Dead to the World, but Alive in Christ
The Gospel of Christ is imparted by word and example, and the love of Christ shines forth by our witness. We love and please God by following the commandments, and proclaiming the Good News. This is our true vocation.
We cannot give Christ to others unless we have welcomed Him into the central place in our own heart. We must know and love Christ, personally, before others can see Him in us. When we are willing to sacrifice self for the sake of Christ, and live according to the Gospels, we will become living temples of the Most High, and the whole world will be changed.
We are not called to a form of minimalist holiness, but to the full expression of holiness, and we are empowered for this transformed life by the action of the Holy Spirit. God’s sanctifying Grace is not merely the absence of evil or sin, but the presence of Divine Love in the soul.
We are called to holiness, for the Scriptures say, “Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).” We were created by God to share in His Divinity, and we will never be completely happy until we have died to self, and been made alive in Christ.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Saturday May 29, 2021 / May 16, 2021
Fourth Week of Pascha. Tone three.
Synaxis of New Martyrs of Butovo (movable holiday on the Saturday after the Pascha).
Venerable Theodore the Sanctified (368), disciple of St. Pachomius the Great.
Translation of the relics (1545) of Venerable Ephraim, abbot of Perekom (1492).
St. Matthew, Hieromonk of Yaransk in Vyatka (1927).
Venerables Cassian (1537) and Laurence (1548), abbots of Komel (Vologda).
St. Alexander, archbishop of Jerusalem (3rd c.).
Martyrs Vitus, Modestus and Crescentia at Lucania (303).
Blessed child Musa of Rome (5th c.).
Monk-martyrs of the community of St. Sava the Sanctified (610).
St. George II, bishop of Mitylene (842).
Martyr Vukasin of Serbia (1943).
Martyr Abdiesus, bishop, and companions in Persia (418).
St. Nicholas Mystikos, patriarch of Constantinople (930) (Greek).
New Martyr Nicholas of Metsovo, whose relics are at Meteora (1617) (Greek).
Martyrs Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia at Lucania (303).
Venerable Brendan the Voyager, abbot of Clonfert (577) (Celtic & British).
Martyr Peter of Blachernae (Greek).
St. Euphemia near Neaorion (Greek).
Hieromartyr Theodore of Vrsac in Banat, Serbia (1595).
St. Carantoc of Carhampton.
The Scripture Readings
Acts 12:1-11
Herod’s Violence to the Church
12 Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. 2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. 4 So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.
Peter Freed from Prison
5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 9 So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”
John 8:31-42
The Truth Shall Make You Free
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Abraham’s Seed and Satan’s
37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.”
39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. 41 You do the deeds of your father.”
Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
“Transformation” is such an important word because it tells us there is more happening and not just knowing about Jesus, but being one with Him. We have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. I think while grace is given to us for transformation, we also have to do our part – living the Gospels. Reciprocation…..
Thankyou & God bless! Have a weekend of peace and joy!
The key is in your last statement, Father, “alive in Christ.” Some years ago, I was reading Matthew 10:32 where the Lord says (most English translations), “He who confesses me before men, I will confess before my Father Who art in heaven.” I had been totally aware and often quoted that scripture reading to myself and others. I was very surprised one day when I read the passage in Greek and it was a little deeper in content; it stated, “He who confessed IN me before men, I will confess IN him before my Father Who art in heaven.” That word, IN (ev) ads deeper meaning to the passage, but I had a degree of problem figuring out how I, sinful as I am, was going to take up residence IN Christ. Then I noticed in the prayers of preparation for Holy Communion, Saint Symeon says that are IN Christ when we receive the Holy elements. We walk away from the chalise IN Christ and then the problem becomes ‘staying in Christ’; I usually find myself out of Christ within 20 steps away from the chalise by not concentrating on what I have (hopefully) received from the Divine Liturgy up to and through that point. As you have so aptly stated, “We were created by God to share in His Divinity, and we will never be completely happy until we have died to self, and been made alive in Christ.”