Personal effort and God’s grace Without our personal effort, God’s grace can not be activated in our lives, for we have been created with free will, and God never forces a relationship upon us. Without God’s grace, we can have no salvation, for we can not activate salvation of our
What about non-Orthodox Christians? Saint Silouan the Athonite was once traveling by train with an archimandrite who was a zealot quick to correct others about the True Faith. Coming upon a group of traveling Roman Catholics, Saint Silouan’s traveling companion proceeded to tell them that they must become Orthodox because
There is no salvation outside authentic community Orthodoxy is all about community. The fierce individualism found in much of what claims to be Christianity is in opposition to the Orthodox understanding of faith. The Church as the Body of Christ is where we are united in Christ, becoming part of
Humankind is a microcosm of the whole universe It has been said that humans are a microcosm of the whole universe because we have within ourselves the entire material world and with it all the noetic powers of the cosmos. Created as we were for immortality, it is our fallen
The journey to God begins with the first step The spiritual struggle that is required of us can not depend on our priest. The average parish priest carries the load as rector, preacher, councilor, confessor, teacher, CEO, and liturgical celebrant, and is often overwhelmed. Added to the above duties is
And the quest for humility Struggling with his pride, the monk focuses on bringing his own will into conformity with the will of God, through monastic obedience. This obedience is not limited to obeying the directives of his abbot, but taking up a standard of humility that takes seriously his
Letting the Church be put in order Whenever we hear of problems in the Church it is our natural inclination to want to read all about it and root out all the details. Yet if we really want to benefit our soul, we should take the advice of the Elder
God’s love consumes all According to Saint Gregory of Nyssa, heaven and hell are not about location, but about relationship. God is everywhere, and He did not create a heaven for some, and a hell for others. If we love God, His fire will be a comforting warmth, but if
The role of obedience in the acquisition of humility In the Christian life there are two paths to salvation and whichever road you chose must be embraced with your whole being. The married state and monasticism both have as their primary means of aiding in your salvation the acquisition of
We inherit only the results of Adam’s sin, which is death The fact that we Orthodox do not accept the doctrine of original sin as espoused in the West, does in no way suggest that we do not need to be born again (born anew). We believe, as did the