St. Gregorios Indian Orthodox Church
1252 East Aurora Rd., Macedonia, Ohio 44056

THE ORTHODOX WAY OF LIFE 

 

The Orthodox Church is the living repository of all the mysteries which God has revealed to man. This Church is the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself founded through His Apostles, and which has been transmitted throughout the ages.

 

A Life of Virtue 

Orthodoxy is a way of life founded upon Christ and His Church. The more you grow in Orthodoxy, the more spiritual joy fills your heart. To attain a life of joy and peace is to work towards the attainment of virtues. Orthodox life is the constant hard work of the soul and the body, the mind and the heart towards becoming like Christ. It is easier to loose a virtuous life than to build one. A life in Christ is built upon the virtues of prayer, fasting, tithing, reading the lives of saints, being obedient to the commands of God and of the Church established by His hand. External exercises of these sort should be treated as stepping stones towards a great spiritual goal. A life of love, compassion, humility, inner silence, patience is what our goal should be while moving towards a life in Christ. 

 

A Life of Prayer 

As we grows in the understanding of Orthodoxy, we realize that our life is inseparable from prayer. When we depart from a life of prayer, we depart from the loving presence of our God. So, if you ever feel God is far away from you, think again, who moved?  As St John Chrysostom writes, ”He who is able to pray correctly, even if he is the poorest of all people, is essentially the richest. And he who does not have proper prayer, is the poorest of all, even if he sits on a royal throne.” Prayer is the elevation of the mind and the heart to God in praise, in thanksgiving, and in petition for the spiritual and material goods we need.  Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to enter into our inner room and there pray to God the Father in secret. This inner room means the heart, the core of our being.  The Apostle Paul says that we must always pray in our spirit.  He commands prayer for all Christians without exception and asks us to pray unceasingly. Orthodox Christians engage in both corporate and personal prayer.  One’s individual prayer life is balanced with participation in the liturgical services of the Church where the whole community gathers for prayer and worship

 

A Liturgical / Sacramental Life 

The Church experiences the life in the Kingdom of God through the divine mysteries or sacraments offered in true devotion and faith. This liturgical or sacramental life of the Church prepares us for an eternity of living with God and loving Him truly. It is though this liturgical life in the Church, that the believers experience the illuminating and sanctifying touch of God which transforms our entire being. The mysteries reveal the invisible power of God through a life in the Church.  The sacramental life of the Church is the evidence of the presence of Christ in this Church, the power of which illumines and enlightens the darkest of souls, if we are ready to surrender ourselves to the Grace of God.