The Morning Offering
Sunday, August 15
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Sunday, August 15 / 2 (Church Calendar) Saints of the Day August 2 / 15. Translation of the Relics of Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen [Acts 6:8-7:5, 47-60; Matt 21:33-42]. Translation of the Relics of Righteous Nicodemus, Gamaliel, and Abibus. Blessed Basil of Moscow, fool-for-Christ. Blessed Basil of Kubensk. Hieromartyr Stephen, pope of Rome. St. Marco of Belavinsk (Vologda). St. Friardus…
The Morning Offering
Saturday, August 14 / 1
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(Church Calendar) Procession of the Holy Cross The Monastery’s Patronal Feast of the All-Merciful Saviour Saints of the Day August 1 / 14. Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. Holy Seven Maccabees: Martyrs Abimus, Antoninus, Gurias, Eleazar, Eusabonus, Alimus, and Marcellus their mother Solomonia and their teacher Eleazar. Nine Martyrs of Perge in Pamphylia:…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
Hussedaag
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Some years ago a resident of Emmaus said to the writer in her native dialect [Pennsylvania German], “Heit iss der Hussedaag” (Today is Huss Day). I asked her what that meant. She did not know, but said that they always sowed their turnip seed on that day. Thus did the memory of John Huss, the great pre-Reformation reformer, find a place in our local…
Glory to God for All Things
Right, Wrong and the Image of God
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I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2). St. Paul calls the Christians in Rome (as he would Christians…
Glory to God for All Things
Restful Beauty
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The Morning Offering
Friday, August 13 / July 31
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(Church Calendar) Saints of the Day July 31 / August 13. Forefeast of the Procession of the Precious and Life-giving Cross of the Lord. Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia {Gal 5:22-6:2; Matt 11:27-30]. Righteous Joseph of Arimathea. Martyr Julitta at Caesarea. St. Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre. (Greek Calendar: Consecration of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos of Blachernae. Twelve Martyrs…
The Morning Offering
Thursday, August 12 / July 30
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(Church Calendar) Saints of the Day July 30 / August 12. Apostles Silas and Silvanus of the Seventy and those with them: Crescens, Epenetus, and Andronicus. Hieromartyr Valentine, Bishop of Interamna (Terni) in Italy, and Martyrs Proculus, Ephebus, Apollonius, and Abundius, youths. Martyr John the soldier at Constantinople. Hieromartyr Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon, and Martyrs Permenius, Helimenas (Elimas) and Chrysotelus,…
Glory to God for All Things
Time and History
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Christianity is sometimes referred to as a “historical” religion – its beliefs are specifically tied to events which have taken place in space and time. The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ are events which have taken place in space and time or Christianity is not true. No matter how noble or inspirational its teachings – the space-time reality of Christ’s death and resurrection are fundamental to the faith. Those who deny that…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday, August 11 / July 29
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(Church Calendar) Feast of Saint Olav of Norway Saints of the Day July 29 / August 11. Martyr Callinicus of Gangra in Asia Minor. Virgin Martyr Seraphima (Serapia) of Antioch. Martyr Theodota and her three sons in Bithynia. St. Constantine, Patriarch of Constantinople. St. Theodosius the New, emperor. St. Romanus, abbot of Kirzhach, disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh. Saints…
Glory to God for All Things
Humility and Spiritual Warfare
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From the Elder Sophrony’s Wisdom from Mount Athos: Thus the whole of spiritual warfare wages round humility. The enemy fell from pride, and would draw us to perdition by the same means. The enemy praises us, and should the soul listen to his praise grace withdraws until she repents. Thus throughout her life the soul is occupied with the lesson of Christ-like humility. So long as she has not humility wrong thoughts and…
The Morning Offering
Tuesday, August 10 / July 28
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(Church Calendar) Saints of the Day July 28 / August 10. Holy Apostles of the Seventy and Deacons: Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, and Parmenas. Martyr Eustathius (Eustace) the soldeir of Ancyra. Martyr Acacius of Apamea. Martyr Julian of Dalmatia. St. Pitirim, Bishop of Tambov. St. Irene of Cappadocia. St. Paul of Xeropotamou Monastery on Mt. Athos. St. Moses, Wonderworker of the…
Glory to God for All Things
Giving and Receiving
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In the immense cathedral which is the universe of God, each man, whether scholar or manual laborer, is called to act as the priest of his whole life – to take all that is human, and to turn it into an offering and a hymn of glory. Paul Evdokimov in Woman and the Salvation of the World +++ Abba Zosimas used to say: “We have lost our sense of balance.” Reflections, XI,…
Praying in the Rain
Saint Myron
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Most of the saints that we know about were monks. This is probably for two reasons. First, monks, in the best of circumstances, live a lifestyle that enables them to pay attention to their inner life in ways that are difficult for married people with children. Second–and I think this perhaps is more to the point than the first–for most of history only monks could read and write, and so most of…
Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick
The God in the Bread
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Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (Lammas), August 1, 2010 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Today, let’s spend some time thinking about bread. I don’t think we have any British wheat or grain farmers here, but if you were such a person, you would probably be working right around this time of year…
The Morning Offering
Monday, August 9 / July 27
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(Church Calendar) Saints of the Day July 27 / August 9. Holy Great-martyr and Healer Panteleimon [II Tim 2:1-10; Jn 15:17-16:2]. St. Anthusa, abbess of Mantinea in Asia Minor. Blessed Nicholas Kochanov, fool-for-Christ at Novgorod. St. Ioasaph, Metropolitan of Moscow. New-Martyr Christodulus. St. Clement of Ochrida, Bishop of Greater Macedonia, and Saints Angelar, Gorazd, Nahum and Sabbas, disciples of Saints…
Praying in the Rain
The Science of Transformation
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The word in the New Testament that we translate “kingdom”–as in Kingdom of God–is interesting in that it is not a reference to the realm (the place, the geography, the property), but to the rule. That is, those who have the Kingdom of God–as in “theirs is the Kingdom of God”–are those who are ruled by God. That is the blessing of the Beatitudes: to be ruled by God. On the one…
The Morning Offering
Sunday, August 8 / July 26
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(Church Calendar) Saints of the Day July 26 / August 8. Hieromartyr Hermolaus and Martyrs Hermippus and Hermocrates at Nicomedia. Martyr Parasceve of Rome. St. Moses the Hungarian, of the Kiev Caves. (Greek Calendar: Virgin Martyr Oriozela of Reuma, disciple of St. Andrew. St. Ignatius, monk of Mt. Stirion. Martyr Appion. Virgin Martyr Jerusalem of Byzantium. St. Gerontius, founder of…
Praying in the Rain
Pierre's Happy Insanity
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Just before the Epilogue in War and Peace, the character Pierre, who has gone through the life changing experience of his suffering as a POW and his recuperation afterward, accidentally meets Natasha again, the only woman he has ever loved. Natasha is staying with Princess Marya, the sister of her fiance Andrei, who was mortally wounded in the only major battle before the capture of Moscow and who slowly dies as Natasha…
The Morning Offering
Saturday, August 7 / July 25
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(Church Calendar) Saints of the Day July 25 / August 7. Dormition of the Righteous Anna, mother of the Most Holy Theotokos [Gal 4:22-31; Lk 8:16-21]. Holy Women Olympias (Olympiada) the deaconess of Constantinople, and Virgin Eupraxia of Tabenna. St. Macarius, abbot of Sheltovod and Unzha. St. Christopher, abbot of Solvychegodsk (Vologda). Martyrs Sanctus, Maturus, Attalus, and Blandina of Lyons.…
Praying in the Rain
Happy Anniversary!
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Bonnie and I had a wonderful “Day Holiday” in Vancouver. We stayed at a very nice hotel near Stanley Park and brought our bikes to ride around. The first trip around the park at about 1:00 PM on Wednesday was terrible. There was a 5K long traffic jam of tourists and Japanese school children wobbling awkwardly along on rented bikes. I was so stressed out that when we got back to the…
The Morning Offering
Friday, August 6 / July 24
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(Church Calendar) Saints of the Day July 24 / August 6. Martyr Christina of Tyre. Holy Martyrs and Passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, in holy baptism Romanus and David. St. Polycarp, archimandrite of the Kiev Caves. New-Martyr Athanasius of Ikia. New-Martyr Theophilus of Zakynthos. Martyr Hermogenes. St. Pachomius, abbot, on the Lake, friend of St. Dionysius of Glushets (Vologda). (Greek Calendar:…
Glory to God for All Things
The Transfigured Beauty of the Crucified God
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On the Mountain Thou wast Transfigured, O Christ God, And Thy disciples beheld Thy glory as far as they could see it; So that when they would behold Thee crucified, They would understand that Thy suffering was voluntary, And would proclaim to the world, That Thou art truly the Radiance of the Father! Kontakion of the Feast of Transfiguration It is inevitably the case that no matter how much a man may write and offer…
Glory to God for All Things
Knowing God
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The knowledge of God, generally spoken of in a very experiential manner, is an absolute foundation in Orthodox theology. Nothing replaces it – no dogmatic formula – no Creed – not even Scripture – though Orthodoxy would see none of these things as separate from the knowledge of God. But the questions I have received are very apt. In a culture that is awash in “experience” what do we Orthodox mean when…
The Morning Offering
Thursday, August 5 / July 23
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(Church Calendar) Saints of the Day July 23 / August 5. Martyrs Trophimus, Theophilus, and 13 others in Lycia. Hieromartyr Apollinaris, Bishop of Ravenna. Righteous Anna (Hannah), mother of the Prophet Samuel. Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Mother of God at Pochaev, which saved the monastery from the assault of the Tatars and Turks (1675). Translation of the…
The Morning Offering
Wednesday, August 4 / July 22 (Church Calendar)
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Saints of the Day July 22 / August 4. Holy Myrrh-bearer and Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalen [I Cor 9:2-12; Jn 20:11-18]. Hieromartyr Phocas, Bishop of Sinope. Woman-martyr Marcella of Chios. St. Cornelius, monk of Pereyaslavl. Photo of the Day A shrine, near the entrance to the Monastery. Quote of the Day “If we reproach the sins of brothers, then God will…
Praying in the Rain
A reflection, not quite a poem, on the beatitudes
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Blessed are the… What does it mean to be blessed in a world of death? Jesus told us. First, let go; be poor. Receive the Kingdom of Heaven. This is where blessedness is found: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. And mourn. The world really is a sad place. And yet, not so sad that there is no comfort. We fight and lie and cheat…
Glory to God for All Things
The Mystery of the Mother of God
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The 15th of August is the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God (her death). Orthodox Christians fast for two weeks prior to this great feast and celebrate it with great solemnity. A question was recently placed by a reader about the “perpetual virginity” of Mary. I am offering this small post to address that question and to look at the place of the Most Holy Theotokos in Orthodox faith…
