Sunday, March 22 / March 9 (Church Calendar)
~Great and Holy Lent~
Veneration of the Holy Cross
Photo of the Day:
Our newly acquired icons have now been installed in the iconostasis of our monastery’s temple. They were painted by Matushka Ann Margitich, wife of Archpriest Lawrence, rector of Saint Seraphim of Sarav Church in Santa Rosa, California. Matushka Ann studied under the famous Russian iconographer, Leonid Uspensky, and has been one of my personal favorite iconographers since the moment I first saw her work. Father Lawrence and Matushka Ann have been good friends since 1986. You can see a photo of Matushka Ann by scrolling down to Friday, March 10th.
Close ups of these two icons will be featured on The Morning Offering for the next few days.
Saints of the Day
March 9 / 22. The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste: Cyrion (Quirio), Candidus, Domnus, Hesychius, Heraclius, Smaragdus, Eunoicus, Valens, Vivianus, Claudius, Priscus, Theodulus, Eutychius, John, Santhias, Helianus, Sisinius, Angius, Aetius, Flavius, Acacius, Ecdicius, Lysimachus, Alexander, Elias, Gorgonius, Theophilus, Dometian, Gaius, Leontius, Athanasius, Cyril, Sacerdon, Nicholas, Valerius, Philoctimon, Severian, Chudion, Aglaius, and Meliton. Martyr Urpasianus of Nicomedia. Righteous Caesarius, brother of St. Gregory the Theologian. ‘Albazin’ Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos (The Word Was Made Flesh). Repose of Elder Cleopas, disciple of St. Paisius Velichkovsky (1778) and Righteous priest Theodosius Levitsky (1845).
Quote of the Day
“If you pray with your lips but your mind wanders, how do you benefit? ‘When one builds and another tears down, what do they gain but toil?’ (Eccles. 34:23). As you labour with your body, so you must labour with your intellect, lest you appear righteous in the body while your heart is filled with every form of injustice and impurity.”
St. Gregory of Sinai.
Scripture Readings for the Day
Hebrews 4:14-5:6
Our Compassionate High Priest
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 5
Qualifications for High Priesthood
1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.
A Priest Forever
5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him:
“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.”
6 As He also says in another place:
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek”;
Mark 8:34-9:1
Take Up the Cross and Follow Him
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Mark 9
Jesus Transfigured on the Mount
1 And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”