The Morning Offering

Influencing
our Thoughts

What we put into our minds 
does make a difference

The recent tragic event that took place in Aurora, Colorado that resulted in the deaths of twelve people, including a six year old girl, and the shooting of seventy others, should be a wake up call for American, but it won't. We have become a nation obsessed with violence, and our entertainment proves it. Movies portraying extremes in violence make huge sums of money for producers, studios and actors, while polluting the minds of millions of people with sick images of darkness, evil and extreme violence.

Warner Brothers bankrolled “The Dark Knight Rises”, and now, along with director Christopher Nolan, wants the American people to know how devastated they are that someone would imitate their "art form" with an attack on such an "innocent and hopeful place" as a movie theater. They produced and filmed a twisted and evil movie and would have us believe the "unbearably savage" act of violence had nothing to do with them.

Increasingly we are becoming desensitised towards violence and the film industry would have us believe it has nothing to do with them. When we allow ourselves and our children to be exposed to the violent rot and stench of Hollywood's best, do we wonder why borderline people act out movie plots and kill innocent people? When we allow anyone to purchase military style weapons, are we really surprised when a deranged or evil person actually purchase them to kill innocent people, or kill our police officers? Do we really believe the Founding Fathers meant for all of us to have the right to have military style weapons in our homes and armor piercing bullets?

What we put into our minds does make a difference, and if we are to have our children become sensitive, loving and caring people, we have to know that the movies they watch, the video games they play and the company they keep does make a difference.

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Wednesday July 25, 2012 / July 12, 2012

8^th Week after Pentecost. Tone six.
Fast. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Martyrs Proclus and Hilary of Ancyra (2nd c.).
Venerable Michael, monk, of Maleinus (962).
Martyrs Theodore and his son John of Kiev (983).
Venerable Arsenius of Novgorod, fool-for-Christ (1570).
Venerable Simon, abbot of Volomsk (1641).
Martyr Golinduc, in holy baptism Mary, of Persia (591).
Venerables John (998) and Gabriel (10th c.), of Georgia and Iveron, Mt. Athos (Georgia).
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "Of the Three Hands", Hilandar, Mt. Athos.
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "Samonapisavshaiasia" (1863).
Blessed Serapion, bishop of Vladimir (1275).
St. Veronica, the woman with the issue of blood who was healed by the Saviour.
Translation of the relics (1620) of St. Anthony, abbot of Leokhnov (Novgorod) (1611).
New Martyrs Andrew the Soildier, Heraclius, Taustus, Menas, and others (Greek).
Martyr Mamas near Sigmata (Greek).
Translation of the relics (2004) of New Hieromartyr Momcilo Grgurevic of Serbia (1940s) (Serbia).

You can read the life of the saint in green, by click on the name.

To all my readers who have donated towards the support of the monastery but have not received a personal "thank you" note, I want to ask forgiveness. The amount of work I do on-line, together with lecturing in area colleges, has left me feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. My good intentions aside, I just haven't sat down in my office to personally respond to all our benefactors. 

Please forgive me. I will get to all of you in time, although it may seen too little too late for some of you.

Again, please forgive me. I'm averaging four or five hours at most of sleep per night, and find myself falling asleep at my desk. Not good. 

Please pray for this old monk.
 

With love in Christ,  
Abbot Tryphon

Donations can be made directly to the monastery through PayPal, or you may send donations to:

All-Merciful Saviour Monastery
PO Box 2420
Vashon Island, WA 98070-2420 USA

1 Corinthians 10:12-22

¹² Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Flee from Idolatry

¹⁴ Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? ¹⁷ For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.
¹⁸ Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? ¹⁹ What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? ²⁰ Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. ²² Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

Matthew 16:20-24

²⁰ Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

²¹ From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
²² Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
²³ But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

 

http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/morningoffering

I invite my readers to listen to my Ancient Faith Radio podcasts.