Giving Witness to Our Orthodox Faith
Every Orthodox Christian wants their family and friends to attend Sunday Liturgies and stay active in the life of the Church throughout their lives. Yet many of us don’t demonstrate the importance of having a relationship with God in front of others. If we do not make God important, neither will our family and friends. They will see in us hypocrisy, and they will know we are not following through with the teachings of the Church during the week. They will hear when we take the Lord’s name in vain. They observe when you don’t make prayer central to your day. They will notice we only speak of God on a Sunday morning.
Making the sign of the cross, lighting candles and burning incense only on Sundays teaches those around us to compartmentalize their own faith, thus leaving them defenseless in a world filled with temptations and distractions from things that are of a spiritual nature. If we do not demonstrate the importance of prayer before our friends, we will leave them defenseless in a world that hates Christ. Our friends and relatives need to witness the importance of the scriptures in how we live our daily lives, and the importance of our own prayer life.
If we do not make our home a domestic church, our family will be lost to Christ, and Orthodoxy will not be lived out beyond our own grave. Orthodoxy is communal, and must be lived openly before all with whom we come in contact. Many Orthodox people are stuck in “Sunday only” Orthodoxy, but witnessing a friend living out their faith on a daily basis can often be the very catalyst to making Orthodoxy the center of their lives.
Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Saturday May 11, 2024 / April 28, 2024
Bright Saturday.
Bright Week. Fast-free
Apostles Jason and Sosipater of the Seventy, and their companions: Martyrs Saturninus, Jakischolus (Inischolus), Faustianus, Januarius, Marsalius, Euphrasius, Mammius, the Virgin Cercyra, and Christodolus the Ethiopian, at Corfu (1st. c.).
Martyrs Dada, Maximus, and Quintilian at Dorostolum (286).
Virgin-martyr Anna (1940).
St. Cyril, bishop of Turov (1183).
Martyrs Zeno, Eusebius, Neon, and Vitalis, who were converted by Apostles Jason and Sosipater.
Venerable Auxibius, bishop of Soli in Cyprus (102).
Venerable Cyriacus, abbot of Kargopol (Vologda) (1462).
Venerable Cronan, abbot of Roscrea, Ireland (7th c.) (Celtic & British).
Martyr John of Romania (Greek).
Nine Martyrs of Cyzicus. (Greek).
Miracle at Carthage (Greek).
Martyr Tibald of Pannonia (304).
The Scripture Readings
Acts 3:11-16
Preaching in Solomon’s Portico
11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. 12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
John 3:22-33
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. 24 For John had not yet been thrown into prison.
25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”
27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease. 31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33 He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.