Christianity confronts the world without being part of it
Christianity confronts the world, but does not seek to be part of the fallen spirit of this world. The genuineness of the simple message of our Christian faith should teach us that we must bring thought and action into Godly and sacred harmony, neither sacrificing one nor the other. Likewise, if the monk is to be authentic, maintaining the inner life from which he draws his strength, he must bring the inner life into play in the external world, expecting nothing but doing all he can with obedience and monastic purity. That monks have been doing this from ancient times, finds its proof in the fact that we would have no orphanages, hospitals, schools, and, indeed universities, if not for monastics. To a great extent, in our western world, these are of Christian AND monastic provenance. In our western world, monastics founded almost all of the first of these institutions and worked in them. It is when we fail to bring enlightenment and mercy for the suffering into concord that religion becomes ineffective, and the source of the horrendous scandals that we see in the news today.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Friday December 19, 2014 / December 6, 2014
28th Week after Pentecost. Tone two.
Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, archbishop of Myra in Lycia (345).
Blessed Maximus, metropolitan of Kiev (1305).
New Martyr Nicholas of Karamanos in Asia Minor (1657) (Greek).
St. Nicholas, bishop of Patara.
St. Theophilus, bishop of Antioch (181).
St. Abramius, bishop of Cratea in Bithynia (6th c.).
Scripture Readings for the Day:
Hebrews 13:17-21
17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Prayer Requested
18 Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. 19 But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Benediction, Final Exhortation, Farewell
20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luke 6:17-23
Jesus Heals a Great Multitude
17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
The Beatitudes
20 Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:
“Blessed are you poor,
For yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
For you shall be filled.
Blessed are you who weep now,
For you shall laugh.
22 Blessed are you when men hate you,
And when they exclude you,
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
For the Son of Man’s sake.
23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.