Our Enemies?

The orchestration of enemies who could be our allies  

The 1917 Russian Revolution was orchestrated, beginning in 1914, from the British Embassy in Saint Petersburg, and the American Embassy in Kiev, and stoked by the anti-monarchial , warmongering tabloid western media. Following the overthrow of the Czarist government, the revolutionary government itself was taken over by extremists, and the world was to face seventy years of communist genocide against Orthodox Christians. The anti-Orthodox views of these Western powers is well documented, and continues to this very day as witnessed by the betrayal of Orthodox Christians in Kosovo, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, and the Gaza strip. Western backed terrorism in the Ukraine only continues what has become a long standing hatred by the United States, and her British compatriots, of Orthodoxy.

Is the United States government and her Western allies, so dominated by hate-filled hawks that we are willing to set the stage for World War III, or will we finally put aside our insatiable desire to control the whole world, together with our colonialist European Union allies? Is it really beyond comprehension that our American administration, backed by CNN, Fox News, and an array of compromised Western Media types, is hell-bent on continuing the long standing position that Russia is our enemy? Do we not see that the sanctions against Russia are, in fact, an act of war? And why are we American Christians not concerned that our government, as it did in 1914, is saber rattling against the one Christian nation that is attempting to withstand creeping secularism, atheism, and militant Islam, while holding to the standards of biblical Christianity?

Let us be vigilant in our thinking, keeping ourselves open to the truth. Blindly viewing everything our American government says leaves us wide open to the same dangers that caused the German people to fall prey to the Nazi propaganda machine, and we know where that led. Perhaps we can start looking at Russia as the potential ally she is, and not seeing her as the enemy she is not.

I have been in pain of heart over this issue for a very long time. I’ve made it a point of staying away from politics, but, like the Lutheran pastors who spoke out against the Nazis, and paid the price, I must speak out, if for no other reason than to serve in the traditional role of the monk as prophet. We are dangerously close to war with Russia, and as a monk I am driven to speak the truth as I see it, unpopular as it may be. It is not a political article, nor is it unpatriotic or un-American article. I am simply a priestmonk calling upon his nation to repent.

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Photos: Consul General Andrey K. Yushmanov of the Russian Federation, together with members of the Russian American Youth Association, visited the monastery on Friday evening. The monastery provided our guests food and drink, and gave them a tour of the monastery buildings and grounds. Abbot Tryphon spoke to them about the importance of taking on the faith of their fatherland.

The Consul General said our monastery reminded him of Valaam.

Saturday June 25, 2016 / June 12, 2016
Adoposis of Pentecost. Tone seven.
Fast-free Week. Fast-free

Venerable Onuphrius the Great (400).
Venerable Peter of Mt. Athos (734).
Opening of the relics (1650) of St. Anna of Kashin (1338).
Venerable Arsenius, abbot of Konevits (1447).
Venerable Onuphrius, abbot of Malsk (Pskov) (1492).
Venerables Bassian and Jonah, monks, of Petroma (Solovki) (1561).
Venerables Onuphrius and Auxentius, monks, of Vologda (1521).
Venerable Stephen of Komel, abbot of Ozersk Monastery, Vologda (1542).
Venerables John, Andrew, Heraclemon, and Theophilus, hermits of Egypt (4th c.).
St. John the Soldier of Egypt (6th-7th c.).
Venerable Onuphrius, abbot of Katrom Monastery (Vologda) (16th c.).
St. Julian of Dagouta at Constantinople (Greek).
New Martyrs Onuphrius, bishop (1938), and with him: Anthony, Barsanuphius and Joseph (1937), and bishop Alexander Kharkovsky.
St. Olympius, bishop and confessor who suffered in Thrace (4th c.).
St. Timothy the Hermit of Egypt (4th c.).
St. Cunera, virgin-martyr of Rhenen (451) (Neth.).
Venerable John (Tornike) of Mt. Athos (998) (Georgia).
Finding of the relics (1672) of St. John of Moscow, fool-for-Christ (1589).
Synaxis of All Saints of St. Onuphrius Monastery at Jablechna (Poland).
Miracle-working icons of the Theotokos (14th c.) and St. Onuphrius (14th c.) at St. Onuphrius Monastery (Poland).

Scripture Readings

Romans 1:7-12

7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Desire to Visit Rome

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

Matthew 5:42-48

42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Love Your Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.