tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22359595921058196852012-01-31T10:07:43.832-08:00The Morning OfferingThis is an inspirational daily offering provided by a Russian Orthodox igumen. All-Merciful Saviour Monastery is situated on Vashon Island in the Puget Sound, near Seattle, Washington. The author of this blog is The Very Rev. Tryphon, abbot of the monastery.Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.comBlogger11151100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-70821728455606014492012-01-31T00:13:00.000-08:002012-01-31T07:17:01.217-08:00
The Saints
Our Friends in High Places
We
Orthodox are known for our veneration of the saints, recognizing as we
do the truth that there is no separation between the Church Militant,
here on earth, and the Church Triumphant, in heaven. In the Divine
Services we are not gathered together alone as mortals, but we are
joined in our worship before the Throne of God by the Cloud of
Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-38062306455921088892012-01-30T07:09:00.000-08:002012-01-30T09:43:39.924-08:00
Private Club?
Abbot Tryphon, together with Abbot Aidan,
and Brother Anthony, visiting Benedictine monks
from Our Lady of Guadalupe of Pecos, New Mexico
Imparting the Faith as a Missionary People
Two Byzantine brothers, Saints Cyril and Methodius,
brought Orthodox Christianity to the Slavs in the ninth century. The
brilliance of Eastern Orthodox missionary outreach, as opposedAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-44027258426293796182012-01-29T07:22:00.000-08:002012-01-29T20:10:44.075-08:00
Balance
The Opposite of Anger is not Permissiveness
In
my essay on Anger, I suggested the best way to respond to another
persons anger was not to withdraw, but to move towards them with
kindness. This is such an important issue, that I now want to expand on
the topic.
There are times when distancing yourself
from someone who is angry, is necessary. There is absolutely no good
Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-15380007874306244362012-01-28T06:32:00.000-08:002012-01-28T06:44:40.360-08:00
Anger
Anger Must not be Allowed to Take Root
Most people, when angered by someone,
think the best way to deal with the anger is by avoiding the person who
offended us. The problem with this approach is that it allows the anger
to take root in the heart, festering as a sinful passion. Because anger
is a sin, it can not be conquered by avoiding the person who made us
angry. It must beAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-3790773383729330602012-01-27T00:23:00.000-08:002012-01-27T08:13:13.206-08:00
Dressing for Church
Proper Attire in the House of God
The Church is our home, a place where we should feel comfortable, and
at ease. It is also God’s house and is a temple set aside for worship
of the Holy Trinity. Although times
have changed and we have become a very casual society, this attitude
can not be allowed to influence how we dress to worship God. Our way
of
dressingAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-36491987371407562482012-01-26T06:06:00.000-08:002012-01-26T06:08:09.404-08:00
Pride
click on photo to enlarge
Run from the Praise of Others
Pride is the mother of all sins,
for it blinds us to our faults, puffs up our egos, and makes us think we
are better than others. It is this pride that weighs us down, and makes
us think we don't need to change. We are blinded, thinking we are good,
and that God must be pleased with us, bloated as we are in Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-49848298243295239832012-01-25T02:57:00.000-08:002012-01-25T02:59:41.651-08:00
The Domestic Church
Gathered Around the Hearth
The
recent snow storm that hit the Puget Sound region on the 19th of
January, was followed by an ice storm, and high winds. The combination
was devastating for a region that normally gets very little snow, and
where ice storms are even more rare. The resulting power outages left
half a million homes without power, with thousands Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-29648960731614481662012-01-24T00:35:00.000-08:002012-01-24T00:35:22.614-08:00
The Fear of Love
He who does not love remains in death.
There
are those who fear commitment for fear of loss. They fear the other
will either leave them, or be lost in death, so they remain aloof from
any possible relationship. Some put on a facade of indifference, for
fear of rejection, depriving themselves of any possible happiness. In
fear of possible loss, they become the Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-44336426651998597422012-01-23T05:30:00.000-08:002012-01-23T12:39:23.955-08:00
Bishops
click on photo to enlarge
A servant cannot be greater than his Master
The Sovereign Lord of the Universe came down to earth as a humble servant. He Who sits upon the seraphim, was born to us in a stable. The King of kings came as the Good Shepherd Who laid down His life for His sheep. We who serve as His priests and bishops can be true to our vocation, only if we serve in Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-69899981851044481632012-01-22T00:06:00.000-08:002012-01-22T00:08:35.782-08:00
Doubt
The Opposite of Faith is Unbelief, not Doubt
Lack of doubt causes people to hold to
beliefs
which may not be enough to sustain them in this present world, for they,
in their fear of doubt, fail to go beyond the external form of the
Christian faith. In their fear, they may simply go through the motions
of religion, thus making their faith no more than the adherence to a set
Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-19714884224234640252012-01-21T04:58:00.000-08:002012-01-21T05:08:48.667-08:00
Divine Warmth
The Divine Flame will Consume You
At the very first moment you decide to turn to God, your
heart begins to be warmed by the action of the Holy Spirit. Your heart
is kindled with the divine flame that will transform you. This flame
will consume you completely, and will melt everything of a fallen nature
within you. Once this flame of divine love has been actualized Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-59395536523316987872012-01-20T04:09:00.000-08:002012-01-20T08:20:22.100-08:00
Eternity
Eternity is a very long time
God
reveals Himself to us if we seek Him out, and only remains
invisible to us if we refuse, out of pride and self absorption, to let
Him enter our lives. If you desire the knowledge that is yours for the
asking, simply make it known, and God will open the way for you. Do not
let the distractions of this world, and the material pleasuresAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-77376410565367841402012-01-19T04:26:00.000-08:002012-01-19T06:28:58.723-08:00
Theophany
Click on photo to enlarge
Also known as the Feast of
Lights
The Feast of the Holy Theophany of our Lord God and Savior
Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on January 6 (18 New Style). The Feast commemorates
the Baptism of Christ and the divine revelation of the Holy Trinity.
At the Baptism of Christ, all three Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-63896854446669372252012-01-18T00:17:00.000-08:002012-01-18T00:17:34.778-08:00
Laying Blame
click on photo to enlarge
Putting the blame in the right place.
"A humble and spiritually active man,
when he reads the Holy Scriptures, will refer everything to himself and not to
another." Saint Mark the AsceticWe all have a natural
tendency to lay blame on others, when in truth we must blame only
ourselves. When facing our own sins and shortcomings, it is always Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-877033713975984232012-01-17T09:02:00.000-08:002012-01-17T10:18:50.927-08:00
Oxygen
Our first snow of the season (click on photo to enlarge).
The Church, like a forest,
provides needed Oxygen
Growing up in Northern Idaho, I was surrounded by mountains and
forests. I don't remember a time when forests did not tug at my heart
and fill my imagination with thoughts of adventure. As a small child my
parents took my brother Dwayne, and me, on annual campingAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-14792927742652359982012-01-16T05:25:00.000-08:002012-01-16T05:29:05.235-08:00
Enduring Trials
Without Suffering,
the Cross cannot be Embraced
In comparison to eternity, the trials we suffer in
this life are but a blip on the meter. Many are suffering job loss,
illnesses, mortgage foreclosures, and all kinds of strife and hardships.
Yet if we look at all these difficulties in light of eternity, this
time of trial is nothing. "For I consider Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-86876322080515602892012-01-15T00:20:00.000-08:002012-01-15T07:23:02.381-08:00
.............Peace
True Peace is the Way of the Cross
In
an age that seems to be forever witnessing wars between nations, and
civil wars within nations, peace seems to be something that is about as
possible as the alchemy that would turn metal into gold. Peacemakers
struggle to find peaceful solutions for the conflicts between nations,
political parties, Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-79424302040724234622012-01-14T06:26:00.000-08:002012-01-14T07:43:49.483-08:00
All About Christ
Orthodoxy is about Christ, not Religion
Orthodoxy
is not a religion, but a way of life that is centered in Jesus Christ.
Orthodoxy, as a way of life, has the cure to what ails us and can return
us to that state of wholeness that was God's original intent for human
kind. Because
Orthodoxy is not about religion, it can offer the Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-79557926467649098622012-01-13T09:09:00.000-08:002012-01-13T10:43:58.345-08:00
The Chaplain
click on photo to enlarge
Chaplaincy: Manifesting God's Love
This
year's Northwest Regional Training of the International Conference of
Police Chaplains, included a day long seminar on "Principle Based
Leadership, the Importance of Ethics", presented by Chief Bob Vernon,
retired Police Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
As the conference came to a Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-47145319705828514402012-01-12T04:17:00.000-08:002012-01-12T04:43:59.022-08:00
Cannon Beach, Oregon
Photo taken at Ecola State Park
My how God has blessed our eyes.
As
we are nearing the conclusion of this year's Northwest Regional Seminar
of the International Conference of Police Chaplains, we've all marveled
at the beauty that surrounds us. The location of the conference center
is Cannon Beach, Oregon. The main building sits right on the beach, Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-67853606954977140802012-01-11T00:22:00.000-08:002012-01-11T00:27:04.875-08:00
Isolation
Cannon Beach, Oregon
Community: The Essential Element
Christianity
is a communal faith, one that requires it's followers to be actively
involved with others. The Church's worship is communal, and salvation
itself is a corporate act, one that necessitates interaction with
others. One is not "saved" in a vacuum, but as part of the corporal
life of the Church. Your salvationAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-33711879238396393962012-01-10T04:26:00.000-08:002012-01-10T06:44:11.863-08:00
The Lost Sheep
The Oregon Coast (click photo to enlarge)
Leaving the ninety-nine for the one
The
work of the Church is to seek out the lost sheep, and bring them into
the fold. The modern mission of the Church is to go out into the
community and find those who are lost. Many who were previously
Orthodox, but never made a personal commitment that assured they would
remain in the Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-68683919693278693912012-01-09T00:18:00.000-08:002012-01-09T00:24:46.897-08:00
A Joyful Life
Thirty Years a Monk
After almost thirty years as a
monk, and nearing eighteen years in the priesthood, I am hard pressed to
think there could be any other life for me. I am content. Living
in community with my brothers, celebrating the divine services in the
monastery's temple, counseling people, hearing confessions, and spending
many hours each day in Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-81319206699576106312012-01-08T01:45:00.000-08:002012-01-08T07:59:00.199-08:00
Spiritual Progress
Godly Friends and Spiritual Progress
It
is easy to feel trapped by our bad habits. We don't like certain
behavioral patterns that have become habitual, and we feel helpless in
our attempt to change. Growing as Christians is often fraught with
failure, and we find ourselves stuck. Our spiritual progress feels more
like a treadmill, only seemingly moving Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-74517047841756099772012-01-07T05:30:00.000-08:002012-01-07T05:35:07.705-08:00
Christ is Born!
Glorify Him!
The Nativity Sermon
by Saint John Chrysostom
"I behold a new and wondrous mystery!
My ears resound to the shepherd's song, piping no soft melody,
but loudly chanting a heavenly hymn!
The angels sing!
The archangels blend their voices in harmony!
The cherubim resound their joyful praise!
The Seraphim exalt His glory!
All join to praise this holy Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-20875877732014616452012-01-06T00:08:00.000-08:002012-01-06T11:21:55.915-08:00
Cloud of Witnesses
The Saints are Alive in Christ Jesus
Vigil lights are placed
before the icons of the saints, according to Saint
Symeon the New Theologian, as a way of showing that without the Light, Who is
Christ, the saints are nothing. It is only as the light of Christ
shines on them that they become alive and resplendent.
The saints
show us what a glorious destiny
we Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-35432109403557997612012-01-05T00:08:00.000-08:002012-01-05T00:12:23.606-08:00
The Incarnation
God Himself Appeared in the Flesh
We Orthodox Christians who keep the ancient
Church Calendar are approaching our celebration of the Nativity of
Christ Our Lord. On January 7th we will all be gathering together in monasteries,
chapels, churches, and cathedrals, to celebrate the Liturgy of the
Nativity of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The very
incarnationAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-28701317324629679842012-01-04T08:36:00.000-08:002012-01-04T10:45:04.056-08:00
Demons
Never Converse with Demons
In 1986 I spent fourteen days in retreat at Saint Tikhon's Monastery in
South Canaan, Pennsylvania. Staying in the monastic quarters, I had two
weeks of wonderful fellowship with fellow monastics, worshiping in their
temple, eating with them in trapeza, walking the trails through their
forest, praying in their large Orthodox cemetery, and visiting Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-20996948141671674352012-01-03T00:22:00.000-08:002012-01-03T08:27:29.890-08:00
A Good Place
Blessing the campus of Pacific Lutheran University
Keeping one's mind and heart in a good place
Walking through life with a smile on your face and a song in your
heart is the best way to keep your mind and heart in a good place. Life
has many turns and many trials, but when you keep centered on all the
good that is in your life, the trials are short lived. Smiles are
Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-47932117508647680982012-01-02T01:02:00.000-08:002012-01-02T01:19:11.287-08:00
Christianity:
A Way of Life
(click on photo to
enlarge)
We are joined with the cloud of witnesses
When we say that Christianity is a way of life, we are referring to the
fact that the Church is the purveyor of divine revelation from our
Creator. This divine revelation infuses us with a transformational power
that lifts us up, changes us, and makes us whole. We have a Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-27919720953817511102012-01-01T00:19:00.000-08:002012-01-01T07:55:28.693-08:00
Divided Loyalties
We only think we can be of Christ and of the World
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and
love
the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye
cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24). As you begin a new year, be
mindful of where you place your priorities. Are you of Christ, or are
you of the world? Do you Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-6553248797351158692011-12-31T08:37:00.000-08:002011-12-31T18:55:49.076-08:00
Losing my Religion
Shrugging off Religion and Replacing it with Nothing
According to Professor Mark Silk of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., "The
real dirty little secret of religiosity in America is that there are so
many people for whom spiritual interest, thinking about ultimate
questions, is minimal,"
Increasing numbers of people are concerned only with new cars,
mortgages,Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-89874232993101372052011-12-30T00:08:00.000-08:002011-12-30T00:08:33.445-08:00
The Journey
The Journey to God begins with the First Step
The spiritual struggle that is required of us can not depend on
having a spiritual father. Most Orthodox Christians do not have one, and
the average parish priest is not equipped, either with the time, nor
the inclination, to take on the role of spiritual father to members of
his flock. Just carrying the load as rectorAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-30755742733824804502011-12-29T00:13:00.000-08:002011-12-29T14:31:18.065-08:00
Godparents
The Role of Godparent is an Awesome Responsibility
The institution of godparents
(sponsors) is one that dates back to the first century of the Christian
Church. Anyone approaching baptism, be they infant or adult, was
required to have a godparent. In the case of an infant, it is the
godparent that speaks for the child, answering the questions posed by
the priest Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-19175918677628689422011-12-28T00:13:00.000-08:002011-12-28T00:19:29.216-08:00
Examination ofthe Heart
Holiness comes only to those who struggle.
Not
an hour should pass without taking time to examine our heart, for the
hour of judgement can come at any time, and we must be ready to give
account to God for our life.
There is no spiritual improvement if we do
not seek to please God with holiness of life. If we find good in our
deeds, we must attribute Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-6301621856084890662011-12-27T07:01:00.001-08:002011-12-27T07:41:15.376-08:00
A GRIM CHRISTMAS
Iraqi church under British guard
by Srdja Trifkovic
The Daily Mail Dec. 25, 2011
This Christmas let us spare a thought and say a prayer for countless Christian victims of Muslim brutality, over the centuries and in our own time. An explosion ripped
through a Catholic church during Christmas Mass near Nigeria’s capital
Abuja on Sunday morning, killing at least 25 Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-84033835200928635672011-12-25T21:14:00.000-08:002011-12-26T22:22:26.633-08:00
Queen Elizabeth's
Christmas Message
Here is the text in full
of the Queen's 2011 Christmas message, which was recorded on 9 December -
before her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was hospitalized for treatment of a
blocked coronary artery. I am posting this for my readers because I am deeply moved by the willingness of Her Majesty to publicly proclaim her faith in Christ, something we Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-51883991892044220082011-12-24T15:33:00.001-08:002011-12-25T00:20:01.337-08:00
Venerable Father Herman
of Alaska
The Miraculous Intercession
of Saint Herman of Alaska
The following post was sent to me by His Grace, Bishop George, the Spiritual Father of our brother monastery in West Virginia. I wish to share it with all of you on this, the Feast of Saint Herman of Alaska. For all of you who are celebrating the Nativity of Christ today, I wish you all the Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-33555834957913796592011-12-24T00:16:00.000-08:002011-12-24T04:00:29.758-08:00The Eucharist The Eucharist is the greatest miracle of them all.
Of all the miracles of Christ, the greatest is the Eucharist. The Gospels are filled with accounts of miracles performed by Christ, but the greatest of them all was when He offered the simple elements of bread and wine, made by man, and transformed them into His very Body and Blood. This miracle continues to this very day, Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-74872667872386757032011-12-23T00:23:00.000-08:002011-12-23T00:23:40.656-08:00CREMATION
Cremation versus the Orthodox Practice of Burial
The first time I ever attended a funeral service where cremation of the body of the deceased had taken place was in Portland, Oregon, many years ago. An Episcopal priest friend had died and had requested his body be cremated. Walking into the church and seeing a small box sitting before the altar was a shock for me. Cremation was Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-41271280932302829462011-12-22T05:29:00.000-08:002011-12-22T08:26:22.565-08:00PrayerHow Should we Pray?Over the years, as strange as it may seem, we've had a number of people ask us if we'd pray they win the lottery, promising that if they did they'd donate a large portion to the brotherhood. The logic seemed to suggest that if the monks were going to get some of the take, the Lord would be more than happy to tweak the State Lottery numbers so they'd win big. Upon Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-28832550796120444602011-12-21T00:33:00.000-08:002011-12-21T21:02:39.306-08:00Standing before God The Orthodox Practice of Standing for Worship
Standing before God has been the only acceptable posture for Orthodox Christians from the earliest of times. We recognize that a faithful servant would never sit before his master, for the faithful are all servants of the Lord, whom we worship as we stand in our temples. The Holy Apostle Paul tells us, "Watch ye, stand fast in Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-82688452888094676052011-12-20T00:02:00.000-08:002011-12-20T08:03:32.602-08:00The Right to Life
The 2011 March for Life, State Capital, Olympia, WA.
"Those who use abortifacients commit homicide." Saint Clement
The recent murder of a New York woman who was sprayed with gasoline and burned alive in an elevator caused outrage throughout our land. This heinous crime, committed with such abject cruelty and total disregard for the life of another human, stunned us all. HowAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-13969397310692080522011-12-19T06:12:00.000-08:002011-12-19T06:12:06.158-08:00The Feast of Saint
Nicholas the WonderworkerHoly Father Nicholas Pray to God for us.
Our father among the saints Nicholas of Myra, Wonderworker, was the archbishop of Myra in southern Asia Minor in the fourth century and is also the basis for the Santa Claus legends and imagery which accompany Christmas celebrations in much of the world.
While widely honored and venerated, not only in the Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-57219505518447361352011-12-18T03:00:00.000-08:002011-12-18T06:03:43.333-08:00Angels UnawareDuring this Holy Season let us be Angels Unaware
There is not one of us who does not meet someone in a given week who is not in need of encouragement, love, and mercy. They are often mothers, who's children are going to bed at night hungry for lack of food money. Old women who's husbands are long gone, and who's children are too busy to check in on them. The young college Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-13329967998299002922011-12-17T00:02:00.000-08:002011-12-17T07:56:43.861-08:00Where is God?
How do we find God in an unbelieving world?
God is a merciful God, quick to forgive, quick to show mercy, quick to embrace us when we turn to Him. In all of eternity our God chose to create humankind in His image and likeness, offering His creatures the opportunity to commune with Him in the endlessness that is time. He's given us free will, allowing us to choose, or not to Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-83966151734485198242011-12-16T02:19:00.000-08:002011-12-16T10:26:04.573-08:00The Religious and
Secular DivideCivilization Needs Unity Between Religion
and the Secular StateThe great divide between the secular state and religion has grown substantially during my lifetime. Gone are the days when our nation was based on Christian values and where religion played an important role the public life of this country. The notion that we must separate Church and State has Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-14103882565667513812011-12-15T01:54:00.000-08:002011-12-15T09:22:35.824-08:00Hammi
the Norwegian Forest CatPets as Gifts from God
Every evening I try to spend an hour or so in the library, sitting in front of the fire place. Our beloved Norwegian Forest Cat, Hammi, sleeps in the library/community room every night. Hammi is most happy when the entire monastic brotherhood is gathered together with him. He's an important member of our community, loved by all of us, Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-43624061606134379572011-12-14T01:04:00.000-08:002011-12-14T07:56:22.176-08:00The Holy of Holies
in an Orthodox TempleThe Link between the Old and New Testament Temples
Orthodox temples have kept to the same form and function since ancient times. Using the Old Testament Temple model, Orthodox churches are divided into several courts or spaces peculiar to their function. The Holy Table, upon which is celebrated the Eucharist, is situated at the east end of the Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-51694857862487979952011-12-13T03:41:00.000-08:002011-12-13T07:27:43.865-08:00Thirsting for God
God Beckons as Does a Lover
A person who thirsts for the eternal
feels constrained by this world
and is not attracted by all that is
transitory by nature.
Only that which is of God quenches a thirst
that can not be satisfied by anything
that is of this material world.
God beckons him as thirst beckons a man
who is lost in a desert to Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-8576875795008389552011-12-12T00:02:00.000-08:002011-12-12T00:02:41.790-08:00Bodily Suffering
The Role of Bodily Suffering in
the Salvation of Human Kind
Elder Ambrose of Optina Monastery said, "We should not forget that in our age of 'sophistication' even little children are spiritually harmed by what they see and hear. As a result, purification is required, and this is only accomplished through bodily suffering....You must understand that Paradisal bliss Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-91116517896736480062011-12-11T14:07:00.000-08:002011-12-11T14:07:22.350-08:00Power Outage
We had a major power outage during last night's Vigil service, and I was therefore unable to write my blog article for today. The power is still not up, but we have our generator going, so I am now able to send off the saints commemorated for today, along with the scripture readings. Up to this moment our small generator has been busy keeping the refrigerators and the freezer Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-32537307954877815252011-12-10T02:58:00.000-08:002011-12-10T03:00:37.151-08:00Sexual Sins He who is his own spiritual father
has a fool for a spiritual son
Sins of a sexual nature are common among many people today. Much of the struggle is directly related to the fact that people do not take advantage of having a spiritual father. If you are your own guide the struggles with sexual passions can be beyond your ability to fight, leading to despair.
Our body is a Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-21369820083923437212011-12-09T05:52:00.000-08:002011-12-09T05:52:05.756-08:00Christ or Anti-Christ?
Christ will Triumph over Evil
Increasingly Christians have been talking about the coming of the Anti-Christ. Events around the world have created a sense of doom among many believers, seeing in the economic downswing, rise of Islam, extreme climate change, and breakdown of societal norms, as precursors to the coming of the End Times.
It is important that we Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-54381620661154892162011-12-08T04:51:00.000-08:002011-12-08T16:31:25.694-08:00The Best Witness
to Christ is Love Sharing the Truth of Orthodoxy
in a World Devoid of Hope
If you wish to share the truth of the Orthodox Faith, and Christ Who is her head, you must give witness to the love of Christ by loving everyone. Without Christ, Orthodoxy is just another religion, devoid of the power to transform and deify the human heart. Without Christ the Church is nothing but a Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-69426624367382935092011-12-07T06:14:00.000-08:002011-12-07T06:49:39.640-08:00The Rise of
Religious Fascism
Patriarch Kirill and Pope Shenouda
And the Polarization of East and West
The hard-line Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party has won 36.6 percent of the vote in recent Egyptian elections. The even harder-line Salafist party, Al-Nour, won 24.4 percent. The coalition of liberal, social-democratic, and secular parties, the Egyptian Bloc was able toAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-67920624768044496602011-12-06T00:52:00.000-08:002011-12-06T10:06:04.283-08:00Procrastination
I'll do it tomorrow.
We all have times when we procrastinate. There is a story of a young monk who confessed to his elder that he was always struggling with procrastination. His elder told him it was his lack of faith which made it impossible for him to see God everywhere, and in all things, and for this reason he was careless and lazy about everything having to do withAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-58414835158195768982011-12-05T05:34:00.000-08:002011-12-05T07:59:37.374-08:00Genuine Piety How to be a pious Orthodox Christian
without stoking the flames of pride
Many years ago I remember attending a Liturgy at a parish church and noticing a young man standing in the front of the temple, making profound bows, together with frequent, almost exaggerated signs of the cross. My first thought was that he must be a newly baptized Orthodox Christian. After embracing Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-57181310142999858782011-12-04T06:47:00.000-08:002011-12-04T06:47:44.436-08:00Anger
Do not let the sun go down on the anger of your brother (Eph. 4:26)
"Anger is by nature designed for waging war with the demons and for struggling with every kind of sinful pleasure. Therefore angels, arousing spiritual pleasure in us and giving us to taste its blessedness, incline us to direct our anger against the demons. But the demons, enticing us towards worldly lusts, make usAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-9792715323591300832011-12-03T05:44:00.000-08:002011-12-03T05:47:46.700-08:00A Funnel
Way of a Pilgrim Bookstore and Giftshop
A priest must become like a funnel
If a priest is truly to be an agent for grace, he must become like a funnel through which the Lord's mercy can flow. That a priest has received the grace of ordination, if he does not attempt to live a life of holiness, if he does not become a living sacrifice for his people, if he does not give himselfAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-18629398044509502602011-12-02T05:14:00.000-08:002011-12-02T12:55:13.027-08:00Repeat Offenders
Lecturing for World Religion Class
Repeat offenders: Habitual sins, repetitive sins.
In the Mystery of Confession we avail ourselves before the analoy stand, upon which the holy cross and the Gospel Book rest. The priest stands in as the witness, whereas in the early Church confession was done before the whole congregation of the faithful. After we have confessed before Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-91066064810748029002011-12-01T04:11:00.000-08:002011-12-01T04:11:07.642-08:00
The Two Great
Commandments"Love thy God with all your heart, mind…" and secondly, "Love thy neighbor…"
We live in a world bombarded with thousands of messages, some subtle and some not-so-subtle, of merchandising that impact the way we interact with others, and the way we relate to God. Much of what we glean from these messages is narcissistic in nature, estranging us from one another. WeAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-66162583831666740442011-11-30T05:09:00.000-08:002011-11-30T05:09:26.828-08:00
Living our Orthodoxy Living our Orthodox Faith in a Multi-Cultural Society
Orthodoxy by it's very nature is a demanding religion, one that requires her faithful to fully embrace a lifestyle that is in opposition to the world about us. The many periods of fasting and the practice of standing for our services are just two things that set Orthodoxy apart in our world. In an age when so many Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-64530369151355096632011-11-29T03:54:00.000-08:002011-11-29T04:13:46.742-08:00Meaningful Support
I'm sharing this cartoon, sent to me by my friend Archpriest Basil Rhodes
How better can I support you?My main reason for writing each day is to lend support to so many of you who are struggling in today's world. The hardships you face, both economically, socially and spiritually, are great. Keeping a balance can be difficult. I have therefore tried to write about Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-28261552867590730972011-11-28T03:35:00.000-08:002011-11-28T08:04:47.594-08:00The Next Generation
How do we keep our youth in the Church?
We are living in an age that has witnessed changes on a massive scale as never before. The way we communicate has changed with the coming of the internet, with information available that would have required a library and advanced degrees to access in the past. Ideas and information are available that leave our youth with choices Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-75251067556206499832011-11-27T08:02:00.000-08:002011-11-27T08:27:59.249-08:00The Good Samaritan
Bill Buchanan, Chief Hank Lipe and Abbot Tryphon (police and fire chaplain)
Human Kindness comes from Love of God
There was a recent report of a man who collapsed in a Walmart store during a Black Friday shopping frenzy, while other shoppers walked around him, some even stepping over him, rather than attempt to help him. The news story is like today's Gospel of the Good Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-75731287656502111162011-11-26T02:42:00.000-08:002011-11-26T06:44:49.330-08:00Holiday Conflict Let Christ increase while we decrease
As we enter into the holiday season the stress level of many family members increases, leading to conflict. Worries about the economy, interaction with certain family members who are not usually a part of our every day lives, holiday shopping obligations, all can lead to increased tension between members of families. Husbands and wives Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-29957566190396056212011-11-25T00:06:00.000-08:002011-11-25T00:06:53.541-08:00The Nativity Fast
The Monastery's community room.
Can we be a Christian without fasting?
The Nativity Fast is already in progress for those on the Gregorian (New) Calendar, and starts on Monday for those who follow the Julian (Church) Calendar. During this period of prescribed fasting we are to abstain from all meats, dairy, eggs, cheeses, and all animal products. The Church does allow Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-11764730314910740542011-11-24T04:36:00.000-08:002011-11-24T07:30:32.554-08:00Thanksgiving
"The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth" (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe
A Day Set Aside to Give Thanks to God
Thanksgiving has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.
The "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after havingAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-83362289491221145732011-11-23T02:54:00.000-08:002011-11-23T15:02:55.129-08:00The Seen and
the Unseen The Limits of Human Reason and the Knowledge of God
There is the seen, and there is the unseen, the material and the immaterial. That which is material can be scientifically examined and experienced, the immaterial can only be seen and experienced spiritually. These are two worlds that are only seemingly at odds with one another. If you attempt to examine that Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-34080358108452141032011-11-22T05:48:00.000-08:002011-11-22T08:36:26.128-08:00The Mortgage
click on photo to enlarge
Yes, even monasteries can be in debt.
After posting my occasional plea for funds I had a number of my readers comment that they were disturbed to hear that we have a mortgage. Many years ago we were forced to go into debt in order to purchase the neighboring eleven acres through which we had an easement.
The property had been put on the market by Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-75909740584715425502011-11-21T00:01:00.000-08:002011-11-21T00:01:15.144-08:00Bishop as Servant
The Church is to be led by servants, not by lords
The biblical image of the bishop is that of the good shepherd who is willing to lay down his life for his flock. He is one who serves his priests and his people as a loving father, guiding his flock by example and gentle prodding, not by fear or tyranny. Holiness of life and humility of heart are his chief characteristics,Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-89847786363974192582011-11-20T06:46:00.000-08:002011-11-20T06:46:11.825-08:00The Dark Night
of the Soul Be not Fearful for God is Near
Sometimes we enter a dark night of the soul, where God seems distant from us. This is only an illusion, for God is closer to us than our own breath. These times are allowed by God to bring us closer to Him, much like the loving parent who stands her child on his feet, walks a few feet away holding out her arms, and waits for the Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-63595804414377188672011-11-19T06:43:00.000-08:002011-11-19T06:43:29.225-08:00Hospice or Hospital?
Abbot Tryphon serving the chapel
service at Trinity Lutheran College
Spiritual Pain Control or Spiritual Healing?
Since the Church is a hospital for the soul wherein we come for healing, it is important that we take full advantage of all the resources the Church offers us for such healing. Frequent confession, where we bare our sins before God with the priest as the Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-88672135888878904962011-11-18T04:47:00.000-08:002011-11-18T04:47:53.195-08:00Taste the Presence
of Christ
Way of a Pilgrim Bookstore (click on photo to enlarge)
Taste the Presence of Christ Beside You
We all need a good dose of silent prayer each and every day. Finding that perfect place in your home that can become your cave, or prayer closet, will afford you that sacred space wherein you can go deep into the heart and connect with God. That place wherein you can Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-52837865317700355442011-11-17T01:40:00.000-08:002011-11-17T07:48:20.099-08:00The Noonday DemonThe Giving of Ourselves over to Depression
There are times when we are tempted by what has been called the Noonday Demon, and give ourselves over to depression. This tendency can often find life in an almost chronic habit of complaining. We complain about our health to the extent that it becomes the chief focus of our life. Money worries lead us to complain about what we Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-65687275018604361642011-11-16T04:16:00.000-08:002011-11-16T04:16:34.040-08:00The Internet
A cold, sunny day at the monastery
The Good, the Bad, and the UglyThere is a lot of good that can be discovered on line. A number of years ago I was charged by my archbishop with the task of addressing our Diocesan Pastoral Conference on the subject of Fasting According to the Early Church Fathers. Only after having agreed to the task of preparing such a lecture had I Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-65307635336963738042011-11-15T05:11:00.000-08:002011-11-15T05:21:59.706-08:00The Eternal Banquet
The Importance of Frequent Communion
Eternity is an everlasting banquet (the Divine Liturgy) that takes place in the heavenly realm. Every time we participate in the Divine Liturgy we are transported into a place where there is neither time nor space, and participate in that very banquet. As we receive the Holy Mysteries (Christ's very Body and Blood), we receive the Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-51887513658525537972011-11-14T06:45:00.000-08:002011-11-14T09:03:11.944-08:00Why ask the Saints?Jesus is the Sole Mediator between God and Man
Most Protestant churches strongly reject all saintly intercession, citing passages such as 1 Timothy 2:1-5, which says that Jesus is the sole mediator between God and man, as well as Deuteronomy 18:10-11 which seems to forbid invoking departed souls. They also point to the fact that there are no examples in the Bible of livingAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-2010748926026759752011-11-13T05:14:00.000-08:002011-11-13T05:14:38.342-08:00Coptic Christians
Continue to Suffer
The declaration of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russian regarding the continued attacks on the Coptic Orthodox Christians of Egypt
The Russian Orthodox Church views the events in Egypt with pain and sorrow. Again blood has been shed and Christian temples destroyed. On the face of it, this appears to be an expected manifestation of the Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-28677178224930361102011-11-12T00:01:00.000-08:002011-11-12T00:02:27.262-08:00God's Saving Mercy
Mt. Rainier and a Sunrise as seen from the Ferry
click on photo to enlarge
We are not Compelled to Love God
We are not compelled to love God, having been created with free will. God does not, nor can He, compel His creatures to love Him. Mutual love requires, by it's very nature, freedom to either respond in love, or not. Yet when we respond to God's love with love Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-19896361370874532342011-11-11T04:47:00.000-08:002011-11-11T04:47:18.330-08:00Works vs. Faith
John Barnard and Father Thomas Moore of Columbia, S.C.
Not saved by works but by faith
Saint John Chrysostom (349-407): “For Scripture says that faith has saved us. Put better: Since God willed it, faith has saved us. Now in what case, tell me, does faith save without itself doing anything at all? Faith’s workings themselves are a gift of God, lest anyone should boast.Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-12389675749626021762011-11-10T05:02:00.000-08:002011-11-10T05:43:23.231-08:00Mary the Mother of GodThe Place of the Holy Virgin in our Lives
The Holy Virgin is a stumbling block for many protestants looking into Orthodoxy. The idea that this woman described in the Gospels in such humble terms could be called Mother of God seems unbiblical to them. She was never called Mother of God in the Bible, they say, so why would she be given such an exalted title? She was,Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-71188467762832989782011-11-09T05:31:00.000-08:002011-11-09T05:31:57.462-08:00Saints
Photo: Bill Rockwell (OCMC), Abbot Tryphon, Father Iulian Negru, Missions Director for the Muloavia and Bucuvina Archdiocese in Romania, and Ancuta and Floyd Frantz, missionaries in Cluj, Romania.
The Role of Saints in our Christian Lives
Growing up Lutheran I always believe the veneration of saints by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians was a form of idolatry. They Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-80582782696471106882011-11-08T05:14:00.000-08:002011-11-08T05:14:10.763-08:00I believe the words of Metropolitan Hilarion are of such grave importance that I am choosing to post this article from Interfax for all to read. Please contact your congressman and ask that the United States government speak out in defense of our Coptic brothers and sisters. The US and the other western nations need to make it abundantly clear to the Egyptian provisional government that they are Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-15469832672442356182011-11-07T03:57:00.000-08:002011-11-07T04:02:19.096-08:00Sin as Illness
Graduate Students from Seattle Pacific Univerity
Church as Hospital of the Soul
Our Orthodox Faith defines sin as an illness that is in need of healing, not as a crime that requires punishment. The Church is a hospital for the soul whose therapists (priests) first sought therapy and then became the therapists. As a healing institution the Church is a place for Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-32688704989555553002011-11-06T05:35:00.000-08:002011-11-06T06:28:09.345-08:00Faith Without Action
Abbot Gerasim and Abbot Tryphon
A Faith Without Action is Dead
Although eternal life can not be attained by works, for no one can do any good but by the power of Christ, faith without works is dead. Transformation is necessary for any of us to enter into God's kingdom and requires us to cooperate with God in our salvation.
The good news is that God provides the Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-45295403866821691392011-11-05T04:18:00.000-07:002011-11-05T04:18:32.716-07:00
RE-ADJUSTMENT
I thought there would be a grave beauty, a sunset splendour
In being the last of one’s kind: a topmost moment as one watched
The huge wave curving over Atlantis, the shrouded barge
Turning away with wounded Arthur, or Ilium burning.
Now I see that, all along, I was assuming a posterity
Of gentle hearts: someone, however distant in the depths of time,
Who could Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-64556337154707345262011-11-04T10:45:00.000-07:002011-11-04T20:16:26.370-07:00Vision and Mission
Click on photos to enlarge.
Where there is no vision,
the people perish (Proverbs 9:18).
I was privileged to be an Observer for the Orthodox Church in America's All American Council, held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bellevue, WA. It was a particular blessing to be in attendance as it afforded me an opportunity to spend time with many old friends, some of whom I'd not Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-58402749386681123642011-11-03T00:15:00.000-07:002011-11-03T00:15:01.680-07:00CompassionLove Involves Suffering
If we are indeed to love one another we must be willing to suffer with others. The Lord tells us that we must "Bear one another's burdens, and so be filled with the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). When we learn to love others our compassion is such that we are willing to suffer with them. Their burdens become ours and we lift them up and help them on their Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-62416119171817593332011-11-02T10:04:00.000-07:002011-11-02T10:04:12.025-07:00Humus
Humility Comes from Humus
We all struggle with our passions and like Saint Paul we can say we do that which we do not want to do and do not do what we want to do. The passions hold us down close to the ground in our sin and fallen nature. We are like the rotting soil beneath dead plants, but God's grace is more than sufficient for holiness to take root.
Humility comes from humus, Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-70099229627873616332011-11-01T05:31:00.000-07:002011-11-01T05:31:54.425-07:00A Pure Heart
Concelebrating with my OCA brothersat their All American Council in Bellevue, WA
Recollection of God is required if we are to be reconciled with God. Seeking to be aware of God throughout the day helps us remember to do battle with the passions and leads to repentance. Contrition brings on the grace needed to gain a pure heart, which in turn joins us to God in pure love.
With loveAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-54533321442896602852011-10-31T06:05:00.000-07:002011-11-01T06:03:56.381-07:00In Response
to a Critic My Criticism of Islam
Following my article titled The Period of Decline, a Vashon Island man accused me of being a bigot, calling my words anti-Muslim hate speech. He further compared my words to those of Anders Behring Breivik, the insane Norwegian man who murdered countless youth on an island in Norway some months ago. As an American of Norwegian decent, this was Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-56354848005002144772011-10-30T04:43:00.000-07:002011-10-30T05:32:14.632-07:00The Period
of DeclineA Western World in Need of Christ
The western world has entered a period of decadence and decline, departing far from her Christian roots. With the European Union denying the historical and cultural Christian heritage of her member states, a secular based world view reigns dominant. This, together with the mass immigration of peoples from Islamic countries at a time when Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-2132802839927528482011-10-29T00:02:00.000-07:002011-10-29T00:02:37.835-07:00Blessed is
the KingdomBlessed is the kingdom of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit
The Divine Liturgy begins with the words, Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. This kingdom is our true home and our lives as Christians are centered around the great expectation of the coming of this kingdom, which shall beAbbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-14409966039065232612011-10-28T08:26:00.000-07:002011-10-28T08:33:58.925-07:00The Christ
Centered Family
click on photos to enlarge
Any good parent knows that he must love all his children equally. No favoritism should be displayed when raising children if we want them to know they are loved. Troubled children often get more attention from a loving parents because mom and dad know this child is in greater need of parental support. One child might be brighter and Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-31822515774251709212011-10-27T05:31:00.000-07:002011-10-27T05:45:34.331-07:00Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia'sLetter to Patriarch Shenouda III
of the Coptic Church
To: His Holiness SHENOUDA III
His Holiness SHENOUDA III
Pope of Alexandria and
Patriarch of the Throne of St. Mark in All Africa and the Middle East
Your Holiness,
It has deeply grieved me to learn about the new attacks against Christians in Egypt and the bloody clashes in Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-88332622025213061192011-10-26T00:06:00.000-07:002011-10-26T00:06:44.034-07:00Inner Silence
click on photo to enlarge
God is Heard in the Silence of the Heart
The very heart of Orthodox monasticism is found in hesychia, that is, keeping stillness.The hesychast denies in order to affirm. Based on Christ's injunction in the Gospel of Saint Matthew to "go into your closet to pray", hesychasm in tradition has been the process of retiring inward by ceasing to register Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-88156502933288875202011-10-25T03:47:00.000-07:002011-10-25T11:07:58.967-07:00Holy ImagesGod Infuses His Energies into the Icons
The Old Testament God was revealed to us by Christ Jesus. Prior to the incarnation of the Logos, God's people were forbidden to make any image of Him, for no one had seen His face. Yet when Christ said to His disciples, "he who has seen Me has seen the Father", the fullness of this loving God was revealed to His creation.
Early Christians Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235959592105819685.post-145789467990758922011-10-24T00:01:00.000-07:002011-10-24T08:03:05.743-07:00Ancestral SinChrist's Resurrection Paves the Way
The fact that we Orthodox do not accept the doctrine of original sin as espoused in the West, does in no way suggest that we do not need to be born again (born anew). We believe, as did the Early Church Fathers, that we inherit only the results of Adams sin, not his guilt. This is known as ancestral sin because the sin of our first parents, Abbot Tryphonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02797169249551356440noreply@blogger.com0