Charity

The importance of promoting the welfare of others

With thousands of Americans losing their jobs, due to the Pandemic that has descended upon our land, we are witnessing what some are seeing as another Great Depression coming our way. For those who have not lost their income, it is important for them to remember that such times offer a great opportunity to become philanthropists, while helping those who are less fortunate than themselves.

A few days ago I called Richard, the resident manager of the Century Hotel in Tualatin, Oregon, asking how they were all doing. Due to the Pandemic, the owner was forced to close down the hotel, and the restaurant that had served such wonderful meals to both guests and locals.

The Century Hotel has been my hotel of choice whenever I’ve found myself driving to San Francisco for clergy gatherings, or when needing to be in Portland to see my confessor. I still remember the first time I was checking in. Richard was in the back office, and overheard me speaking to the desk clerk. He immediately came out, asking if I was Abbot Tryphon. When he heard that I was, he went back into his office, and returned with a rather weathered copy of my book, “The Morning Offering”, and asked me if I would sign it for him. It seemed he’d been reading it every day for over a year, and couldn’t believe I’d actually showed up at their hotel. Richard is a committed Christian, although not Orthodox (yet), and has become a dear friend.

Whenever I  stay at the Century Hotel  I take walks around the man-made lake that fronts the back side of the hotel, and enjoy the view while sitting on my third floor balcony. Eating in the hotel’s restaurant, Hayden’s Grill, has always a pleasure, for their excellent food and wonderful employees (Adreanna, the waitress who always serves me the complimentary breakfast, immediately comes to mind), make this a worthy place for any traveler.

While speaking to Richard, and finding out that the hotel had been closed for the duration of the pandemic, I immediately felt concern for all the employees and staff of the hotel and restaurant. I was gratified to hear from Richard, that the owner was a caring man, who’d made it clear to all his employees that he would be there for them, and encouraged all to contact him, should they need any financial help during the closure.

Richard also shared with me that an elderly gentleman who lives in the neighborhood, and dines in the hotel restaurant twice a day, when hearing that Hayden’s Grill had been forced to close, walked into the hotel lobby, and presented the owner with a check for $10,000.00, asking that it be divided among the restaurant’s employees, saying that he loved all of them, and couldn’t bear the thought that they were now without the needed income to survive.

I share this with my readers because this man’s generosity, in the face of a national catastrophe, deeply touched my heart. Many people,  facing the closing down of commerce across our nation, tend to hoard their money, yet this generous old man chose to share his money with those less fortunate.

When speaking with an old friend, Nick Buick, the Warden of Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco, I was informed that the cathedral parish is hurting financially, because donations have fallen off dramatically, since the cathedral was forced to close all services to the public, by order of the city. If the truth be known, most Orthodox parishes (and monasteries for that matter) are experiencing the same drastic decline of financial support.

Just as many American workers are now without an income, many of our Orthodox priests are facing the same problem. When people are not giving to the parish, the priest is often the first to go without his needed income. One priest friend even told me that he and his matushka are now forced to dip into their meager savings, not only for their own immediate needs, but to support the parish.

Although this pandemic, together with the loss of so many jobs, is having a negative impact on the lives of countless people, we must see this as a collective burden on all of us. These hardships are not just about me, they are about all of us. We are all in this together, and whether we still have a job or not, we must not allow the Church to fail, but rather make sure our obligations for support of the Church remain a top priority.

If there is a family or two who have been a part of our parish community who are now suffering an unknown future, we must do all we can to help them. We must also make sure that the treasure among us, the local parish, survives this pandemic, so that our Orthodox Church can continue ministering to our families, and even the whole world, in spite of the financial collapse that may be happening around us. We must remember that we are all in this together, and together we will survive this disastrous time.

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Photos: Lilly, our little Siberian Forest Cat, playing around the central courtyard fountain. The second photo was taken from the balcony of my hotel room.

Wednesday April 1, 2020 / March 19, 2020
Fifth Week of the Great Lent. Tone eight.
Great Lent. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)
Martyrs Chrysanthus and Daria, and those with them at Rome: Claudius, Hilaria, Jason, Maurus, Diodorus presbyter, and Marianusdeacon (283).
St. Sophia of Slutsk and Minsk (1612).
St. John confessor (1932).
St. Matrona (1938).
Venerable Symeon of the Pskov Caves (Glorification 2003).
Venerable Innocent of Komel (Vologda), disciple of St. Nilus of Sora (1521).
Martyr Pancharius at Nicomedia (302).
Venerable Bassa, nun, of Pskov (1473).
Venerable Simeon, prior of the monastery Dajbabe (1941) (Serbia).
The Smolensk “Tenderness” Icon of the Mother of God (1103).
Martyr Dimitri of Tornada (564).
New Martyr Demetrius at Constantinople (1564) (Greek).
Righteous Mary, wife of Vsevelod III (1206).
New Martyr Nicholas of Karamanos in Smyrna (1657).
Martyr Alcmund, prince of Northumbria.

The Scripture Readings

Isaiah 41:4-14

4 Who has performed and done it,
Calling the generations from the beginning?
‘I, the Lord, am the first;
And with the last I am He.’ ”

5 The coastlands saw it and feared,
The ends of the earth were afraid;
They drew near and came.
6 Everyone helped his neighbor,
And said to his brother,
“Be of good courage!”
7 So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith;
He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil,
Saying, “It is ready for the soldering”;
Then he fastened it with pegs,
That it might not totter.

8 “But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My friend.
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

11 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish.
12 You shall seek them and not find them—
Those who contended with you.
Those who war against you
Shall be as nothing,
As a nonexistent thing.
13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’

14 “Fear not, you worm Jacob,
You men of Israel!
I will help you,” says the Lord
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Genesis 17:1-9

The Sign of the Covenant

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

Proverbs 15:20-16:9

20 A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.

21 Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment,
But a man of understanding walks uprightly.

22 Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!

24 The way of life winds upward for the wise,
That he may turn away from hell below.

25 The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But He will establish the boundary of the widow.

26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
But the words of the pure are pleasant.

27 He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.

28 The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.

29 The Lord is far from the wicked,
But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones healthy.

31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility.

Wisdom Is Better Than Gold

16 The preparations of the heart belong to man,
But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the spirits.

3 Commit your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.

4 The Lord has made all for Himself,
Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.

5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

6 In mercy and truth
Atonement is provided for iniquity;
And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

7 When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

8 Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.

9 A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.