The Morning Offering

Protection of the Holy Virgin Monastery Church

Wednesday

May 4, 2011 / April 21, 2011

Second Week of Pascha. Tone one.

Fast. Fish Allowed

Hieromartyr Januarius, bishop of Benevento, and his companions: Festus, Proclus, and Sosius, deacons; Desiderius, reader; and Eutychius and Acutius, laymen, at Pozzuoli (305).
Hieromartyr Theodore of Perge in Pamphylia, his mother Philippa, and Martyrs Dioscorus, Socrates, and Dionysius (2nd c.).
Uncovering of the relics (1999) of St. Theodore of Sanaxar (1791).
St. Alexis, priest of Bortsumany, Nizhni-Novgorod (1848).
New Hieromartyr John priest (1918).
St. Nicholas confessor, priest (1933).
New Hieromartyr Alexis priest (1938).
New Hieromartyr Protopresbyter Basil Martysz of Teratyn (Chelm and Podlasie, Poland) (1945).
Martyrs Isaacius, Apollo, and Codratus of Nicomedia (303).
St. Maximus (Maximian), patriarch of Constantinople (434).
The Mozdok Icon of the Mother of God.
Martyr Alexandra the Empress (303).
Venerable Jakov (James) of Stromynsk.
St. Niphon, bishop of Novgorod (Kiev Caves).
Venerable Beuno, abbot of Clynnog, England (ca. 640) (Celtic & British).
St. Maelruba of Apur Crossan (722) (Celtic & British).
St. Ethilwald, hermit of Farne. (Celtic & British).
St. Anastasius of Sinai (beg. of 8th c.).

A Word from the Abbot:

 I was saddened at the sight of Americans celebrating in the streets, following the death of Osama Bin Laden. Although personally proud our troops where able to find him, and take him out, I don't see much difference between Americans celebrating a death, by waiving flags, and blowing car horns in the streets, and the similar public displays we witnessed, in parts of the Islamic world, following the destruction of the Twin Towers on 9/11. The killing of a human being is never something to celebrate, for it simply demonstrates how far we all are, from what God intended us to be, created, as we are, in His image and likeness. People like Osama Bin Laden, and Adolf Hitler, however evil, should be pitied. Furthermore, Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to love our enemies. Rejoicing over the death of someone, even someone as evil as Bin Laden, is not consistent with our Christian Faith, and the teachings of Christ, the Prince of Peace.

"Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either, but right through every human heart, and through all human hearts." Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

The events taking place in our world should be a call for all of us to take a closer look at ourselves, and seek transformation of our own hearts, with the help of God's Holy Spirit. Saint Seraphim of Sarov tells us that, if we acquire a peaceful heart, a thousand around us will be saved. Let us not rejoice when someone as evil as Bin Laden is taken down, but ask God to remove the same evil from our own hearts, and grieve over the fact that one more person, a brother, has fallen under the influence of the devil.

Abbot Tryphon

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

Photos of the Day:

The interior of our monastery's temple, dedicated to the Protection of the Holy Virgin. These photos were taken by myself.

Scripture Readings for the Day:

Acts 4:13-22

The Name of Jesus Forbidden

¹³ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. ¹⁵ But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, ¹⁶ saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.”
¹⁸ So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. ²⁰ For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” ²¹ So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. ²² For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.

John 5:17-24

¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.”
¹⁸ Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. ¹⁹ Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. ²¹ For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. ²² For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Life and Judgment Are Through the Son

²⁴ “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Click photo to enlarge.