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

Monday, January 25 / 12 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

January 12 / 25. Martyr Tatiana of Rome. St. Sabbas I, Archbishop of Serbia. Martyr Mertius of Mauretania. Martyr PeterApselamus of Palestine. St. Eupraxia of Tabenna in Egypt. Virgin Martyr Euthasia. St. Martinian of Byelozersk, abbot. Blessed Galacteon, disciple of St. Martinian. (Greek Calendar: Eight Martyrs of Nicea. St. Elias the wonderworker, of the Paradise.) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, The Milk-giver. Archimandrite Theodosius of Tisman and Sophroniev Monasteries, fellow-struggler of St.Paisius Velichkovsky (1802).

Photo of the Day:

Abbot Tryphon and Hieromonk Paul, Concelebrating the Divine Liturgy together.  (click for enlargement)

Quote of the Day:

"Free will is the power of a deiform soul to direct itself by deliberate choice toward whatever it decides. Let us make sure that our soul directs itself deliberately only towards what is good, so that we always consume our rememberance of evil with good thoughts."

 

St. Diadochos of Photiki

Scripture Readings for the Day:

2 Peter 1:20-2:9

²⁰ knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, ²¹ for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 2

Destructive Doctrines

 ¹ But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

Doom of False Teachers

⁴ For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; ⁶ and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; ⁷ and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— ⁹ then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

Mark 13:9-13

⁹ "But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. ¹¹ But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. ¹³ And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.