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
Thursday, December 3 / November 20 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

November 20 / December 3. Forefeast of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos. St. Gregory Decapolites. St.Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople [Heb 7:26-8:2; Jn 10:9-16]. Martyrs Eustace, Thespisius and Anatolius of Nicaea. MartyrDasius of Dorostorum. Martyrs Azaes the eunuch, Savonius, Thecla, Anna; Hieromartyrs Nerses and Joseph; and John, Severius,Isaac and Hypatius, Bishops of Persia. St. Theoctistus the Confessor. Martyrs Bautha and Denachis who suffered with Hieromartyr Nerses. St. Isaac, Bishop of Armenia.

Photo of the Day:

Please continue to pray for the souls of the four police officers who lost their lives in Lakewood, WA. and their families. As well, remember all police and fire personnel, who daily put their lives on the line for the well being and safety of the public.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Quote of the Day:

 "Daily you receive great mercy from God; this ought to be a powerful incentive to thank God. Daily you contemplate the works of God's omnipotence, wisdom and goodness: this also ought to be an incentive to daily praise."

St. John of Kronstadt "My Life in Christ"

Scripture Readings for the Day:

1 Timothy 3:1-13

Qualifications of Overseers

 ¹ This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. ² A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; ³ not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; ⁴ one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence ⁵ (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); ⁶ not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. ⁷ Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Qualifications of Deacons

⁸ Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, ⁹ holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. ¹⁰ But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. ¹¹ Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. ¹² Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. ¹³ For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Luke 16:1-9

The Parable of the Unjust Steward

 ¹ He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. ² So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'
³ "Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. ⁴ I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'
⁵ "So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' ⁶ And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' ⁷ Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' ⁸ So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.
⁹ "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.