World peace begins when Christ reigns in my heart
The Islamic fundamentalists now showcasing their demonic intentions, all the while claiming to have established an Islamic caliphate, has struck fear in the hearts of good people everywhere. These terrorists have demonstrated they are incapable of mercy, killing innocent people, be they American journalists, a British aid worker, or a French hiker, all beheaded for the whole world to see. Women and children buried alive for simply being adherents of a minority religion. Middle Easterners crucified because they are followers of Christ, and Shiite Muslims beheaded, or slaughtered in mass, simply for being observers of a different brand of Islam than the thugs who call themselves ISIS. Christian children beheaded in front of their parents, simply for refusing to submit to forced conversion.
This all demonstrates a striking similarity to the first century of the Church, known as the Age of Martyrs, when simply being a Christian meant almost certain death. A read of the lives of those martyrs suggests how we, in this present age, should respond to this wickedness. Those early Christians believed that truth was found in Christ’s claim to be both God and man, and that belief in Him led to forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. They knew, because of their personal encounter with this Christ, that the message of the gospels was of one beauty and one truth, whose fullness was found in Jesus Christ, alone.
These early martyrs all had one thing in common, regardless of their status within the empire of the time. They believed life everlasting was so important as to be worth being martyred in the present age. They also knew, by the example of Christ Himself, Who forgave those who crucified Him on the cross, that they, too, must forgive their enemies. They knew that in standing for Christ, they could not lose, for victory would be theirs, even in death.
We, just as did the early Christians, must pray for those who would murder us. We must forgive them who would crucify us, and repay their evil with goodness. As did the early Christians, we know that only goodness can overcome evil, so we must pray for those who are being held captive by the demonic forces that would destroy all goodness and mercy. And, as we pray for these Islamic murderers, we must demonstrate, in our own lives, the love that Christ has for them. In our prayers for these enemies of humanity, we must ask God to bring them to repentance, that those who defile the image of God in themselves, be turned from the darkness that has engulf them, lest they ultimately fall victim of the eternal flames that await them. As their brothers and sisters, we must pray that their souls be released from the bondage of the Evil One, and be returned to the human family.
I am not suggesting we passively allow the evil forces at work in our world to take our lives, and the lives of our children. I am suggesting that it will be spiritual warfare, grounded in the love of Christ, that ultimately wins the battle against the Evil One. Love is the only way to counter evil, and the heart that is filled with the love of Christ will ultimately turn darkness into light, hatred into repentance, and evil into good.
“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (Matthew 5:44).”
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Friday September 26, 2014 / September 13, 2014
16th Week after Pentecost. Tone six.
Fast. By Monastic Charter: Strict Fast (Bread, Vegetables, Fruits)
Forefeast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
Commemoration of the Founding of the Church of the Resurrection (The Holy Sepulchre) at Jerusalem (335).
Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion (1st c.).
New Hieromartyrs Stephan, Alexander priests and Nicholas deacon (1937).
Martyrs Cronides, Leontius, and Serapion of Alexandria (237).
Martyr Seleucus in Scythia (320).
Martyr Straton of Nicomedia (3rd c.).
Martyrs Macrobius and Gordian at Tomi in Romania (320).
Hieromartyr Julian of Galatia (4th c.).
Martyrs Elias, Zoticus, Lucian, Valerian, Macrobius, and Gordian at Tomi in Romania (320).
Venerable Peter at Atroe (9th C).
Great-martyr Ketevan, queen of Kakhetia (1624) (Georgia).
Venerable Cornelius of Padan-Olonets (16th c.), disciple of Venerable Alexander of Svir, and with him Venerables Dionysius and Misail
Venerable Litorius, bishop of Tours (370).
Venerable John of Prislop (15th-16th c.) (Romania).
Venerable Basil monk of Iveron Monastery (Greek).
St. Hierotheus of Kalamata, monk of Iveron Monastery, Mt. Athos (1745) (Greek).
“Blogs and social networks give us new opportunities for the Christian mission…Not to be present there means to display our helplessness and lack of care for the salvation of our brothers (His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia).”
The Scripture Readings for the Day
Ephesians 1:7-17
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
Mark 8:1-10
Feeding the Four Thousand
8 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”
4 Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?”
5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
And they said, “Seven.”
6 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude. 7 They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them. 8 So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. 9 Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away, 10 immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.