Our Enemy is not of Flesh and Blood
The Church Militant, which is the Church of Christ here on this earth, is in the midst of a battle. Our enemy is not one of flesh and blood, but one of darkness and evil. The survival of humankind is not dependent on the number of people who accept or reject the true faith, but rather that those who do, activate the fermentation, for just as yeast acts as a starter for bread, so faith in Christ can transform the world, and the entire cosmos. Saint Seraphim of Sarov said, “Save yourself, and a thousand around you will be saved”.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Monday February 14, 2022 / February 1, 2022
Week of the Publican and the Pharisee. Tone one.
Fast-free Week. Fast-free
Entire week, fast-free.
Forefeast of the Meeting of Our Lord
Martyr Tryphon of Campsada near Apamea in Syria (250).
New Hieromartyr Archpriest Peter Skipetrov, of Petrograd (1918).
New Hieromartyr Nicholas priest (1938).
Martyrs Perpetua, a woman of Carthage, and the catechumens Saturus, Revocatus, Saturninus, Secundulus, and Felicitas (202-203).
Venerable Peter of Galatia, hermit near Antioch in Syria (429).
Venerable Vendemianus (Bendemianus), hermit of Bithynia (512).
Venerable Tryphon, bishop of Rostov (1468).
St. Brigid of Ireland (523) (Celtic & British).
St. Seiriol, abbot of Penmon (Anglesey) (6th c.) (Celtic & British) .
St. Basil, archbishop of Thessalonica (895) (Greek).
Venerable Timothy the Confessor (Greek).
New Martyr Anastasius at Nauplion (1655) (Greek).
Martyrs Theion with 2 children at Kariona (Greek).
Martyr Elias the New of Damascus (779).
Sts. David (784), Symeon (843), and George (844), confessors of Mitylene.
The Scripture Readings
2 Peter 1:20-2:9
20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Destructive Doctrines
2 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
Doom of False Teachers
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
Mark 13:9-13
9 “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.11 But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.