AN ENERGY TO DO GOOD THINGS

We believe and we profess that it is through the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we are capable of accomplishing the spiritual things in our life. Through the grace of that same Spirit of God we are given the energy to do the good things we need to do that lead us to our true home, the Kingdom of God.

NUMBER ONE PRIORITY

Through the grace of the Spirit, we have the ability to know where that true home is. We know that our number one priority is the Kingdom of God and all that we do in this life directs us to that end. All gifts that are given to us lead us to that end, the Kingdom of God. It is a free gift given to us by Christ from the Father by the indewelling of the Holy Spirit in the Church. We are called by Christ to "Seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness." To enable us to seek and keep seeking, He sent the Holy Spirit who will guide us in all things. This guidance gives us the possibility to know that the Kingdom is our true home and HOW to attain that Kingdom. God does it all. He gives us His Kingdom as a free gift. He gives us the guidance through the Holy Spirit and He leads us through His divine Son into that Kingdom prepared for us before the foundation of the world. We attain this by opening ourselves up to the grace that is freely available.

THIS MUST BE OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY AS ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS, FOR US AND FOR OUR CHILDREN.

THE FOUNDATION

Prayer is the foundation of all we do. It puts the One in contact with us who gives us the ability to know what our priorities are and the how to reach them. All prayer is in and through Christ to the Father. We pray in Him. He is the only One worthy to go to the Father and to speak for the Father to us through the Holy Spirit. Without prayer there is NO foundation. Without prayer there is NO Christian life. Our basic prayer is that we accept God's will and then do it by the grace of the Holy Spirit. We pray for others that they may discern what is God's will for them and do it.

PRAYER IS ESSENTIAL

Prayer is essential because it shows our dependence upon God. Prayer must be daily and regular, at least three times a day if not seven according to the biblical prescription. Without it there can be no personal Christian life nor growth as a parish family. Prayer then, is an essential part of the spiritual growth of a person and the parish family.

STRENGTHEN THE SPIRIT

How do we strengthen the spirit? Jesus says that,..."these things can only be accomplished through prayer and fasting...." Fasting is essential to spiritual life and growth. The example is given by Christ Himself when He fasted in the desert. Here He shows that the devil can be overcome through prayer and fasting. There He overcame three things the devil constantly parades before us: "the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life." Prayer and fasting strengthen the spirit so that we can overcome the "lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life."

LIFE VS. DEATH

Because the Kingdom of God is the number one priority in our life, prayer and fasting will also be an important priority. Without it we close the channels for God to act in us and strengthen the spirit. If it is not God with whom we place ourselves in contact, then our priorities will be those of the secular world. Those priorities are: POWER, PROFIT, PLEASURE, AND PASSION. These lead to life in the world which ends in death. Those priorities are incompatible with the fruits of the Holy Spirit: "LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF CONTROL." These lead to ETERNAL LIFE in the Kingdom God. The priorities of the secular world negate the vision of life given to us by Christ. Christ's vision leads to life. The vision of secularism leads to death.

LITURGY AND LITURGICAL PARTICIPATION

The third commitment that needs to be made by Orthodox Christians is a Liturgical commitment. It is the Holy Spirit that gathers us in the Love, Joy, and Peace. It is here through the celebration of the Word and Sacrament that God nourishes us with His Word and the Bread of eternal life. All Liturgy is worthy of our participation because it is not of man but rather of God. If it is man made and man inspired then it is not worthy of our participation. Orthodox Liturgy is NOT this. It is inspired by the Spirit. Every act, word, hymn, etc. is inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is food for the soul that leads to a fuller understanding of what it means to be an Orthodox Christian in communion with God.. Being in communion with God here and now leads to fullness of life in His Kingdom. Here and now we assemble to build up the Body of Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Here and now we gather to become the Church and when we gather, Christ is in our midst teaching us through our remembrance of Him and what He has accomplished and what He said. All this is GOOD NEWS and all this is given to us when we gather liturgically. This is why Bishop Seraphim of Montreal can say a parish that has poor participation in the liturgy is a dead or dying parish. That parish is starving itself by cutting itself off from the source of its spiritual nourishment and life.

WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS....

The bottom line is that God gives us the freedom that allows us to put our heart is where our treasure is. Each person must ask, "WHERE IS MY TREASURE?" When one answers in the Kingdom, in the Church, then one must "go do the right thing" and live their life in Christ. One lives the way and vision given in the Gospel. For an Orthodox there is NO other way.