“What began in Russia will end in America.” ~Elder Ignatius of Harbin, Manchuria
As an American I have clearly seen, over these past forty years or so, a secularization of our who nation, with the end result that evil is taking root. Consequently, the American people are being deceived by an atheism that is ripping our own country from us. America is becoming like the Soviet Union, while Russia is becoming the Christian land America once was.
We American’s are witnessing a progressive extinction of our traditional public and educational institutions, watching to our horror, traditional values replaced with all manner of perversion. Our once proud institutions are now becoming corrupt, just as violence, decadence, and insanity are increasing.
Marxist ideologies and secularist principles are changing our once Christian culture, leading to the state sponsored pressures that will ultimately take away our individual freedoms and liberties.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, in his “Godlessness: the First Step to the Gulag”, referenced how the communist takeover of Russia was preceded by an atheistic mentality that lead to the secularization of Russia, therefore alienating the Russian people from their traditional Christian morality and beliefs. Solzhenitsyn rightly concluded Russia was open to atheism and anti-Christian morality because “Men have forgotten God”.
It is all the more imperative that we fervently pray for our country, and give witness to the importance of Christ in our lives. The secularization that is taking place must not be allowed to take hold, but must be pushed back by us. We must stand firm against this radical takeover, and as warriors for our faith, battle against the destructive power of the evil enemy of our salvation.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Photo: Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow, imploded by the Soviets, and rebuilt by faithful Russian Orthodox Christians.
Tuesday September 17, 2019 / September 4, 2019
14th Week after Pentecost. Tone four.
Hieromartyr Babylas, bishop of Antioch, with Martyrs Urban, Prilidian, and Epolonius, and their mother Christodula (251).
Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses (1531 B.C.).
Uncovering of the relics (1911) of St. Ioasaph, bishop of Belgorod (1754).
Uncovering of the relics (1989) of St. Metrophanes, bishop of Voronezh (1703).
Synaxis of All Saints of Voronezh.
Hieromartyr Parthenius, abbot of Kiziltis Monastery in Crimea (1867).
New Hieromartyrs Paul, John, Nicholas, Nicholas, John, Nicholas, Alexander, Peter and Michael priests, Hieromartyr Stephen, Martyrs Basil, Peter, Stephen and Alexander (1937).
New Hieromartyrs Gregory (Lebedev) Bishop of Shliserburg and Sergius (Druzhinin) Bishop of Narva (1937).
Virgin-Martyr Helen (1942).
Martyr Hermione, daughter of Apostle Philip the Deacon (117).
Martyr Babylas of Nicomedia, and with him 84 children (4th c.).
Martyrs Theodore, Mianus (Ammianus), Julian, Kion (Oceanus), and Centurionus of Nicomedia (305-311).
New Hieromartyr Peter, metropolitan of Dabro-Bosnia (1941).
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “The Unburnt Bush” (1680).
St. Joachim, patriarch of Alexandria.
Venerable Petronius of Egypt (346), disciple of St. Pachomius the Great.
Martyr Charitina of Amisus (Greek).
Martyrs Tathuil and Bebaia of Edessa (2nd c.) (Greek).
Martyr Jerusalem of Berroia (Greek).
Martyrs Theotimus and Theodulus the executioners (Greek).
St. Simeon, abbot and wonderworker of Garesja (1773).
St. Anthimus the Blind, new ascetic of Cephalonia (1782).
Translation of the relics of St. Birinus, bishop of Dorchester-on-Thames and enlighterer of Wessex.
Translation of the relics St. Cuthberg, bishop of Lindisfarne.
The Scripture Readings
John 10:9-16
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep,and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
2 Corinthians 12:20-13:2
20 For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; 21 lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.
Coming with Authority
13 This will be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” 2 I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare—
Mark 4:24-34
24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should [a]scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Jesus’ Use of Parables
33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
Father bless,
We need to hear more on this subject. I hear and read from so many family members, and even in many Orthodox circles how bad the right is. They have fallen for the liberal lies and are led like the blind off of a cliff.
I have a priest saying we should only be concerned with local things not national. We should not get involved but just be concerned with our own lives.
What is happening now is affecting or will affect everyone. Thank you for writing this. Guidance from a true pastor is needed.
God have mercy on us.
If I may invoke a cry that hearkens back to my old Protestant days -“Preach it, Father!”
A thought, is the “Benedict Option” …an option? As I see it , the genie is out of the bottle , and running rampant. I think of Rome ,5th century .
Yes Lord , have mercy!
Abbot Tryphon. I hope your message is echoed in the pulpits of all the Orthodox Clergy beginning with the Heirarchs with zeal, to warn and prepare the faithful not be lulled to sleep to the attraction and seduction of this world and with the cares of life, which the Savior called our greatest obstacle to understanding a spiritual life ,and that thru sincere repentance we may be strengthened by prayer to fight the good fight and to stand fast in our faith. Thank you
Truer words were never spoken, Fr. Tryphon.
I thank God for you and for your Blog.
One of the main bulwarks of secularism against God is Darwinism, or theories of natural selection, which were extended beyond a theory regarding variations in a species to an end-all explanation of all organic life. Such theories have been shown to be mathematically impossible–not that reasonable people needed to be shown the math–but mainstream science, the history of which is repleate with examples of the majority being wrong, will not budge, now or at any time in the near future. Every level of education and cultural and political thought are infected with this nonsense which, at even a glance, is almost invariably displayed in vague, wishy-washy pronouncements that mean almost nothing.
It may take two or three generations to wash to crumble this wall, if we have that long, and only if those willing to research and speak out on the subject can stand the scorn that will follow.
We certainly are in dangerous times; in the midst of a takeover. Staying together in prayer and close to the Cross and Sacramental life is important to keep our sanity of mind and soul.
God bless and thankyou for mentioning it!
The greatest enemy of both Judaism and Christianity is secularism which runs rampant with progressive acceleration.
On a further note from my previous comment, I forgot to include that I have been told by friends not to be concerned about what is happening in another country and just focus on us locally. Well, I find this very difficult as I explained to this person, because as Christians we are to be concerned and caring for our Brothers and Sisters in Christ who are suffering, persecuted, imprisoned, killed and martyred. How does one just shove that aside? Do they really believe doom and gloom cannot not arrive in our little location? Really! That’s like living in a bubble believing we are untouchable. I would rather be concerned for them afar or near and pray for their safety and souls. God bless!
Your truthful and passionate words call me to stand up and take arms and put on the armor, but I feel weak and powerless against the mob mentality that exists everywhere around me.
I continue to pray that our God who is in control over everything, will not, for the sake of our innocent younger generations who will have to live a punishing life with immorality controlling the world, allow this to go on much longer.
Thank you Abbot Tryphon for another thought inspiring and humbling “Morning Offering”.
We as humans have created ideals, theories and institutions which are a mosaic of ideas and attitudes. When they are not entirely God-centered, they will be tinged with at least some corruption (satanic flavour). Placing too much focus in any of these, can only fertilise our pride and corrupt our souls. Breaking down every such practice to its basic fundamental parts, will allow us to decipher good (God) from evil. There is good and bad in all (persons and earthly ideals), except in the Lord who is ALL good.
And failing to remember this, is a cause of so many of my sins….
Thank again Father.
We need more voices such as yours Father Tryphon. I struggle everyday with the overwhelming bad news of evil afoot in our country and the world. Lately, I’ve tried to imagine what the world would be like if everyone on earth genuinely believed in God and lived the commandments Jesus gave us to love God and love other people.
Hear! Hear!
These are indeed dark times and growing worse. I fear the day will come soon in America where the faithful will be forced to return to the catacomb church. Meeting in secret like in the early Roman Empire and the Soviet Union. Not to be an alarmist, but it might be prudent to start planning for that possibility now, while we have the time and the freedom to do so.