The Morning Offering

Saturday

May 28, 2011 / May 15, 2011

Fifth Week of Pascha. Tone four.

Venerable Pachomius the Great, founder of cenobitic monasticism (346).
St. Isaiah, bishop and wonderworker of Rostov (1090).
The slain Crown Prince Demetrius of Moscow (1591).
Venerable Isaiah, wonderworker of the Kiev Caves (1115).
Venerable Pachomius, abbot and Silvanus of Nerekhta (1384).
Venerable Euphrosynus (Eleazar), abbot, wonderworker of Pskov (1481), and his disciple St. Serapion (1480).
Venerable Achilles, bishop of Larissa (330).
Venerable Pachomius, abbot of Nerekhta (1384), and St. Silvanus, of Nerekhta.
St. Macarius (Glukharev), archimandrite, of Altai (1847).
St. Barbaras the Myrrh-gusher of Greece (9th c.) (Greek).
St. Andrew the hermit and wonderworker (Greek).
New Hieromartyrs Pachomius, archbishop of Chernigov (1938), his brother Abercius, archbishop of Zhitomir (1937), their father Priest Nicholas Kedrov (1936), and their brother-in-law Priest Vladimir Zagarsky (1937).
St. Dymphna, martyr of Geel, Flanders (7th c.) (Neth.).
St. Arethas of Verkhoturye and Valaam (1903).
St. Hallvard of Husaby.

Words from the Abbot:

When I was a sophomore in high school, we were living in a hundred year old house, on the beach of one of the largest fresh water lakes in the country. The close proximity to the lake afforded me the opportunity to spend a lot of time walking on the beach.  About a half mile from our home, in the town of Sandpoint, was a trail head that led up from the beach, and into a small forest. Once on this trail, within a short distance, I'd created a special place that no one else knew about. I cleared a secret path, on the other side of a row of bushes, by pushing aside one of the shrubs. Anyone walking by, would have no way of knowing that there was a path behind those bushes.

Once on my "secret path," and walking a short distance further, I made a small clearing, and, constructing a small table out of driftwood, that served as my altar, I had my own private, outdoor chapel. I made a cross for the top, again, out of driftwood, and placed two small candles on either side of the cross. This became my favorite place to pray.

Each of us needs such a place of refuge, a place where we can be alone with God. Over the years, I've always found myself drawn to forests, and the solitude that only a forest seems to offer me. The southern view from the study of my little cabin, looks directly into our forest, but does not give me the same sense of peace, that spending time in the heart of a forest gives me. For that, even after all these years, I still find the greatest peace within the depths of a forest, where I am alone with the sounds of the wind through the trees, the chirping of birds, and the stirring of chipmunks and squirrels. It is there, that my heart is the most open to the voice of God, speaking to me.
Abbot Tryphon

Photo of the Day:

I was delighted by the visit of a small group of young people from Wenatchee, Washington. Members of a Four Square Church, these fine young people found the monastery's website, and asked for a blessing to come to the monastery for a day long retreat. I spent the day sharing the Orthodox Faith, the Orthodox way of prayer, and had them share trapeza with the monastic brotherhood. They concluded their day with us by attending the Vesper service.

As they were about to leave, I felt like a grandfather, who didn't want his grand kids to leave. I'd be proud to call any of them a grandchild, and commend their parents for raising up such incredible young people. Please join me in praying that the Lord, in His Great Mercy, would raise up many more young people like this. It gives me great hope for the future, when I see such Christ centered, service oriented, young adults. May the Lord protect them, and raise them up as champions of the Faith.
 

Scripture Readings for the Day:

Acts 15:35-41

³⁵ Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Division over John Mark

³⁶ Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” ³⁷ Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark. ³⁸ But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus; ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God. ⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

John 10:27-38

²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and My Father are one.”

Renewed Efforts to Stone Jesus

³¹ Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. ³² Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”
³³ The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”
³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’? ³⁵ If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), ³⁶ do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? ³⁷ If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; ³⁸ but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”

Click photo to enlarge.