The Poor and Hungry in Our Midst

And our response as authentic Orthodox Christians

The Church, if she is authentic in her Christian witness, must grapple with the challenges of society starting from its most marginalized sector. If the Church does not teach with a loud voice that the Nativity Fast is about more than refraining from certain foods, she will be failing in her duty to preach the fullness of Christ’s Gospel. The Church’s ministry must include service to the poor and downtrodden, for her role does not stop with her liturgical services, but begins there. Saint John Chrysostom teaches that fasting without accompanying good deeds is like a ship going from port to port without cargo.

Saint Sophrony of Essex, wrote, “A man is not saved by having once shown mercy to someone, although, if he scorns someone but once, he merits eternal fire. For ‘hungered’ and ‘thirsty’ is said not of one occasion, not of one day, but of the whole life. In the same way ‘ye gave me meat’, ‘ye gave me drink’, ‘ye clothed me’, and so on, does not indicate one incident, but a constant attitude to everyone. Our Lord Jesus Christ said that He Himself accepts such mercy from His slaves in the person of the needy.”

Saint John Chrysostom, perhaps the greatest preacher of all time, told us, “Do you wish to honor the Body of the Savior? Do not despise it when it is naked. Do not honor it in church with silk vestments while outside it is naked and numb with cold. He who said, “This is my body,” and made it so by his word, is the same who said, ‘You saw me hungry and you gave me no food. As you did it not to the least of these, you did it not to me.’ Honor him then by sharing your property with the poor. For what God needs is not golden chalices but golden souls.”

The Nativity Fast is the perfect time for us to enter into collaboration and support with charitable organizations. Every community has local food banks that are in desperate need of donated food, as the numbers of the poor and homeless grow at an astounding rate. Never before has there been a time when the Church and her people have been faced with a need that offers us the chance to commit to reflection on the cultural and spiritual issues related to charity.

With the ever growing numbers of people who have found themselves without jobs, and those who are now facing homelessness because of the economic downturn, what with the closure of thousands of businesses and restaurants across the nation, it is increasingly necessary that we Orthodox Christians restore the centrality of acts of charity for the poor in our midst.

“At the Last Judgement I will not be asked whether I satisfactorily practiced asceticism, nor how many bows I have made before the divine altar. I will be asked whether I fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick, and the prisoner in his jail. That is all I will be asked (Saint Maria of Paris).”

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Tuesday December 1, 2020 / November 18, 2020
26th Week after Pentecost. Tone eight.
Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Food with Oil
Martyr Platon of Ancyra (266).
Martyr Romanus the Deacon of Caesarea and child-martyr Barulas of Antioch (303).
St. Nicholas confessor, priest (1948).
Martyrs Zacchaeus the Deacon and Alphaeus, of Caesarea in Palestine (303).
Synaxis of All Saints of Estonia.
St. Mawes, bishop in Cornwall and Brittany (5th c.) (Celtic & British).
St. Mabyn, nun of Cornwall (Celtic & British).
New Martyrs Anastasius of Epirus and Daniel (1750) (Greek).
Martyr Romanus, who suffered under Maximian (305).
St. Odo of Cluny (942) (Gaul).

The Scripture Readings

1 Timothy 1:8-14

8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

Glory to God for His Grace

12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

Luke 14:25-35

Leaving All to Follow Christ

25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

Tasteless Salt Is Worthless

34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the [a]dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”