The Morning Offering

Joining Christ

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On Being the Body of Christ

Every time we gather together in celebration of the Divine Liturgy, we are not only commemorating an event that happened two thousand years ago, nor simply reenacting the Last Supper Christ shared with His disciples. When we come together to celebrate the Eucharist, we are entering into an event already in progress.

Each and every Liturgy celebrated unites us with an event that is taking place in the here and now. Liturgy is not celebrated anew, for only one Eucharistic banquet was celebrated, and that was when Our Lord offered up the first Mystical Supper, together with his disciples. Our offering is a rejoining of ourselves to that very moment in time, when Christ is with His disciples.

At the moment of the Eucharistic offering, we are made holy, just as the words spoken by the priest suggest, for "holy things are for the holy". In the Eucharist, we are made a holy people, and set apart from the world. We become a people brought together in Christ, no longer apart, and no longer alone. In each Liturgy we are rejoined to Christ, and made as One Body, which is the Church.

The offering of the bread and wine which has been set forth for the Eucharistic offering, becomes the Body of Christ, and prepares us to be the Body of Christ. We are united together in our celebration of the Divine Liturgy, with the eternal Eucharistic banquet that is ongoing in Paradise. As the faithful, we are brought together with all the saints who have gone before us, and will be united with them, and our fellow Christians, as One Body, which is the Church.

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

 

Photo: Abbot Tryphon, together with the children of Father Lawrence and Matuska Katherine Gaudreau.

Thursday January 2, 2014 / December 20, 2013

28^th Week after Pentecost. Tone two.
Nativity (St. Philip's Fast). By Monastic Charter: Food without Oil

Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ.
Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer, bishop of Antioch (107).
Repose of Righteous John of Kronstadt (1908).
Venerable Ignatius, archimandrite of the Kiev Caves (1435).
St. Anthony, archbishop of Voronezh (1846).
St. Philogonius, bishop of Antioch (323).
St. Daniel II, archbishop of Serbia (1338).
"Novodvorskaya" and "Lenkovskaya" (Novgorod-Severny) named "Rescuer of the Drowning" Icons of the Mother of God. New Martyr John of the isle of Thasos (1652) (Greek).

You can read the life of the saint by clicking on the highlighted name.


THANKS 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


The Scripture Readings for the Day

Titus 1:5-2:1

Qualified Elders

⁵ For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you— ⁶ if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. ⁷ For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, ⁸ but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, ⁹ holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

The Elders’ Task

¹⁰ For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, ¹¹ whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. ¹² One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” ¹³ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, ¹⁴ not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. ¹⁵ To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. ¹⁶ They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

Qualities of a Sound Church

2 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine:

Mark 10:17-27

Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler

¹⁷ Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

¹⁸ So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”

²⁰ And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

²¹ Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

²² But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

With God All Things Are Possible

²³ Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁶ And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”

²⁷ But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

 I invite my readers to listen to my
Ancient Faith Radio podcasts:
http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/morningoffering