The Morning Offering

The Planting of a Monastery (chapter 8)

The Bell Tower of St. Panteleimon Monastery

The German

At the conclusion of the service we once again approached the holy icon, offering our final veneration. I joined the other monks, but I could not look upon her, shamed as I was. I prostrated, kissed the base of the holy icon, turned, and left the chapel.  Wandering about the grounds of the Great Lavra by myself, I was approached by a monk who told me I must return to the guesthouse. Entering the room I was sharing with Father Basil, he could immediately see I had been crying. My friend asked me what had happened, but I was unable to respond. The tears overwhelmed me, making it impossible to relate what I had experienced.

It was not until the next day that I was able to finally tell my friend I had been addressed by the Holy Virgin, and even then, my tears made it difficult to speak. It would take years of relating this event before I could finally share without breaking down. Father Basil, hearing of my experience, told me that this miraculous icon, in its long history, had moved by itself, shed tears, poured forth myrrh, and SPOKEN!

The next morning we headed to the great Russian monastery, Saint Panteleimon's, where we would spend the next few days. Shortly after arriving I was approached by a Russian monk with a request. It seemed another pilgrim had decided he wanted to convert to Orthodoxy, but he only spoke English and German. Would I be willing, the monk asked, to spend time with this German. I had been prepared, as it were, by the Mother of God, to share Orthodoxy with a German tourist! We sat on rocks next to the Aegean Sea, right next to the very building Saint Silouan the Athonite had dwelt in for years, and spoke of Orthodoxy for hours.

With love in Christ,

Abbot Tryphon

The Russian Monastery of Panteleimon

To be continued on Monday

Friday October 19, 2012 / October 6, 2012
20^th Week after Pentecost. Tone two.
Fast. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas (1st c.).
New Hieromartyr John priest (1937).
Virgin-martyr Eroteis of Cappadocia.
New Martyr Macarius at Kion in Bithynia (Mt. Athos) (1590) (Greek).
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "O All-Hymned Mother".
Venerable Cindeus of Cyprus, monk (Greek).

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

THANK YOU, to all of you who have been able to contribute towards the support of the monastery. These difficult times of economic hardship have impacted the monastery, and those of you who have been able to donate, have been our lifeline. May God bless you for your generosity, and kindness.

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

Philippians 3:8-19

⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing Toward the Goal

¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
¹⁵ Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. ¹⁶ Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

Our Citizenship in Heaven

¹⁷ Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. ¹⁸ For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: ¹⁹ whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.

Luke 7:31-35

³¹ And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

‘We played the flute for you,
    And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
    And you did not weep.’

³³ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/morningoffering

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