The Morning Offering

Water Crisis

Inefficiency Behind Water Crisis

Our world is facing a water crisis that will likely see water replace oil as the basis for many wars throughout the world. The recent extreme drought in the State of Texas, with many ranchers being forced to sell off their cattle and fires raging out of control, demonstrates the fragility of our planet.

The amount of water required to produce food for the animals we eat is five hundred times more than the amount that would be consumed should we turn to eating only vegetarian diets. The increased use of groundwater has been compared to withdrawing money from a bank account without ever paying anything into it. Using up irreplaceable groundwater without depending on rainwater and surface water causes aquifers to compress, and can cause saline seawater to flow in to replace the used up fresh water.

Water was the source for the destruction of all living creatures upon the earth during the Great Flood that God sent down, sparing only Noah, his family, and the animals he'd gathered into the ark he'd been directed to construct by God. Water is also the source of the death of the old man, when we are taken down into the baptismal waters.

During Christ's baptism by John the Forerunner, the moment Christ entered the waters of the Jordan River all the waters of the earth were made holy. The Church commemorates this event each Theophany, when the Great Blessing of Waters takes place. At this time as well, all the waters of the world are made holy, sanctified by the Life Giving Cross of Christ. For a moment in time all the waters of the world become the River of Jordan. When the Great Blessing of Waters takes place on Theophany in the River Jordan, the water flows backwards for the only time during the entire year!

Water is sacred and life giving. It is a gift from God upon which all living things depend. It belongs to all of us and must be shared equally. We are all called as God's creatures to be good stewards of this life giving water.

Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

The Great Blessing of Waters

Saturday October 1, 2011 / September 18, 2011

16^th Week after Pentecost.

Saturday after the Universal Elevation of the Precious and Life-Creating Cross of the Lord
Afterfeast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
Venerable Eumenes, bishop of Gortyna (7th c.).
Glorification (1698) of Venerable Euphrosyne, nun, of Suzdal (1250).
Venerable Hilarion of Optina (1873).
New Hieromartyrs Alexis and Peter priests (1918).
New Hieromartyrs Amphilius bishop of Krasnoiarsk, John, Boris, Michael, Vladimir, Benjamin, Constantine priests and Martyr Sergius (1937).
Martyr Ariadne of Phrygia (2nd c.).
Martyrs Sophia and Irene of Egypt (3rd c.).

1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Glory Only in the Lord

²⁶ For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence.

John 8:21-30

Jesus Predicts His Departure

²¹ Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”

²² So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”
²³ And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. ²⁴ Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
²⁵ Then they said to Him, “Who are You?”
And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. ²⁶ I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”
²⁷ They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
²⁸ Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. ²⁹ And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” ³⁰ As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.