Remembering to Give Thanks Frequently
“We thank thee, O Christ our God, that thou hast satisfied us with thy earthly gifts, deprive us not of thy Heavenly Kingdom; but as thou entered into the midst of thy disciples, O Saviour, and gave them peace, enter also among us and save us. Amen.”
This prayer is one of my personal favorites, for it recognizes in concise words my need to remember to give thanks to God for all He has given me. It connects me to the ancient Church, for it allows me to recount the Lord’s coming in the midst of His disciples, and granting them the peace I so desire. It keeps me focused on the goal, and remembering, throughout my day, that the Lord is to be my focus.
This is the prayer many Orthodox Christians pray at the end of meals, yet also a prayer that can be offered whenever we are feeling a certain gratefulness of heart, or desiring God’s loving mercy.
Prayers like this are easily memorized, allowing us to express our gratitude to God without being wordy. The Lord knows our needs, and there is no need to “spell it out” for God. What is necessary is that we remember to give thanks to God, and let the Lord hear from us throughout the day. Such short little prayers are perfect for keeping ourselves spiritually focused because they express our desire to make communion with God the central part of our day.
This is a wonderful prayer to say with children just before tucking them in for the night, ending their waking hours by calling down God’s peace into their hearts. It is a wonderful prayer to offer as we’ve arrived safely to our destination, following the morning commute.
Our prayers need not be long, but they should be frequent. Just as an old couple who’ve shared a long life together don’t need to say a lot of words in order to demonstrate their love for one another, so too, our prayers don’t need to be long and formal in order to let God know we love Him, but they do need to be frequent.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Financial Support Needed
Financial contributions are very much needed. Given the high prices of gas and other essentials, as well as the overall bad economy, donations are down for the monastery. If you are able, we would be grateful for any assistance you can provide. We are a 501-C3 non-profit, so any contributions you give are tax deductible. You can donate through PayPal by going to our website at vashonmonks.com, or my blog page at abbottryphon.com (scroll down). PayPal only works if you use these sites owned by the monastery. You can also donate by sending checks to the monastery’s postal address:
All-Merciful Saviour Monastery
PO Box 2420
Vashon Island, WA 98070
Saturday December 3, 2022 / November 20, 2022
25th Week after Pentecost. Tone seven.
Nativity (St. Philip’s Fast). Fish Allowed
Forefeast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple.
Venerable Gregory Decapolites (816).
St. Proclus, archbishop of Constantinople (447).
New Hieromartyrs Macarius bishop of Ecaterinoslav, Alexis, Alexander, Vladimir, John, Alexis, Basil, Nicholas, John, Emilian, Nocolos priests and Hieromartyrs Arsenius, Eutihius and Hillarion, Woman Hieromartyr Ioanicus hegumen (1937).
New Woman Hieromartyr Tatiana (after 1937).
Venerable Diodorus of George Hill (Solovki) (1633).
Martyr Dasius of Dorostolum (Romania) (303).
Martyrs Eustace, Thespesius, and Anatolius of Nicaea (312).
Hieromartyrs Nerses and Joseph; and John, Saverius, Isaac, and Hypatius, bishops of Persia; Martyrs Azades, Sasonius, Thecla, and Anna (343).
Martyrs Bautha and Denachis, who suffered with Hieromartyr Nerses of Persia (343). oSt. Isaac, bishop of Armenia (440). oVenerable Theoctistus the Confessor (855). oSt. Edmund, king of England and martyr (869) (Celtic & British).
St. Sozomen of Cyprus (12th c.).
The Scripture Readings
Galatians 1:3-10
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Only One Gospel
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
Luke 9:57-62
The Cost of Discipleship
57 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
59 Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”