Free Will

And our capacity to reject the will of God

According to Saint Gregory Palamas, God has given us lordship over all the earth because of our capacity for sovereignty. With this sovereignty comes the responsibility to be good stewards of that which God has given us. Saint Gregory wrote, “There is within our soul’s nature a governing and ruling faculty, and there is also that which is naturally subservient and obedient, namely, will, appetite, sense-perception, and in general everything that is sequent to the intellect and that was created by God together with the intellect.”

Our fallen nature has also given us the capacity to reject the will of God and to misuse our sovereignty, refusing to use our freedom in a God pleasing way. We overindulge ourselves with food and drink, overgraze our lands, destroy our rain forests, saturate our oceans and atmosphere with carbon based fuels, pave over our food producing farmlands and pump chemicals and other pollutants into our rivers and streams.

As though that were not enough, we squander our mental faculties with endless hours before our computers, TVs, and ipods. As creatures who were created to commune with God we waste our time in mindless pursuits, giving little thought to things  that are spiritual and of eternal value. We battle against not only the all-ruling God but also against the ruling power inherent in our nature.

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Thursday October 26, 2017 / October 13, 2017
21st Week after Pentecost. Tone three.

Translation into Moscow of the Iveron Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (1648).
Martyrs Carpus, bishop at Thyateira, Papylus the deacon, Agathadorus, and Agathonica at Pergamus (251).
New Hieromartyrs Innocent and Nicholas priests (1937).
Returning of the relics Venerable and God-bearing Father Sabbas the Sanctified (439-532) to the monastery of Massaba in Jordan on October 24, 1965.
Venerable Benjamin of the Kiev Caves (14th c.).
Martyr Florentius of Thessalonica (1st-2nd c.).
Martyr Benjamin, deacon, of Persia (ca. 424).
Venerable Nicetas the Confessor of Paphlagonia (838).
St. Meletius, archbishop of Alexandria (1601).
Great Martyr Zlata (Chryse) of Meglin, Bulgaria and Serbia (1795) (Bulgaria and Serbia).
Kazan “Of the Seven Lakes” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (17th c.).
St. Vanantius of Tours (400) (Gaul).
St. Anthony Metropolitan of Chkondidi and his disciple Hieromonk Jacob the Elder (18th-19th c.) (Georgia).
St. Cogman, abbot of Lochalsh.

The Scripture Readings

Luke 1:39-49

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”

The Song of Mary

46 And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.

Colossians 1:24-29

Sacrificial Service for Christ

24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Luke 1:56

56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

Luke 9:7-11

Herod Seeks to See Jesus

7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, 8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. 9 Herod said, “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” So he sought to see Him.

Feeding the Five Thousand

10 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.