Angels Among Us

Let us be as angels to those in our midst

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2).

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, whose children are going to bed at night hungry for lack of food money. Old women whose husbands are long gone, and whose children are too busy to check in on them. The young college student down the hall in the dorm who has no place to go for Christmas, no caring family wanting to see him. There is the lonely bag lady, sitting on a park bench watching everyone avoid her.

The world is full of lonely people in need of comfort, kindness, and mercy. How about the crabby old neighbor who is always frowning? Is it not possible that his frown is masking grief for a lost wife, or a son whose turned his back on his father? There’s the policeman who pulled you over for going over the speed limit, and whose being rather abrupt with you? Is there a chance he is having marital problems, and is in a bad mood? Or perhaps the officer responded to the suicide of a teenager, a few hours ago?

All these people can be in need of a word of kindness, a gentle smile and a word of encouragement. Can you imagine the impact on the officer’s day, if you, after having been served with the traffic ticket, thanked him for making our roads safer, and possibly saving your life by calling you on your dangerous driving? What if you sat down next to the old bag lady and asked her how she’s doing? What if you offered to take her into a cafe for dinner? What if you baked a plate full of cookies for the grumpy old man? What if you asked your parents if you could invite the lonely young man down the hall to your home for the weekend?

What if you quietly paid for the groceries of the young woman behind you in the check-out line? What if you collected all the old toys left over from your children, and gave them to a shelter for battered women? What if you gave out one hundred dollars worth of tens to homeless men on the street? What if you ordered an extra hamburger and fries, and gave the bag to a homeless man at the entrance of the fast food store, and included a twenty dollar bill as an extra gift? What if you made a pact with yourself to do seven acts of kindness each and every day, without judgement. What if you took on the role of an angel unaware?

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Friday June 12, 2015 / May 30, 2015

2nd Week after Pentecost. Tone eight.
Apostles’ (Peter & Paul) Fast. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)

Venerable Barlaam of Khutyn (1192) (movable holiday on the 1st Friday of Apostles’ Fast).
“Tabynsk” and “Kursk-Root” Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos (movable holiday on the 9th Friday of Pascha).
Venerable Isaac, founder of the Dalmatian Monastery at Constantinople (383).
New Hieromartyr Basil priest (1942).
Martyr Natalius.
Martyrs Romanus, Meletius and Euplius.
St. Macrina, grandmother of St. Basil the Great (4th c.).
Venerable James, monk of Galich Monastery (15th c.).
Venerables Isaiah and Nikanor of Arkhangel’sk.
Martyr Barlaam of Caesarea in Cappadocia.
St. Venantius of Gaul (374).
St. Hubert of Maastricht (727) (Neth.).

Romans 5:17-6:2

17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Matthew 9:14-17

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting

14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?”

15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. 17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”