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
Sunday, December 13 / November 30 (Church Calendar)
 
Saints of the Day:

November 30 / December 13. Holy and All-praised Apostle Andrew the First-Called [(1) I Pet 1:1-2:6; (2) I Pet 2:21-3:9; (3) I Pet4:1-11. Matins: Matt 4:18-23. Liturgy: I Cor 4:9-16; Jn 1:35-51]. St. Frumentius, Archbishop of Abyssinia. (Greek Calendar: Bishop Alexander of Mithymna.)

Photo of the Day:

Sheriff Paul Pastor, a dear friend, joins me, and hundreds of police officers and citizens, in the reclaiming of the coffee house, where the four peace officers were slain.

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

Thought for the Day:

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

Although the Jesus Prayer sounds, at face value, like it is "selfish", and concerned only with oneself, this is not the case. Saint Seraphim of Sarov said, "Save yourself, and a thousand around you will be saved." Salvation is a corporate work, involving all of us, together. The Church's Mystical Theology even goes so far as to teach that the whole of the cosmos is being transformed, by the salvific action of God. The whole of creation is being "saved" by our loving, and merciful God, Who condescended to take on our flesh, that, as Saint Paul says, "that ye may become as gods".
Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Scripture Readings for the Day:

Ephesians 6:10-17

The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Luke 13:10-17

A Spirit of Infirmity

¹⁰ Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. ¹² But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." ¹³ And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
¹⁴ But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."
¹⁵ The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? ¹⁶ So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" ¹⁷ And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.