Let us return to the basic Christian values we’ve held since the foundation of this great nation
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-monarchical , 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, the Gaza strip, and now the Ukraine. And now, the Untied States backed terrorism against the canonical Orthodox in the Ukraine only continues what has become a long standing hatred by the Western powers, of Orthodoxy.
Under President Obama, Washington’s propaganda machine set about to convince the world that the Ukrainian separatists used an expensive anti-aircraft missile system, together with Russian help, to down a civilian aircraft with almost three hundred innocent people on board, this in spite of the fact that the separatists had no incentive to shoot down an airliner flying at 33,000 feet. The fact that the Ukrainian junta does have Buk anti-aircraft missile systems and a Buk battery was operational in the region and deployed at a site from which it could have fired a missile at the airliner, is being completely ignored. One Russian general familiar with the weapon system offered his opinion that it was a mistake made by the Ukrainian military untrained in the weapon’s use. The general said that although Ukraine has a few of the weapons, Ukrainians have had no training in their use in the twenty-three years since Ukraine separated from Russia. The general thought it was an accident due to incompetence.
It is also to be noted that the Malaysian airliner and President Putin’s airliner were traveling on almost the identical route within minutes of one another. Interfax quotes its source: “I can say that President Putin’s plane and the Malaysian Boeing intersected at the same point and the same echelon. That was close to Warsaw on the 330-m echelon at a height of 10,100 meters. The presidential jet was there at 16:21 Moscow time and the Malaysian aircraft at 15:44 Moscow time. The contours of the aircrafts are similar, linear dimensions are also very similar, as for the colouring, at a quite remote distance they are almost identical.”
There was some speculation that Washington decided to rid itself of President Putin and mistook the Malaysian airliner for Putin’s jet, and before we say the American military is too sophisticated to mistake one airliner for another, let us remember that the U.S. Military shot down an Iranian airliner over Iranian air space, killing 290 civilians, while thinking we were downing a fighter aircraft of the Iranian Air Force.
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 a diplomatic solution could begin with the United States and her European Union allies, stepping out of the affairs of the Ukrainian people. Perhaps we could start looking at Russia as the potential ally she is, and not seeing her as the enemy she is not. And, perhaps we could consider that the Ukrainian government, facing the possible partitioning of their country, could very well believe that bringing on World War III could be the only way they can bring Western countries into their war with Russia.
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. I am not being political, nor am I being unpatriotic or un-American. I am simply a priest monk calling upon his nation to repent, return to our Christian roots, and the basic Christian values we’ve held since the foundation of this great nation.
I am not comparing myself to the martyrs. I am simply saying that as a priest of the Church I must not surrender to the State, but like the Lutheran clergy who stood up to the Nazis, stand in boldness before the civil authorities. The Church must not passively stand by while terrible things happen. Only a few Lutheran clergy stood up for truth, and they paid the price. We clergy of today must not fear the fate of those courageous Lutheran pastors.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Sunday October 10, 2021 / September 27, 2021
16th Sunday after Pentecost. Tone seven.
Synaxis of All Saints Who Shone Forth in the Spanish and Portuguese Lands (movable holiday on the Sunday before September 29th).
Martyr Callistratus and his company (49 Martyrs) of Carthage (304).
Venerable Sabbatius, wonderworker of Solovki (1435).
New Hieromartyr Demetrius priest (1918).
New Hieromartyrs Herman bishop of Volsk and Michael priest (1919).
Hieromartyr Peter, metropolitan of Krutitsa (1937).
New Hieromartyr Theodore priest (1937).
Apostles Mark, Aristarchus, and Zenas of the Seventy.
Martyr Epicharis of Rome (284).
Venerable Ignatius, abbot of the monastery of the Deep Stream (970).
Saint Anthimus of Iberia, metropolitan of Wallachia (1716) (Romania).
Venerables Sergius (1392) and Nikon (1426) abbots of Radonezh.
New Martyr Aquilina of Thessalonica (1764) (Greek).
St. Flavian, Archbishop of Antioch (381-404).
St. Rachel, schemanun of Borodino Convent (1928).
St. Sigebert, king of the East Angles, martyr (635) (Celtic & British).
St. Barry, disciple of St. Cadoc.
Martyr Fortunatus and Hieromartyr Philemon (Greek).
Martyr Gaiana (Greek).
25 Martyrs drowned in the sea (Greek).
The Scripture Readings
Luke 24:12-35
12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
The Road to Emmaus
13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”
18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”
19 And He said to them, “What things?”
So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”
25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
The Disciples’ Eyes Opened
28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.
2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Marks of the Ministry
6 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says:
“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
3 We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. 4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, 5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; 6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by [b]sincere love, 7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Luke 5:1-11
Four Fishermen Called as Disciples
5 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.