The Morning Offering

Turning Direction

Having Encountered Christ, 
Our Life Turns Direction

In the story of the Magi we read of three wise men who, having seen a star in the east, travel to a desert cave, wherein they find the Child, laid in a manger by His Virgin Mother.

Once they had beheld the Christ, this encounter with the Messiah filled them with life-transforming grace, and they were no longer the same. Although they had agreed to return by the same route, and report the whereabouts of the Child to King Herod, this encounter in the cave made them true believers, convincing them that what they had beheld was truly the Son of God, the Messiah.

After this encounter they knew they had two roads back to their own country. One road would lead to destruction, and the other would lead to the Kingdom of God. The way to Herod would be the worldly path, for having met the Christ, there would have been no change in their own hearts, and they would have remained of the world. The other way was the way of Christ by which they could return to their own country as changed men. This narrow path to the Kingdom of God was revealed to them, for they had encountered the Saviour of the World.

We, too, face a twofold path, having met this Christ. One leads to destruction, and the other leads to the Kingdom. The first is the way of sinners, leading to Herod, while the other way leads to Christ, which allows us to return to our own country, as changed men. Let us turn away from the path to Herod, ruler of an earthly power, and travel to the everlasting dwelling of our heavenly country.

With love in Christ,

Abbot Tryphon

Photo: Father Shenouda Boutros, Coptic priest from
Melbourne, Australia, visited the monastery on Sunday afternoon.

Monday January 13, 2014 / December 31, 2013
30^th Week after Pentecost. Tone four.
Sviatki. Fast-free
Apodosis of the Nativity of Christ.
Venerable Melania the Younger, nun, of Rome (439).
New Hieromartyr Michael priest (1937).
Martyr Peter (1938).
Holy Confessor Dositheus, metropolitan of Zagreb (1941).
St. Peter Mogila, metropolitan of Kiev (1646).
Venerable Gelasius, monk, of Palestine.
Venerable Gaius, monk.
Venerable Theophylactus of Ochrid (1126).
Ten Virgin-martyrs of Nicomedia (Greek).
Venerable Zoticus of Constantinople, feeder of orphans (4th c.) (Greek).
St. Anysius, bishop of Thessalonica (406).
Venerable Sabiana, Abbess of the Samtskhe Monastery (11th c.).
Martyrs Busiris, Gaudentius and Nemo (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

Hebrews 8:7-13

A New Covenant

⁷ For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. ⁸ Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ⁹ not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. ¹⁰ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ¹¹ None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. ¹² For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
¹³ In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Mark 12:13-17

The Pharisees: Is It Lawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar?

¹³ Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. ¹⁴ When they had come, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? ¹⁵ Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?”
But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it.” ¹⁶ So they brought it.
And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.”
¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
And they marveled at Him.

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