Saturday, November 17, 2012

The Planting of a Monastery (chapter 16)
 The Desecration

Father Paul arrived in our old pickup truck just in time to see me being knocked to the ground. Dialing 911, he described the assault taking place, and two King County Sheriff's patrol cars were dispatched to the monastery. The owner of the property, after desecrating the holy cross, sped up the hill to remove any other "offending" symbols of our Orthodox faith. When I asked him why he would break the holy cross, he responded by saying, "Big deal, it's only worth about fifteen dollars in lumber." Since I'd parked the large van behind his rented SUV, he was forced to drive off the road as he sped away from the monastery.

He was long gone by the time the two deputies arrived, finding me sitting next to the broken cross, weeping. I had never, in all my years as a monk, experienced such violence. That this young man harbor such hatred towards the monastery that he would actually attack a man old enough to be his grandfather, saddened me to the core. That he would do violence to the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, broke my heart. 


One of the deputies immediately drove to the headquarters of the island company, in pursuit of the young man, while the remaining deputy made the decision to refer the whole matter to the main precinct off island. Physically attacking a priest, and destroying private property belonging to a religious community, could possibly push this whole situation into the realm of a hate crime.

After the interview with the detective, an Irish Catholic, I was invited to tour the precinct. Upon coming into the area of the holding tank, two young thugs started pointing through the window, laughing at my appearance. As the detective opened the door to the holding cell, I walked in, looked around, and told the young men that I'd heard I would be seeing them in the "Big House". "I'm the volunteer Orthodox chaplain at the State Prison in Monroe, and will be looking for you". A few moments later, the detective, laughing, told me the young men had been uncooperative, and had been giving the jail staff a hard time. I'd just put the fear of God in them. Before leaving the precinct, he was the first police officer to suggest I should consider becoming a police chaplain.
 
Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Tomorrow: The Miracle



Saturday November 17, 2012 / November 4, 2012
24th Week after Pentecost. Tone six.

Synaxis of saints of Karelia (movable holiday on the Saturday between October 31st and November 6th).
Venerable Ioannicius the Great of Bithynia (846).
Hieromartyrs Nicander, bishop of Myra, and Hermas, presbyter (1st c.).
Martyr Nicholas confessor and priest (1931).
New Hieromartyr Alexander priest (1937).
New Hieromartyr Ismail priest (1941).
Venerable Mercurius, faster of the Kiev Caves (14th c.).
Venerable Nicander, abbot of Gorodensk (Novgorod) (1607).
Blessed Simon of Yurievets (1584).
St. Paul, metropolitan of Tobolsk (1770).
St. Sylvia, mother of St. Gregory the Dialogist (6th c.).
Martyr Porphyrius the Mime of Caesarea (361) (Greek).
St. John III Doukas Vataxis the Merciful, emperor of Nicaea (1254) (Greek).
Holy and Righteous Ioane, Stepane, and Isaiah the Georgians (Georgia).
St. Clether, hermit of Cornwall..
St. Birnstan, bishop of Winchester.

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

For those who would like to be kept informed about the persecution that is taking place against Christians throughout the Middle East, I recommend you subscribe to: http://www.jihadwatch.org/


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 Corinthians 11:1-6


Concern for Their Faithfulness

11 Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

Paul and False Apostles

For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.


Luke 9:1-6


Sending Out the Twelve

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.
“Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

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