An Orthodox Evangelist
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Sharing Orthodoxy with college students
Everyone who knows me is aware of my passion for missionary work. My blog, The Morning Offering,
was begun as a pastoral and missionary tool. My use of facebook, with over 5,000 "friends" on my Abbot Tryphon page, and
an additional 9,712 on the monastery's facebook fan page (All-Merciful
Saviour Orthodox Christian Monastery), have been vehicles for on-line missionary efforts in sharing Orthodoxy. Additionally, I do a Monday through Friday podcast for Ancient Faith Radio (also called The Morning Offering).
I am grateful for the opportunities God has given me to share Orthodoxy with college and university students, and today's photos, taken yesterday during a visit by Doctor Brenda Ihssen of Pacific Lutheran University, together with many of her students, demonstrates my commitment to ministering to the young.
These Pacific Lutheran University students attended the celebration of the Presanctified Liturgy, and remained for a Lenten meal in our trapeza. One of the photos shows me taking a "selfy" with the students, all the while sharing the joy I experience as a monk, and as a disciple of Christ. I feel blessed that God has called me to be an evangelist for the Orthodox faith, and I am doubly blessed when given opportunities to share this joy with college students.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
I am grateful for the opportunities God has given me to share Orthodoxy with college and university students, and today's photos, taken yesterday during a visit by Doctor Brenda Ihssen of Pacific Lutheran University, together with many of her students, demonstrates my commitment to ministering to the young.
These Pacific Lutheran University students attended the celebration of the Presanctified Liturgy, and remained for a Lenten meal in our trapeza. One of the photos shows me taking a "selfy" with the students, all the while sharing the joy I experience as a monk, and as a disciple of Christ. I feel blessed that God has called me to be an evangelist for the Orthodox faith, and I am doubly blessed when given opportunities to share this joy with college students.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
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Thursday April 3, 2014 / March 21, 2014
Fifth Week of the Great Lent. Tone seven.
Great Lent. By Monastic Charter: Food without Oil
Venerable James the Confessor, bishop, of the Studium (late 8th c.).
New Hieromartyr Vladimir priest (1931).
New Martyr Archbishop Theodore Pozdeyev (1938).
Venerable Seraphim Vyritsa (1949).
St. Cyril, bishop of Catania (2nd c.).
St. Thomas, patriarch of Constantinople (610).
Venerable Serapion, bishop of Thmuis in Lower Egypt, friend of St. Anthony the Great (358).
Venerable Pachomius, monk, of Nerekhta.
Venerable Lupicinus, desert-dweller of the Jura Mountains (480) (Gaul).
St. Enda of Aran, monk, earliest leader of Irish monas-ticism (530) (Celtic & British).
Martyrs Philemon and Domnina of Rome (Greek).
St. Beryllus, bishop of Catania (2nd c.).
St. Sophronius, abbot of the monastery of St. Theodosius (542).
New Martyr Michael of Agrapha (1544).
St. Serapion the Sindonite, monk of Egypt (542).You can read the life of the saint by clicking on the highlighted name.
The Scripture Readings for the Day
Isaiah 42:5-16
5 Thus says God the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Praise to the Lord
10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise from the ends of the earth,
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!
11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice,
The villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing,
Let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord,
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.
He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud;
He shall prevail against His enemies.
And His praise from the ends of the earth,
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!
11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice,
The villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing,
Let them shout from the top of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord,
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.
He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud;
He shall prevail against His enemies.
Promise of the Lord’s Help
14 “I have held My peace a long time,
I have been still and restrained Myself.
Now I will cry like a woman in labor,
I will pant and gasp at once.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills,
And dry up all their vegetation; I will make the rivers coastlands,
And I will dry up the pools.
16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them,
And crooked places straight.
These things I will do for them,
And not forsake them.
I have been still and restrained Myself.
Now I will cry like a woman in labor,
I will pant and gasp at once.
15 I will lay waste the mountains and hills,
And dry up all their vegetation; I will make the rivers coastlands,
And I will dry up the pools.
16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them,
And crooked places straight.
These things I will do for them,
And not forsake them.
Genesis 18:20-33
20 And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 21 I
will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to
the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26 So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?”
So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?”
So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
30 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?”
So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?”
So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?”
And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” 33 So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? 25 Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26 So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”
27 Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: 28 Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?”
So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.”
29 And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?”
So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.”
30 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?”
So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?”
So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”
32 Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?”
And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” 33 So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
Proverbs 16:17-17:17
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
And a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.
And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.
21 The wise in heart will be called prudent,
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.
22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.
But the correction of fools is folly.
But the correction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips.
And adds learning to his lips.
24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.
But its end is the way of death.
26 The person who labors, labors for himself,
For his hungry mouth drives him on.
For his hungry mouth drives him on.
27 An ungodly man digs up evil,
And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
28 A perverse man sows strife,
And a whisperer separates the best of friends.
29 A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.
30 He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He purses his lips and brings about evil.
And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
28 A perverse man sows strife,
And a whisperer separates the best of friends.
29 A violent man entices his neighbor,
And leads him in a way that is not good.
30 He winks his eye to devise perverse things;
He purses his lips and brings about evil.
31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.
If it is found in the way of righteousness.
32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the Lord.
But its every decision is from the Lord.
17 Better is a dry morsel with quietness,
Than a house full of feasting with strife.
Than a house full of feasting with strife.
2 A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame,
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.
And will share an inheritance among the brothers.
3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
But the Lord tests the hearts.
But the Lord tests the hearts.
4 An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.
A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.
5 He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6 Children’s children are the crown of old men,
And the glory of children is their father.
7 Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.
And the glory of children is their father.
7 Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool,
Much less lying lips to a prince.
8 A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
Wherever he turns, he prospers.
9 He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
10 Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool.
Than a hundred blows on a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
Rather than a fool in his folly.
13 Whoever rewards evil for good,
Evil will not depart from his house.
Evil will not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water;
Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.
Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.
15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just,
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.
16 Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it?
Since he has no heart for it?
17 A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
And a brother is born for adversity.
I invite my readers to listen to my
Ancient Faith Radio podcasts:
http://ancientfaith.com/
All-Merciful Saviour Monastery is a non-profit, 501 C3 organization, under IRS regulations. All donations are therefore tax deductible. We support ourselves through the sales of Monastery Blend Coffee, our fine line of teas, and make Monastery Jams, all sold on line, and in our gift shop. We grow as many of our fruits and vegetables as we can, tend bee hives, and raise free range chickens for our eggs. With all we do to support ourselves, we still depend on the generosity of our friends and benefactors. You can donate to the monastery through PayPal, or by sending donations directly to the monastery's mailing address.
All-Merciful Saviour Monastery
PO Box 2420
Vashon Island, WA 98070-2420 USA
Abbot Tryphon's email address:
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