The Morning Offering

Thanksgiving

It has become the practice in America for many Orthodox Christians to gather in our temples for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Thanksgiving Day, for what better way to give thanks to God than to celebrate the service whose very word (Eucharist) means thanksgiving. As we gather together with friends and family, sharing in the traditional turkey dinner, we remember that this great country has set aside Thanksgiving Day, not as a day to overeat, but as a day when we come together as family.

The central service in the Orthodox Church is the Divine Liturgy, and since the word liturgy means the "work of the people", the centrality of this service is all the more important, for it involves us all in a most intimate way. The people of God, who make up the Body of Christ, come together to celebrate the Eucharist, and receive the very Body and Blood of our Saviour. This very Christ condescended to take on our flesh, and condescends, again, to unite Himself to His creation, in each celebration of the Divine Liturgy.

The word Eucharist comes from the Greek by way of Latin, and it means "thanksgiving", and is, by it's very nature, a meal of unity whereby we leave our isolated lives and come together around the table of the Lord. We are mystically joining in the Heavenly Banquet that is ongoing, and celebrated in the heavenly realm. This celebration of the Divine Liturgy it is not an isolated event, but a Meal of Unity.

We Orthodox, perhaps more than most, understand the profound importance of the unity of the coming together as one, as we set aside, if even for a day, lives set apart. We come together to celebrate the Liturgy, which is "the work of the people", giving thanks to the Lord for yet another year of blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Next Saturday: The Planting of a Monastery (chapter 18) The Miracle

Thursday November 22, 2012 / November 9, 2012
25^th Week after Pentecost. Tone seven.

Martyrs Onesiphorus and Porphyrius of Ephesus (284).
Venerable Matrona, abbess, of Constantinople (492).
Venerable Theoctiste of the isle of Lesbos (881).
New Hieromartyrs Parthenius bishop of Ananiev, Constantine, Demetrius, Nestor, Theodore, Constantine, Victor, Elias priests, Joseph deacon and Hieromartyr Alexis (1937).
Venerable Onesiphorus the Confessor of the Kiev Caves (1148).
Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica (305).
Martyr Anthony of Apamea (5th c.).
Venerable John the Short of Egypt (422).
Venerables Eustolia (610) and Sosipatra (635) of Constantinople.
St. Nectarius (Kephalas), metropolitan of Pentapolis (1920) (Greek).
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "The Quick Hearer of Mt. Athos" (10th c.).
Venerable Simeon Metaphrastes of Constantinople (960).
Venerables Euthymius (990) and Neophytus, the Serbians of Mt. Athos (Greek).
Martyrs Narses and Artemonos (Greek).
St. Helladius, monk (Greek).
Martyrs Claudius, Castor, Sempronian, and Nicostrat (Romania).

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

2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5

Stand Fast

¹³But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, ¹⁴to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.
¹⁶Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, ¹⁷comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

Pray for Us

3 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, ²and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.
³But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. ⁴And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.
⁵Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

Luke 13:1-9

Repent or Perish

13 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ²And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? ³I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. ⁴Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? ⁵I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

⁶He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. ⁷Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ ⁸But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’”