Christ God warns us in today’s Gospel that we cannot serve two masters… we cannot serve God and mammon. The pull of the world, of our culture, can be great on us; it can tempt us away from pursuing “the One thing needful,” our life and communion in Jesus Christ. Listening to the world and its priorities will pull us away from putting our faith, our trust in God. Those things we cling to from this world are passing away, but the Kingdom of God is for eternity. Because of His great love for us, Christ admonishes us to first seek His Kingdom because if we do so, we will learn how to relate to the world in such a way as to manifest and testify to His truth. This is what Christ promises us, that “all these things shall be added to you.” It is not some kind of arbitrary ‘reward’ that Christ bestows on us for following a command; instead, Christ shows us how vital, how life-giving communion with Him is: in Christ, through seeking Him first, we learn to be all that He has created us to be as His adopted sons and daughters; we learn to love, we learn to witness, we learn to glorify God in all things as we grow in our knowledge and love of Him who is the Author of all that is good. This requires faith on our part to entrust ourselves to God rather than in our mammon, that He may continue to transform us and grow us in His likeness over making mammon our god and being conformed into the likeness of the culture. God’s will is clear: out of the depth of His great love and mercy for us, He desires our salvation, but we have a choice before us, for we cannot serve God and mammon both. Lord, help us that we may seek first Thy Kingdom and Thy righteousness that those things we need may be granted us as well. Help us that we may put our trust and hope in Thee, knowing that, as St. Paul reminds us, “ hope does not disappoint.”
Christ is in our midst! Fr. Robert+
This week at Holy Archangels:
- v Friday, July 19, 7 p.m., Plebe Summer Ministry (incoming class) at the USNA
- v Saturday, July 20, 6 p.m. Great Vespers with Matins Gospel. Confession following.
- v Sunday, July 21, 9 a.m., Plebe Summer Ministry at the USNA
- v Sunday, July 21, 9:30 a.m. Hours, 10 am Divine Liturgy, All Saints of North America
- v Sunday, July 21, Planning Meeting for Romania Pilgrimage 2014, Following Trapeza.
Prayer Requests:
- That God may grow our Mission in spirit and in numbers as a living witness of God’s love, healing, power, and glory;”
- For God’s ongoing financial provision for our Mission;
- For our Mission that we may find a Choir Director;
- Healing for Archpriest George, Priest John, Benedict, Marina, Colette, Mary, Carol, Katherine, James, Charlene, Daniel, Adele, Michael Anthony, Alethia, Rdr. Andrew, Sarah, the Church in Georgia and Romania as they address the relativism of the West, speaking the truth in love, our suffering Orthodox brothers and sisters in Syria and Egypt.
- For the faithfully departed: Archimandrite Iustin, Matushka Tatiana, Kh. Jackie
Troparion (Resurrection) Tone 2
When You descended to death, O Life Immortal,
You destroyed hell with the splendor of Your Godhead.
And when from the depths You raised the dead,
all the powers of heaven cried out://
“O Giver of life, Christ our God, glory to You!”
Troparion (Fathers) Tone 8
You are most glorious, O Christ our God!
You have established the Holy Fathers as lights on the earth.
Through them You have guided us to the true Faith.//
O greatly compassionate One, glory to You!
Troparion (Holy Archangels) Tone 4
Commanders of the heavenly hosts, // we who are unworthy beseech you:
by your prayers encompass us beneath the wings of your immaterial glory,
and faithfully preserve us who fall down and cry to you://
“Deliver us from all harm, for you are the Commanders of the Powers on high!”
Kontakion (Resurrection) Tone 2
Hell became afraid, O almighty Savior,
seeing the miracle of Your Resurrection from the tomb!
The dead arose! Creation, with Adam, beheld this and rejoiced with You,//
and the world, my Savior, praises You forever.
Kontakion (Fathers) Tone 8
The Apostles’ preaching and the Fathers’ doctrines have established one Faith for the Church.
Adorned with the robe of truth, woven from heavenly theology,//
it defines and glorifies the great mystery of piety.
Kontakion (Holy Archangels) Tone 2
Commanders of God’s armies // and ministers of the divine glory,
princes of the bodiless Angels // and guides of mankind;
ask for what is good for us, and for great mercy,//
Supreme Commanders of the Bodiless Hosts.
