"Our love in Christ must reach all places, even to the hippies in Matala [in Crete]. I very much wanted to go there, not to preach to them or to condemn them, but to live with them, without sin of course, and leave the love of Christ to speak of itself, which transfigures life"
+ Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia (Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit,
Protecting Veil Press, Thessalonica, Greece)
Protecting Veil Press, Thessalonica, Greece)
"Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit .
Today is revealed a mystery that is from all eternity.
The Son of God becomes the Son of man
that sharing in what is worse He may make me share in what is better.
In times of old Adam was once deceived
he sought to become God but received not his desire
now God becomes man that He might make Adam God.
Let creation rejoice let nature exult
for the Archangel stands in fear before the Virgin
and saying to her "rejoice" he brings to her
the joyful greeting whereby our sorrow is relieved.
O Thou who In Thy Merciful compassion
was made man o our God glory to Thee."
+ Idiomelon of the Feast of Annunciation, Tone 2
"Human mind is provided with conscious, sub conscious and unconscious layers. Worship is not only the transfiguration of the conscious mind. It transforms the whole being . St. Paul expresses this process as follows: “ And we all, with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory , just as by the spirit of the Lord”(2 Cor.3:18). The three representatives of the Apostles could experience this glory of the Lord in their Taboric Transfiguration. Christian witness is not only to see the glory of God, but also to become glorified. Human beings , created in the image of God are transfigured from glory to glory through incessant prayer and worship. This process is not intellectual but experiential. The whole being is involved in this process. In other words, worship is infinite growth in goodness. It is theosis or Deification...The Orthodox Church believes that the range of Christ’s saving activity is the whole creation at large. The creation is based on the will, wisdom and power of God. Purpose of the creation is to glorify God. With our prayers and intercession we transfigure the world for the glorification of God."
+ Fr.Dr. Mathew Vaidyan, http://malankaraorthodoxchurch.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=108&Itemid=238
"We do not try to win people over to Orthodoxy, but we are a missionary Church in the sense that we believe with all our hearts that Orthodoxy is infinitely precious, is capable of bringing joy and vision to people both of things divine and of human relationships and of our total attitude to the created world, and we want to share it - whether people become Orthodox technically or not is something which is secondary to us. What matters to us is that they should become partakers of this exulting joy and wonder which Orthodoxy is. So what we should do is to be a presence that is convincing; that is, looking at us people should see on our faces, in our eyes, in our behaviour,a dimension of wonder, joy and also of a sincere and sober desire to serve; and a disciplined mind and heart capable if serving faithfully whomever is in need if being served. And I think that if we became even a small light - if we became nothing but a handful if salt that prevents corruption- if we could bring a little hope to the hearts of people who have lost all hope, a little faith in the sense of trust and faithfulness and knowledge of God, a little love, we would be fulfilling our vocation. This is what we should bring, each of us perhaps a crumb, all of us we possess, and express this in the readiness to give without asking any return."
"It requires true saintliness to see the divine light shining in the darkness of another's personality, but to be seen as an icon of God could be for a person redemption. It is impious to venerate icons without venerating out neighbour, for in serving our neighbour we adore God."
"Orthodoxy is not the same as Evangelical culture. All Evangelical Churches will be more culturally aware – for the very reasons noted in my article. They are, to a large extent, American culture at prayer."
+ Father Stephen Freeman, http://glory2godforallthings.com/2013/02/11/america-and-the-perversion-of-christianity/
"Inculturation is only possible when the evangelist knows the Orthodox tradition and can therefore discern what is and what is not compatible with it. Inculturation is the planting of the gospel, the seed, the presence of Christ, in the unique soil of new culture, and allowing it, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to mature at its own pace, to produce ultimately a new, indigenous church."
+ Fr Michael J. Oleska, Evangelism and Culture, http://www.fatheroleksa.org/
"Our task is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit (St Seraphim), our task is the working out of our salvation, our task is to repent and weep for our sins, our task is to enter the Kingdom of God. This more than anything else is what we must do. This is an evangelistic task - indeed the primary evangelistic task....Orthodox evangelism must center on the Church - the beauty of the building, the beauty of the services, the frequency and availability of the services...We don't have to preach on street corners, we don't have to have "events" or revivals or seminars as evangelistic tools - we simply have to be Orthodox Christians "to the max" without reservation or compromise. That is Orthodox evangelism."
+ Fr David Moser, http://www.orthodox.net/articles/evangelism.html"We do not try to win people over to Orthodoxy, but we are a missionary Church in the sense that we believe with all our hearts that Orthodoxy is infinitely precious, is capable of bringing joy and vision to people both of things divine and of human relationships and of our total attitude to the created world, and we want to share it - whether people become Orthodox technically or not is something which is secondary to us. What matters to us is that they should become partakers of this exulting joy and wonder which Orthodoxy is. So what we should do is to be a presence that is convincing; that is, looking at us people should see on our faces, in our eyes, in our behaviour,a dimension of wonder, joy and also of a sincere and sober desire to serve; and a disciplined mind and heart capable if serving faithfully whomever is in need if being served. And I think that if we became even a small light - if we became nothing but a handful if salt that prevents corruption- if we could bring a little hope to the hearts of people who have lost all hope, a little faith in the sense of trust and faithfulness and knowledge of God, a little love, we would be fulfilling our vocation. This is what we should bring, each of us perhaps a crumb, all of us we possess, and express this in the readiness to give without asking any return."
+ HE Metropolitan Anthony Bloom, from Gilligan Crow's 'A Man of Vision'
(New York: SVS Press, 2005) 158-159.
"It requires true saintliness to see the divine light shining in the darkness of another's personality, but to be seen as an icon of God could be for a person redemption. It is impious to venerate icons without venerating out neighbour, for in serving our neighbour we adore God."
+ HE Metropolitan Anthony Bloom
"One must LIVE the life of a Christian before others—this does more than all preaching, teaching and evangelization. Pray for them and live the true Christian life before them, then let God affect them, if He wills."
+ Mother Theoliptie amma Demiana, Egypt