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, February 12 / January 30 (Church Calendar)
Cheesefare week, during which all foods except meat may be eaten.

Saints of the Day:

 

January 30 / February 12. Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs: Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom.Hieromartyr Hippolytus, pope of Rome, and with him Martyrs Censorinus, Sabinus, Ares, the virgin Chryse, and with her Martyrs Felix, Maximus, Herculianus, Venerius, Styracius, Mennas, Commodus, Hermes, Maurus, Eusebius, Rusticus, Monagrius,Amandinus, Olympius, Cyprus, Theodore the Tribune, Maximus the Presbyter, Archelaus the deacon, and Cyriacus the bishop, all beheaded at Ostia. Martyr Theophilus the New in Cyprus. St. Zeno, hermit of Antioch. New-Martyr Theodore of Mitylene (Mt.Athos). St. Peter, king of Bulgaria. St. Zeno the Faster of the Kiev Caves. Tinos Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. Blessed Pelagia of Diviyevo (1884).

Photo of the Day:

(click for enlargement)

Quote of the Day:

"For creation, as if written in characters and by means of its order and harmony, declares in a loud voice its own Master and Creator.... For this reason, God, by his own Word, gave creation such order as is found therein, so that while He is by nature invisible, men might yet be able to know Him through His works."

Saint Anthony the Great  251-356 A.D.

Scripture Readings for the Day:

Zechariah 8:7-17

⁷ "Thus says the LORD of hosts:


      ' Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east
      And from the land of the west;
       ⁸ I will bring them back,
      And they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.
      They shall be My people
      And I will be their God,
      In truth and righteousness.'

⁹ "Thus says the LORD of hosts:


      ' Let your hands be strong,
      You who have been hearing in these days
      These words by the mouth of the prophets,
      Who spoke in the day the foundation was laid
      For the house of the LORD of hosts,
      That the temple might be built.
       ¹⁰ For before these days
      There were no wages for man nor any hire for beast;
      There was no peace from the enemy for whoever went out or came in;
      For I set all men, everyone, against his neighbor.

 ¹¹ But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,' says the LORD of hosts.
       ¹² ' For the seed shall be prosperous,
      The vine shall give its fruit,
      The ground shall give her increase,
      And the heavens shall give their dew—
      I will cause the remnant of this people
      To possess all these.
       ¹³ And it shall come to pass
      That just as you were a curse among the nations,
      O house of Judah and house of Israel,
      So I will save you, and you shall be a blessing.
      Do not fear,
      Let your hands be strong.'

¹⁴ "For thus says the LORD of hosts:


      ' Just as I determined to punish you
      When your fathers provoked Me to wrath,'
      Says the LORD of hosts,

      ' And I would not relent,
       ¹⁵ So again in these days
      I am determined to do good
      To Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
      Do not fear.
       ¹⁶ These are the things you shall do:
      Speak each man the truth to his neighbor;
      Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace;
       ¹⁷ Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor;
      And do not love a false oath.
      For all these are things that I hate,'
      Says the LORD."

Zechariah 8:19-23

¹⁹ "Thus says the LORD of hosts:


      ' The fast of the fourth month,
      The fast of the fifth,
      The fast of the seventh,
      And the fast of the tenth,
      Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
      For the house of Judah.
      Therefore love truth and peace.'

²⁰ "Thus says the LORD of hosts:


      ' Peoples shall yet come,
      Inhabitants of many cities;
       ²¹ The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying,

      " Let us continue to go and pray before the LORD,
      And seek the LORD of hosts.
      I myself will go also."
       ²² Yes, many peoples and strong nations
      Shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem,
      And to pray before the LORD.'

²³ "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."'"