The Promised Land
If home is where the heart is, then we should be mindful of what we set our hearts on. This is the choice between heaven and hell, good and evil, love and hate, and it’s made in little and large ways in each moment until we stand before the throne of God to assess what we have chosen. If we put our hearts in God, then the Kingdom of Heaven will be within us now, and we will continue to dwell there forever as the Kingdom comes in its fullness with the return of Jesus Christ to make all things new. This is the future that is best for each one of us, so may we stay watchful, with the eyes of our heart fixed on the true promised land found in the loving embrace of our God, and persevere until that glorious day!
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
P.S.
My fellow monks delivered me from the skilled nursing center back the monastery last night! Glory to God for all things! Please send up prayers of thanksgiving, and continued help for our brotherhood as we all work together on my recovery.
Tuesday, September 04, 2024 (7533) / Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Tuesday of the 13th week after Pentecost; Tone III
No fast
✺ Hieromartyr Babylas, Bishop of Antioch and those with him: the youths Urban, Prilidianus, and Eppolonius, and their mother Christodula († 251)
✺ Holy Prophet and God-seer Moses († 1531 BC)
🕂 Finding of the relics of Saint Joasaph, Bishop of Belgorod (1911)
Martyr Babylas of Nicomedia and 84 youths with him
Martyrs Theodore, Mianus, Julian, and Chion
Martyr Hermione the Daughter of St Philip the Deacon († c. 117)
Venerable Petronius, desciple of Venerable Pachomius
Hieromartyr Peter, Metropolitan of Dabro and Bosnia
Second finding of the relics of Saint Metrophan, Bishop of Vorenzh (1989)
Daily Scripture Readings
Liturgy: (Tuesday of the 13th week after Pentecost);
17 For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you.
18 And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches;
19 And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:
20 Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us:
21 Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.
22 And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, upon the great confidence which I have in you.
23 Whether any do enquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be enquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ.
24 Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf.
Chapter 9
1 For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you:
2 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.
3 Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready:
4 Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.
5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.
14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
16 And Simon he surnamed Peter;
17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite,
19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
(Hieromartyr Babylas);
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (End for Fathers)
Chapter 121 (331) ** Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (End All Saints; End 1st Sunday of Lent)
**(330) Sunday of All Saints: “Brethren, all the saints through faith…”
**(331) March 9: Holy 40 Great Martyrs: “Brethren, seeing that we…”
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.