The Morning Offering

September 17 / 4

Saints of the Day:
Hieromartyr Babylas, Bishop of Antioch, and with him Martyrs Urban, Prilidian, and Epolonius and their mother Christodula. Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses. Opening of the Relics of St. Ioasaph, Bishop ofBelgorod (also December 10). Martyr Babylas of Nicomedia, and with him 84 children. Martyrs Theodore, Mianus (Ammianus), Julian, Kion (Oceanus), and Centurionus of Nicomedia. Martyr Hermione, daughter of St. Philip the Deacon. St. Petronius of Egypt, disciple of St. Pachomius the Great. (Greek Calendar: Martyrs Theotimus and Theodulus the executioners. Martyr Charitina ofAmisus. Martyrs Thathuil and Bebaia of Edessa.) Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos The Unburnt Bush.  

Quote of the Day:"So much did the apostles realize that everything which pertains to salvation was bestowed on them by the Lord that they asked for faith itself to be given them by the Lord when they said: 'Increase our faith,' for they did not presume that its fullness would come from free will but believed that it would be conferred on them by a gift of God. The Author of human salvation teaches us how even our faith is unstable and weak and by no means sufficient unto itself, unless it has been strengthened by the Lord's help, when He says to Peter: 'Simon, Simon, behold Satan has sought to sift you like wheat, but I have asked My Father that your faith might not fail.' "

St. John Cassian 

Photo of the Day:

The final blessing.

Scripture Readings for the Day:Ephesians 4:17-25

The New Man

¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ¹⁹ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Do Not Grieve the Spirit

²⁵ Therefore, putting away lying, “ Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another.

Mark 12:1-12

The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers

 ¹ Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. ² Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. ³ And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. ⁵ And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. ⁶ Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ⁷ But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.
⁹ “Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Have you not even read this Scripture:       ‘ The stone which the builders rejected
      Has become the chief cornerstone.
       ¹¹ This was the LORD’s doing,
      And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

 ¹² And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.