Our Youth

The hope for an authentic Christian future

Young people are filled with ideas, dreams, and goals, and their youthful exuberance is full of hope and vitality. It is this hope and innocence that young people will be bringing to the table, as they begin to replace the present generation as leaders of this world. What will they have received from us that will enable them to be the very best leaders for the future?

The most important gift we can impart to young people is the gift of faith, and the best way to impart faith is by loving them, respecting them, and, most importantly, demonstrating the truth of our faith by the way we live it. We must be authentic Christians before our youth will want to emulate us. If they do not see Christ in us, but only religious posturing, they will find nothing they want. They must see in us a people who are changed by our relationship with Christ. They must see Christ in us.

It is not enough to be Orthodox Christians if we do not fully live our Orthodoxy. If our Orthodoxy does not extend beyond the door of the temple, we will fail to impart the faith to the next generation. If our Orthodoxy is no deeper than an “ethnic preservation society”, our youth will not chose to make Orthodoxy their personal faith.

We are all living in very difficult times, and we who are faithful to our Orthodox faith must point the way out of the darkness and despair that rules this world, so the younger generation can go forth with hope and faith. The only hope for this world is Christ, and we who are men and women of faith must impart to the next generation the spiritual foundation that will help them usher in a new age of faith. Peace will reign only when Christ is central in the lives of our leaders.

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

Photo: The monks of All-Merciful Saviour Monastery. Left to right: Hieromonk Paul, Abbot Tryphon, Monk Moses, Monk Martin, and Novice Peter. (click on photo to enlarge)

Saturday June 6, 2015 / May 24, 2015

Adoposis of Pentecost. Tone seven.
Fast-free Week. Fast-free

Venerable Symeon Stylites (the Younger) of the Wonderful Mountain (596).
Venerable Nicetas Stylites, wonderworker of Pereyaslavl-Zalesski (1186).
St. Xenia of Petersburg, fool-for-Christ (Glorification 1988).
Martyrs Meletius Stratelates, Stephen, John, and 1,218 soldiers with women and children, including: Serapion the Egyptian, Callinicus the Magician, Theodore, Faustus, the women Marciana, Susanna, and Palladia, two children Cyriacus and Christian, and twelve tribunes: Faustus, Festus, Marcellus, Theodore, Meletius, Sergius, Marcellinus, Felix, Photinus, Theodoriscus, Mercurius, Didymus, all of whom suffered in Galatia (218).
St. Gregory, archbishop of Novgorod (1193).
Venerable Vincent of Lerins (ca. 450).
Nun-martyr Martha, abbess of Monemvasia (990).

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.