³³ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' ³⁵ But wisdom is justified by all her children."