Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever!

The Morning Offering
Monday, November 30 / 17 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

November 17 / 30. St. Gregory the Wonderworker of Neo-Caesarea St. Nicon, abbot of Radonezh, disciple of St. Sergius. St Lazarus the Iconographer of Constantinople. St. Longinus of Egypt. St. Gennadius of Vatopedi (Mt. Athos). Martyr Gobron(Michael) and 133 soldiers of Georgia. St. Maximus (Maximian), Patriarch of Constantinople (same as April 21). St. Gregory,Bishop of Tours, and with him Saints Patroclus of Bourges, Ursus and Leobatius, brother-abbots, and Nicetius of Lyons (Gaul) (Greek Calendar: St. Zachariah the Skete-dweller and St. John, monk. St. Justin, monk.)

Photo of the Day:

The enclosure of the monastery, with the monastic cells behind the fence, and the library on the right.(Click to enlarge)

Quote of the Day:

"Telling us to obey instinct is like telling us to obey 'people.' People say different things: so do instincts. Our instincts are at war.... Each instinct, if you listen to it, will claim to be gratified at the expense of the rest...."

C.S. Lewis

 

Scripture Readings for the Day:

1 Timothy 1:1-7

Greeting

 ¹ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,

² To Timothy, a true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

No Other Doctrine

³ As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, ⁴ nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. ⁵ Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, ⁶ from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, ⁷ desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

Luke 14:12-15

¹² Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. ¹⁴ And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

The Parable of the Great Supper

¹⁵ Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever!

The Morning Offering
Sunday, November 29 / 16 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

November 16 / 29. Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew. St. Fulvianus, prince of Ethiopia, in holy baptism Matthew St. Sergius, abbot of Malopinega. Repose of Schemamonk John the Fingerless, disciple of St. Paisius Velichkovsky (1843) NewHieromartyr Philoumenos of Jacob's Well, by the Jews

Photo of the Day:

Our monastery's relics of Saint John the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco. (Click to enlarge)

Quote of the Day:

"Let us therefore rejoice because that sheep which had fallen in Adam is uplifted in Christ. The shoulders of Christ are the arms of His Cross. There have I laid down my sins; upon the neck of that sublime yoke of torment have I found rest."

 

 St. Ambrose of Milan
"Exposition of the Gospel of St. Luke"

Charity of  the Day:

With the blessing of Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco, money is being raised for the widow of the martyred Priest Daniel. Please make checks payable to: HOLY VIRGIN CATHEDRAL and earmarked MATUSHKA SISOEV FUND.

Send the checks to:

MATUSHKA SISOEV FUND
c/o Rev. Peter Perekrestov
475 26th Avenue, #2
San Francisco, CA 94121
USA

Scripture Readings for the Day:

Ephesians 4:1-8

Walk in Unity

 ¹ I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Spiritual Gifts

⁷ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. ⁸ Therefore He says:


      " When He ascended on high,
      He led captivity captive,
      And gave gifts to men."

Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
²⁶ He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?"
²⁷ So he answered and said, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"
²⁸ And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."
²⁹ But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
³⁰ Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³² Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. ³³ But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.' ³⁶ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"
³⁷ And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."
Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever!

The Morning Offering
Saturday, November 28 / 15 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

November 15 / 28. . Repose of St. Herman, Wonderworker of Alaska Holy Martyrs and Confessors Gurias,Samonas and Abibus of Edessa. Martyrs Elpidius, Marcellus and Eustochius who suffered under Julianthe Apostate. Martyr Demetrius of Thrace. St. Quinctian, Bishop of Seleucia. St. Philip, abbot of Rabang (Vologda). St. Paisius(Velichkovsky) of Moldavia and Mt. Athos. (Greek Calendar: St. Thomas the new, Patriarch of Constantinople.)

Photo of the Day:

 (Click to enlarge)

Charity of  the Day:

With the blessing of Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco, money is being raised for the widow of the martyred Priest Daniel. Please make checks payable to: HOLY VIRGIN CATHEDRAL and earmarked MATUSHKA SISOEV FUND.

Send the checks to:

MATUSHKA SISOEV FUND
c/o Rev. Peter Perekrestov
475 26th Avenue, #2
San Francisco, CA 94121
USA

Scripture Readings for the Day:

Galatians 1:3-10

³ Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴ who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Only One Gospel

⁶ I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, ⁷ which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
¹⁰ For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Luke 9:37-43

A Boy Is Healed

³⁷ Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. ³⁸ Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. ³⁹ And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. ⁴⁰ So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."
⁴¹ Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." ⁴² And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

Jesus Again Predicts His Death

⁴³ And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.
But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples,

Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever!

The Morning Offering
Friday, November 27 / 14 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

November 14 / 27. Holy and All-praised Apostle Philip . St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica. St. Justinian the Emperor and his wife St Theodora. St. Philip, abbot of Irap near Novgorod. New-Martyr Panteleimon the youth of Asia Minor. New-Martyr Constantine of Hydra (Mt. Athos)

Photo of the Day:

 (Click to enlarge)

Thought for  the Day:

The wrath of God is the painful sensation we experience when we are being trained by Him. Through this painful experience of unsought sufferings God often abases and humbles an intellect conceited about its knowledge and virtue; for such sufferings make it conscious of itself and its own weakness.

 

St. Maximos the Confessor

"Third Century of Various Texts"
(The Philokalia)

Scripture Readings for the Day:

2 Thessalonians 3:6-18

Warning Against Idleness

⁶ But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; ⁸ nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, ⁹ not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.
¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. ¹¹ For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. ¹² Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.
¹³ But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good. ¹⁴ And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. ¹⁵ Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Benediction

 ¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.
¹⁷ The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write.
¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Luke 13:31-35

³¹ On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."
³² And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.' ³³ Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.

Jesus Laments over Jerusalem

³⁴ "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁵ See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever!

The Morning Offering
Thursday, November 26 / 13 (Church Calendar)
Thanksgiving Day

Saints of the Day:

November 13 / 26. St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople . Martyrs Antoninus, Nicephorus, and Germanus of Caesaria in Palestine. Martyr Manetha of Caesaria in Palestine. New-Martyr Damascene of Mt. Athos. St. Quintianus, Bishop ofClermont (Gaul). Repose of schema-nun Irene Myrtidiotissa of Chios (1960) and Archbishop Ioasaph of Canada (1955)

Photo of the Day:

The Eucharist, meaning "Thanksgiving". (Click to enlarge)

Thought for  the Day:

"Thanksgiving Day (for we Americans) should not be a time of giving thanks to God for all the worldly and pleasurable things in our lives. Rather, as Christians, we must be filled with gratitude for those things that lead, ultimately, to Life Eternal. Being grateful only for those things that are pleasurable and self-centered (nice house, great friends, good family, wonderful job, lots of money in the bank), but not being thankful for the difficulties and hardships that come our way, is not the way of a Christian. Only when we can be grateful for hardships and sorrows that lead to total dependency upon the mercy of God, can we acquire a grateful and contrite heart."

Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Scripture Readings for the Day:

2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5

Stand Fast

¹³ But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, ¹⁴ to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.
¹⁶ Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, ¹⁷ comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

2 Thessalonians 3

Pray for Us

 ¹ Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, ² and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.
³ But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. ⁴ And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.
⁵ Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.

Luke 13:1-9

Repent or Perish

 ¹ There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? ³ I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? ⁵ I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

⁶ He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. ⁷ Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' ⁸ But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹ And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

Letter written by the wife of the Newly Martyred Moscow priest

This is a letter written by the wife of the newly martyred priest, gunned down by a Muslim in his own church, in Moscow, Russia. Let us contemplate the great sacrifice made by this priest, for the Christ he so loved, and the Muslim people, he so dearly cared about, and whom he wanted to personally know this very Christ.

Holy New Martyr Daniel, pray to God for us.

Love and blessings,
Abbot Tryphon

Dear brothers and sisters, thank you for your support and prayers. This is the pain which cannot be expressed in words. This is the pain experienced by those who stood at the Cross of the Saviour. This is the joy which cannot be expressed in words, this is the joy experienced by those who came to the empty Tomb.

O death, where is thy sting?

Fr Daniel had already foreseen his death several years before it happened. He had always wanted to be worthy of a martyr's crown. Those who shot him wanted, as usual, to spit in the face of the Church, as once before they spat in the face of Christ. They have not achieved their goal, because it is impossible to spit in the face of the Church. Fr Daniel went up to his Golgotha in the very church which he had built, the church to which he gave up all his time and all his strength. They killed him like the prophet of old – between the temple and the altar and he was indeed found worthy of a martyr's calling. He died for Christ, Whom he served with all his strength.

Very often he would say to me that he was frightened of not having enough time, time to do everything. He was in a hurry. Sometimes, as a human-being he exaggerated, he got things wrong, he tripped up and made mistakes, but he made no mistake about the main thing, his life was entirely dedicated to HIM.

I did not understand why he was in a hurry. The last three years he was busy serving, never taking days off or taking holidays. I moaned, just now and again I wanted simple happiness, that my husband and my children's father would be with my children and me. But another path had been prepared for him.

He used to say that they would kill him. I would ask him who would look after us. Me and the three children. He would answer that he would put us in safe hands. 'I'll give you to the Mother of God. She'll take care of you'.

These words were forgotten too soon. He told us which vestments to bury him in. Then I joked that there was no need to speak about that, we still did not know who would bury who. He said that I would bury him. Once our conversation turned to funerals, I don't remember the details but I did say that I had never been to a priest's funeral. And he answered that it did not matter because I would be at his funeral.

Now I remember many words which have gained a meaning. Now my doubts have dissolved, the misunderstandings have gone.

We did not say goodbye in this life, we did not ask each other forgiveness, we did not embrace one another. It was just another day: in the morning he went to the liturgy and I did not see him again. Why didn't I go to the church that day to meet him? I had thought of it, but I decided I had better get the evening meal ready and put the children to bed. It was because of the children that I did not go there. There was a hand that did not let me go. But the evening before I had gone to the church and met him. I had felt as if dark clouds were gathering over us. And in the last few days I had tried to spend more time with him. Over the last week I had thought only about death and about life after death. I couldn't get my head around either the first or the second. That day my head was spinning with the words: 'Death is standing right behind you'. The last week everything was so hard, as if a huge load had been emptied out on top of me. I am not broken. He is supporting me, I feel as if he is standing by me. Then we said so many affectionate words, which we had never said to each other in our whole life before. Only now do I understand how much we loved each other.

The memorial service for the forty days of Fr Daniel takes place on the eve of his namesday and the patronal feast of the future church, 29 December, and 30 December is the feast of the holy prophet Daniel. According to the prophecy of an elder, the church would be built but Fr Daniel would not serve in it. The second part of the prophecy has already been fulfilled.

Matushka Julia Sysoieva

Living the evangelical life of Orthodox monasticism in witness to the salvific truth of the Gospels of Our Lord, God, and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory to Him forever!

The Morning Offering
Wednesday, November 25 / 12 (Church Calendar)

Saints of the Day:

November 12 / 25. St. John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria. St. Nilus the Faster of Sinai. Prophet Ahijah (Achias) Blessed John the Hairy, fool-for-Christ at Rostov. St. Leon, Patriarch of Constantinople. New-Martyr Sabbas Nigdelinus of Constantinople. New-Martyr Nicholas of Constantinople. St. Nilus the Myrrh-gusher of Mt. Athos. Synaxis of New-Martyr of Optina:Anatole, Barnabas, Dositheus, Nektary, Nikon, Panteleimon, and Vincent. Repose of Righteous Cosmas of Birsk (1882) and Fr Hilarion of Valaam and Sarov (1841). Commemoration of the Righteous monks and laymen buried at Optina Monastery

Photo of the Day:

 (Click to enlarge)

Thought for  the Day:

"Prayer, by reason of its nature, is the converse and union of man with God, and by reason of its action upholds the world."

Saint John of the Ladder

Scripture Readings for the Day:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

The Great Apostasy

 ¹ Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, ² not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. ³ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, ⁴ who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
⁵ Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? ⁶ And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. ⁷ For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. ⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. ⁹ The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, ¹² that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Luke 12:48-59

⁴⁸ But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Christ Brings Division

⁴⁹ "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! ⁵¹ Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. ⁵² For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. ⁵³ Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Discern the Time

⁵⁴ Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. ⁵⁵ And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

Make Peace with Your Adversary

⁵⁷ "Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right? ⁵⁸ When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."