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
Saturday, January 9 / December 27 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

December 27 / January 9. Third Day of the Feast of the Nativity. Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen St. Theodore Graptus (the Branded, confessor, brother of St. Theophanes the Hymnographer. (services combined) St. Theodore, Archbishop ofConstantinople. St. Luke, monk of Tryglia. New-Martyrs Tikhon, Archbishop of Voronezh, and with him 160 martyred priests (1919).Repose of Athanasius of Grigorious Monastery, Mt. Athos (1953).

Photo of the Day:

Photo taken following the Hierarchal Liturgy, on the Second Day of Nativity. Left to right: Nun Photini, Novice Christos, Abbot Tryphon, Bishop Theodosy, Hieromonk Paul, Monk Cyprian. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Thought for the Day:

This is the mark of Christianity--however much a man toils, and however many righteousness's he performs, to feel that he has done nothing, and in fasting to say, "This is not fasting," and in praying, "This is not prayer," and in perseverance at prayer, "I have shown no perseverance."

Saint Macarius the Great

Scripture Readings for the Day:

Colossians 1:3-6

Their Faith in Christ

³ We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; ⁵ because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;

Luke 16:10-15

¹⁰ He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. ¹¹ Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? ¹² And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?
¹³ "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

The Law, the Prophets, and the Kingdom

¹⁴ Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. ¹⁵ And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.