My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
ΟΙ ΑΓΙΟΙ ΤΗΣ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣ ΜΑΣ (THE HOLY ONE’S OF OUR CHURCH)
A SAINT literally, "a holy person." With God as the Source of True Holiness, all Christianst are called to be saints. The Holy Apostle Paul writes, "To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are SANCTIFIED TO CHRIST JESUS, CALLED TO BE SAINTS, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours" [1 Corinthians 1:2). Despite the disorder and error among the Corinthians, the Holy Apostle Paul still calls them "the church of God, sanctified in Christ, and saints," those SET APART TO GOD. Baptized into Christ, united with Him, this church by His mercy is one with the faithful everywhere. Also "Grace" (1 Cor. 1:3) is God's UNLIMITED, UNCONDITIONAL, UNCREATED AGAPE, FREELY GIVEN TO THOSE WHO DO NOT DESERVE IT.
From the earliest times, the Church has designated certain outstanding men, women and children who have departed this earthly and temporal life and reached DEIFICATION (THEOSIS) as worthy of VENERATION (NOT WORSHIP) and canonization as saints or holy persons. The Orthodox Church takes a maximalist approach to salvation, seeing it as A PROCESS WHICH ENDS IN DEIFICATION (THEOSIS). "For the Orthodox Church SALVATION IS MORE THAN THE PARDON OF SINS AND TRANSGRESSIONS. IT IS MORE THAN BEING JUSTIFIED OR ACQUITTED FOR OFFENSES COMMITTED AGAINST GOD. According to Orthodox teaching, SALVATION CERTAINLY INCLUDES FORGIVENESS AND JUSTIFICATION, but is by no means limited to them. For the Holy Fathers of the Church SALVATION IS THE ACQUISITION OF THE GRACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. TO BE SAVED IS TO BE SANCTIFIED AND TO PARTICIPATE IN THE LIFE OF GOD — INDEED TO BECOME "PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE" (II Peter 1:4) (Orthodox Spiritual Life according to Saint Silouan the Athonite, p. 19).
"Man's salvation consists in the ACQUIREMENT OF ETERNAL LIFE IN GOD, IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. "But nothing unclean can enter the Kingdom of God" (cf. Epheisians 5:5; Revelation 21:27). God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him, and those who enter the Kingdom of God MUST THEMSELVES BE SONS OF LIGHT. Therefore, entrance into it necessarily REQUIRES PURITY OF SOUL, A GARMENT OF "HOLINESS WITHOUT WHICH NO MAN SHALL SEE THE LORD" (Hebrews 12:14).
Saint Paul writes, "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that WE SHOULD BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLAME BEFORE HIM IN LOVE" (Ephesians 1:4). Saint Athanasius the Great reminds us that, "God became man, that man might become god." The Holy Apostle Peter writes, "but as He who called you is Holy, you also, be holy in all your conduct, because it is written , 'Be holy, for I am holy." Holiness belongs to God, and we, who cannot attain holiness on our own but receive it from Him, are called TO LIVE A "HOLY" life before Him. Indeed, Christians are called to holiness in every area of their lives. In the Lord's Prayer we say, "Hallowed be Your Name." It is not that we want God's name to be made holy but our prayers, BUT THAT HIS NAME MAY BE MADE HOLY IN US.
Our Lord Jesus Christ performed the work of His earthly Ministry (Dakonia) and death on the Cross; Christ "loved the Church… that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLEMISH" (Ephesians 5:25-27).The Church is holy through its HEAD, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is holy, further, through the presence in it of the Holy Spirit and His Grace-giving gifts, communicated in the Mysteries (Sacraments) and rites of the Church. It is also holy through its tie with the Heavenly Church.
The very body of the Church is holy: "If the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root be holy, so are the branches" (Romans 11:16). Those who believe in Christ are "temples of God," "temples of the Holy Spirit" (I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). In the True Church there have always been and there always are people of the highest spiritual purity and with special gifts of Grace–MARTYRS, VIRGINS, ASCETICS, HOLY MONKS AND NUN, HIERARCHS, RIGHTEOUS ONES, BLESSED ONES. The Church has an uncounted choir of departed ones of all times and peoples. It has manifestations of the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit, both visible and hidden from the eyes of the world.
The Church is holy by its calling, or its purpose. It is holy also be its fruits: "Ye have your fruit unto holiness, and he end everlasting life" (Romans 6:22), as the holy Apostle Paul instructs us. The Church is holy likewise through its pure infallible "teaching of faith: The Church of the living God" is, according to the word of God, "the pillar and ground of the truth" (I Timothy 3:15). "By living in holiness, we cleave to God, but by becoming wicked we make Him our enemy. It is not that SHe grows angry with us in an arbitrary way, but it is our own sins that prevent God from shining within us, and expose us to the demons who punish us."
In our Orthodox Church, saints are individual believers who have been "set apart" for God and have shown an extraordinary degree of holiness, though this can include believers who have repented of great sins and crimes and become united with God through faith, humility and agape. They are recognized through their miracles and testimony of the faithful, are are, in the Orthodox Church, VENERATED as intercessors, and divine examples of Christian life. Saints are those who have lived exemplary Christian lives revealing holiness through theirThey lifestyle, actions and devotion to God. A notable spiritual example of asceticism, repentance and humility and prayer is Saint Mary of Egypt. All Orthodox Christians are called to be holy and to strive to become more Christ-like, which is the goal of sainthood.
The Orthodox Church Tradition appoints days to honor holy martyrs, saints, and the righteous men and women of the Old and New Testament period by dedicating them to one of the Saints, which is known as a "FEAST-DAY. The Liturgical calendar also includes major, universally celebrated feasts for Saints for regional or local Saints, and a single day, the Sunday of All Saints, is dedicated to commemorating all known and unknown Saints. Feast Days are celebrated with a special Divine Liturgy, which may be held on the day itself or added to the regular Sunday Liturgy. Orthodox Christians have a "name day", which is the day they celebrate the feast of their patron Saint whose name they bear and which was given them on the day of their baptism. All Orthodox Christians honor their Saint by emulating his/her holy life, faith, devotion, humility, sacrifice, holy example and of course their unconditional agape for our Savior Jesus Christ.. Each Orthodox Christian seeks the Saint's intercession, guidance and protection. The Saints are not only the friends of our Lord Jesus Christ but they are also our friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. [Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology and Orthodox Study Bible]
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 