Shelter In The Storm
Don’t react, be at peace.
Each day brings on new challenges regarding the health of your soul. Those moments when a family member or coworker makes a remark that are meant to anger you, are those times you need to guard your heart. When those around you are gossiping about someone, that is an opportunity for you to keep silent. The driver who’s just cut you off on the freeway; the woman who pushes her way in front of you in the check out line; the rude neighbor; all are moments in time when you can take control and grow stronger spiritually.
Trials and temptations, when confronted with a peaceful heart, bring forth healing and make the soul that much stronger and healthier. Reacting does nothing but bring forth paralysis of the soul, binding us to our fallen nature. Receiving all these temptations with a peaceful heart and not reacting to outside negative stimulus, helps strengthen you for the next round of trial and temptation. Little by little, you will find that the Peace of Christ fills your every waking moment, bring on a joyful spirit and a peaceful heart.
Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
A Timeline of Abbot Tryphon’s recent medical events:
- Due to lack of mobility and much pain, a back Surgery was performed on May 23rd (double laminectomy). It was successful. After a few nights in the hospital, Abbot Tryphon returned home.
- There was one month of healing and feeling well with much improved movement, and no more pain like before.
- Then exactly one month after the first surgery (June 23rd) he had tremendous sciatica pain out of nowhere, shooting down his legs from hip to foot.
- By June 26th the pain was so bad that he went to the ER and he was hospitalized so they could control the pain, and schedule a clean-up of the surgery site as fluid was collecting there. He were there a whole week before surgery could be performed.
- That surgery happened on July 3rd, and was successful.
- Then recovery was slowed due to a small stroke in the center of the brain, and congestive heart failure.
- The stroke was small, but could have been serious if it had not been discovered in time. It was remedied with adjusting blood clotting medication. He spent a day or 2 in semi-Intensive Care.
- The heart condition was serious, and was probably the main reason the hospital stay was so long.
- July 18th he was finally released from the hospital to recover, and get physical rehab at Providence Mount St. Vincent Nursing facility.
- There he hopes to gain enough strength to stand, get out of bed, and eventually gain the strength to walk on his own.
Daily Quote:
Another brother asked the Elder, “Father, what do I do it times of temptation on order to not be defeated?”
“Brother, do you want thing – pray and endure until deliverance comes. You’ve seen how when rain comes with lightning, thunder, and wind, you run into the house for shelter; and after the storm passes you go outside again. It’s the same in the monastery: when temptations appear and encompass you, run to prayer in church, do the Paraklesis to the Mother of God, venerate the Holy Cross, read a kathisma or two from the Psalter, and after the temptation passes and the soul becomes calm, go back to your obedience and give things to God that he has sheltered you in time of trouble.” St. Paisius of Sihla as quoted from the book A Little Corner of Paradise: The Life and Teachings of Elder Paisius of Sihla
(Pictured Above: The All-Merciful Saviour Monastery Brotherhood)
Tuesday July 24th, 2024 / July 11th, 2024
Wednesday of the 5th week after Pentecost; Tone III
Remembrance of the Miracle of Saint Euphemia the All-Praiseworthy
Blessed Olga, Princess of Russia and Equal-to-the-Apostles, in Baptism Helen († 969)
Hieromartyr Cindeios the Presbyter of Pamphylia (3rd-4th C)
Venerable Nicodemus of Vatopedi
Venerable Martyr Nicodemus
Venerable Martyr Nectarius
Icon of the Mother of God “Shuiskaya-Smolenskaya”
The Scripture Readings
Romans 15:7-16
7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.
8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.
11 And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.
12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.
13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God,
16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
Matthew 12:38-45
38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.