of the Holy Brotherhood of Christ Our All-Merciful Saviour
Today our brotherhood celebrates the Patronal Feast of our monastery. Thirty years ago the beloved and ever memorable Archimandrite Dimitri (Egoroff) of Santa Rosa, CA tonsured Father Paul and me as Orthodox monks. Guided and inspired by Father Dimitri’s kind and prayerful spirit, and a wisdom and holiness gained through his many years of monastic struggle, our brotherhood was planted on the firm ground of the Russian monastic tradition.
Thirty years ago we chose to place ourselves under the banner of the All-Merciful Saviour, and the protection of the Holy Virgin. We chose Saint John the Wonderworker of Shanghi and San Francisco, as our patron, seeing in him the sanctity, simplicity, and holiness that we’d found in our blessed Father Dimitri. It was twenty-seven years ago, after a six month search, that we moved the monastery from a working class neighborhood in Richmond, CA., to Vashon Island, with the blessing of our bishop.
It has been a journey filled with poverty, suffering, and persecution, yet because of these experiences, the monastery has risen like a phoenix. Planted like a garden in the midst of a beautiful forest, on an island, in the Salish Sea of the Puget Sound region of the State of Washington, we look in wonder at all God has given us.
For all this we offer our heartfelt thanks, and “to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (I Timothy 1:17).”
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Photos: I’m sharing photos going back many years in the life of this monastery. Scroll down to the end of the scripture readings to see all the photos.
Friday August 14, 2015 / August 1, 2015
11th Week after Pentecost. Tone one.
Dormition (Theotokos) Fast. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)
The Feast to the All-Merciful Saviour and the MostHoly Mother of God.
Beginning of the Dormition Fast.
Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord (1164) (First of the three “Feasts of the Saviour” in August).
Holy Seven Maccabees, Martyrs Abimus, Antonius, Gurias, Eleazar, Eusebonus, Alimus, and Marcellus, their mother Solomonia, and their teacher Eleazar (166 B.C.).
New Hieromartyr Basil, archbishop of Chernigov (1918).
New Hieromartyr Demetrius priest (1937)
Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Sophia of Suzdal (1995).
Nine Martyrs of Perge in Pamphylia: Leontius, Attius, Alexander, Cindeus, Minsitheus (Mnesitheus), Cyriacus, Mineon (Menaeus), Catanus, and Eucleus (3rd c.).
St. Nicholas (Kassatkin), enlightener of Japan (1912).
Martyrs Menas, Menais, and others of England (Greek).
Martyr Elessa of Cythera (Greek).
St. Timothy the Wonderworker, archbishop of Priconissus of Peloponnesus (Greek).
Martyr Papas the New (Greek).
Martyr Eleazar (Greek).
Martyr Cyricus (Greek).
Martyrs Theodore and Polyeuctus (Greek).
St. Ethelwold, bishop of Winchester (984) (Celtic & British).
Virgin-martyr Sidwell of Exeter (or 7/31 or 8/2).
The Daily Scripture Readings
1 Corinthians 1:18-24
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God
John 19:6-11
6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”
7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our[a] law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”
8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?”
11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
John 19:13-20
13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”
15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”
Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”
The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”
16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.
The King on a Cross
17 And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. 19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was:
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
John 19:25-28
Behold Your Mother
25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
John 19:30-35
30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Jesus’ Side Is Pierced
31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.
RFather, if we could no longer look at “diversity” training and instead look at “sameness” training I believe there might be healing. One considers the externals, yet once is laid bare, dead to this world we are all the same. To focus on a thin layer of skin is a false and dangerous judgement of Humanity of which we are all are so easily and eager to accept as the root of societies problems. Sameness is a so much more complex and demanding. Not a new concept. After all there was Woodstock. Time we revisited it again.
Congratulations on your achievement, path, and life chosen to serve God. May He grant you and yours many years to shine as a jewel amidst the Pacific mists.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did not come to create a religion or to save the righteous but came to teach spiritual healing that goes with ears to hear would be healed.
Seeing from afar I can tell that you’re All
Merciful Savior monastery as a spiritual hospital shines like a emerald gem from the rain forest. A place where the poor would be welcomed and respected????
Congratulations!!! Many years!!
Dear Fr. Tryphon,
Congratulations to you and the fathers with you! May God continue to bless your monastery!
In Christ,
Elizabeth
CHRONIA POLLA KAI EULOGIMENA!
FR. TRYPHON, IT IS A JOY TO READ YOUR MORNING OFFERING.
LOVE IN CHRIST,
ELENI
Dear Father Tryphon and Brothers!
We heartily congratulate you on your anniversary and pray that you are granted many more years of God’s work. Your blogs we read every day and start the day with an uplifted feeling.
Father Tryphon, we still remember fondly our first meeting in Moscow in 2007 at the historic reunification of the Russian Orthodox Church!
Dear Father Tryphon and all the members of the monastery – congratulations on your Patronal Feast! May God grant you spiritual joy, strength, many blessings and many, many years! Thank you for the daily blogs, the thought-provoking comments, the daily scriptures, the list of saints and the beautiful, beautiful photographs!