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

Tuesday, June 15 / 2 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

June 2 / 15. St. Nicephorus the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople. Great-Martyr John the New of Sochi, who suffered at Belgrade. New-Martyr Demetrius of Philadelphia. Hieromartyr Photinus (Pothimus), Bishop of Lyons. New-Martyr Constantine of the Hagarenes (Mt. Athos). (Greek Calendar: Hieromartyr Erasmus of Ochrid, who reposed in peace, and 8,000 Martyrs with him. New-Martyr John of Trebizond.)

Photo of the Day:

Pilgrims in the Monastery Courtyard.

(click for enlargement)

Quote of the Day:

"And thou then, brother, though thou shouldest remain without food, though thou shouldest sleep upon the ground, though thou shouldest eat ashes and be ever wailing, and do good to no other; thou wilt do no great work. For so also those great and noble persons who were in the beginning made this their chiefest care: examine accurately their life, and thou wilt see clearly that none of them ever looked to his own things, but each one to the things of his neighbor, whence also they shone the brighter. For so Moses (to mention him first) wrought many and great wonders and signs; but nothing made him so great as that blessed voice which he uttered unto God, saying, 'If Thou wilt forgive their sin,' forgive: 'but if not, blot me also out' (Ex. 32:32)."

St. John Chrysostom

Scripture Readings for the Day:

Romans 10:11-11:2

¹¹ For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

Israel Rejects the Gospel

¹⁴ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:


      " How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
      Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

 ¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "LORD, who has believed our report?" ¹⁷ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
¹⁸ But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:


      " Their sound has gone out to all the earth,
      And their words to the ends of the world."

¹⁹ But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:


      " I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation,
      I will move you to anger by a foolish nation."
²⁰ But Isaiah is very bold and says:

      " I was found by those who did not seek Me;
      I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me."
²¹ But to Israel he says:

      " All day long I have stretched out My hands
       To a disobedient and contrary people."

Romans 11

Israel's Rejection Not Total

 ¹ I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ² God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,

Matthew 11:16-20

¹⁶ "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, ¹⁷ and saying:


      ' We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
      We mourned to you,
And you did not lament.'

 ¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children."

Woe to the Impenitent Cities

²⁰ Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: