The Morning Offering

Pluralism versus
Absolute Truth

Visiting with our friend Archbishop Lukas

(click on photo to enlarge)

What We Believe does Matter

As our society has become more pluralistic, it has been easy for some to fall into the error of believing that it ultimately does not matter what you believe, as  long as you are sincere.

Just as we have seen the progressive moral bankruptcy of our society, we have also been witness to the wholesale sellout of traditional Christianity by much of America's religious community. The partial adherence of many of America's denominations to the traditional Gospel call to repentance, forgiveness and redemption through Christ, has given way to a new kind of salvation. These "churches" are now more concerned with social idealism than seeing souls saved through entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ. They have ignored Our Lord's own words, "My kingdom is not of this world". They have shown forth for all to see that their loss of faith has led to a replacement of the good news of salvation in Christ, with a mandate to build a Utopian society where social justice and peace reign forever. They have forgotten that Christ said we would never attain this outside of His Kingdom, "which is to come".

What do we as Orthodox Christians do to counteract this insidious loss of traditional, otherworldly Christianity? Surely the answer is not less fasting, less prayer and less penance. We must rekindle our zeal for Christ. We must give ourselves over to the joy that is ours in living a life in Christ. It is not in the things of this world that we will ultimately find happiness, but in living a life rooted in Jesus Christ.

We have been given a great and holy gift. During each celebration of the Divine Liturgy we sing the words: We have seen the True Light, we have received the Heavenly Spirit; we have found the true Faith, worshipping the undivided Trinity; Who has saved us." Let us commit ourselves anew to living this holy faith as true witnesses to the Lord. We have in our possession a Great Pearl. Let it be the inheritance we leave our children and the treasure we share with our neighbors.

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Tuesday October 11, 2011 / September 28, 2011

18^th Week after Pentecost. 

Venerable Chariton the Confessor, abbot of Palestine (350).
Venerables Cyril, schemamonk and Maria, schemanun (1337) (parents of St. Sergius of Radonezh).
Martyress Anna (1925).
New Martyr Hilarion, Virgin-martyr Michaela (1937).
Virgin-martyr Tatiana (1942).
Synaxis of the Saints of the Kievan Caves Monastery

Ephesians 5:20-26

 

²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Marriage—Christ and the Church

²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

Luke 5:12-16

 

Jesus Cleanses a Leper



¹² And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

¹³ Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him. ¹⁴ And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.”
¹⁵ However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. ¹⁶ So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/morningoffering