Confession of Faith on the Day of Orthodoxy
As the Prophets beheld, as the Apostles have taught, as the Church has received, as the teachers have Dogmatized, as the Universe has agreed, as Grace has shown forth, as Truth has revealed, as falsehood has been dissolved, as Wisdom has presented, as Christ awarded. Thus we declare, thus we assert, thus we preach Christ Our True God and honour His Saints in words, in writings, in thoughts, in sacrifices, in Churches, in Holy Icons; on the one hand worshipping and reverencing Christ as God and Lord, and on the other hand honouring as true servants of the same Lord of all and accordingly offering them Veneration. This is the Faith of the Apostles, this is the Faith of the Fathers, this is the Faith of the Orthodox, this is the Faith which has established the Universe!
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“Orthodoxy is what Christ taught, the Apostles preached, and the Father’s kept.”
Saint Athanasius the Great
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“…for when we don’t keep the small things [of the Faith], how can we keep the large things?”
Saint John the New Martyr of Monemvasia
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“So is not the steadfastness of the Orthodox Church of Christ, despite all Her afflictions from the beginning until now despite all the persecutions, resistance, distress, torments, sorrows and opposition a crystal-clear proof and illustrious confirmation of the Truth of what Her Divine Founder said, that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against Her?”
Saint Raphael Bishop of Brooklyn
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“Our religion is founded on Spiritual experience, seen and heard as surely as any physical fact in this world. Not theory, not philosophy, not human emotions, but experience.”
Saint Nikolai Velimivoric
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“The Truth is in Orthodoxy. I have lived it and I know it by the Grace of God. There are many lights which man sees and which make an impression on him, but only one is the True Light.”
Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
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“Our Faith has been made secure by wise and learned Saints, who both explained the Holy Scriptures precisely and have enlightened us through their Divinely inspired discourses.”
Saint Kosmas Aitolos
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“We do not change the boundaries marked out by our Fathers, we keep the Tradition we have received. If we begin to lay down the Law of the Church even in the smallest things; the whole edifice will fall to the ground in no short time.
Saint John of Damascus
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“The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus.”
Saint John Chrysostom
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“The Church Fathers regard Sacred Tradition as the safe guide in the interpretation of Holy Scripture and absolutely necessary for understanding the Truths contained in the Holy Scripture.”
Saint Nektarios of Aegina
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“One must not be content with progressing from disbelief to belief, but rather, one must strive to progress from belief to a better understanding of the Truth that he believes.”
Saint Seraphim of Sarov
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“There can be no compromise in things of the Orthodox Faith.”
Saint Mark of Ephesus
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“Sacred Tradition is the very Church; without the Sacred Tradition the Church does not exist. Those who deny the Sacred Tradition deny the Church and the preaching of the Apostles.”
Saint Nektarios of Aegina
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“Guard sacredly and strictly our Orthodox Faith, both in its Canons and in its Dogmas. Do not adapt your Faith to your life, but your life to the Faith.”
Saint Seraphim Sobolev
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“Hold on to our Faith which is Eternal and definite.”
Saint Luke the Surgeon of Crimea
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“Thus, they say that if the Orthodox Church operates in every place and time according to the law of progress, regularly rectifying and amending Her teachings and ancient orders, as civil administrations do with their legislation and orders… She would reach, that lofty level reached by all civilly developed administrations… First, we say that their analogy between the Christian Church and the civil administration is a great mistake, because the Church is a Divine Order while the civil administration is a human order.”
Saint Raphael Bishop of Brooklyn
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“Never, never, never let anyone tell you that you must be Eastern to be Orthodox. The West was fully Orthodox for a thousand years…”
Saint John Maximovitch
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“If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.”
Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
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“If from one burning lamp someone lights another, then another from that one, and so on in succession, he has light continuously. In the same way, through the Apostles Ordaining their successors, and these successors Ordaining others, and so on, the Grace of the Holy Spirit is handed down through all generations and enlightens all who obey their spiritual shepherds and teachers.”
Saint Gregory Palamas
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“Now the Church consists of both her Earthly and Heavenly parts, for the Son of God came to Earth and became Man that He might lead man into Heaven and make him once again a citizen of Paradise, returning to him his original state of sinlessness and wholeness and uniting him unto Himself. This is accomplished by the action of Divine Grace granted through the Church, but man’s effort is also required. God saves His fallen creature by His own love for him, but man’s love for his Creator is also necessary; without it he cannot be saved. Striving towards God and cleaving unto the Lord by its humble love, the human Soul obtains power to cleanse itself from sin and to strengthen itself for the struggle to complete victory over sin.”
Saint John Maximovitch
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“The One, Only and True Church is the Orthodox Church.”
Saint Sophrony of Essex
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Upon finding out that other faiths existed beyond his own paganism, he decided to send his envoys out into the world to find out what was true faith on earth. His envoys met with Muslims, but felt that there was no joy among them, and that their faith was very mechanical. The envoys also met with Jews and Catholics, but were still unimpressed. Everything changed, however, when the envoys arrived in Constantinople. Upon attending Divine Liturgy in Hagia Sophia, the envoys said, “We no longer knew whether we were in Heaven or on earth.” Taking the word of his envoys, Saint Vladimir had himself and his nation Baptized into the Orthodox Christian Church. Saint Vladimir changed completely after his Baptism. He destroyed all the pagan statues that stood in Kievan Rus’, and replaced them with Churches…
Saint Vladimir the Grand Prince of Kiev
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“Everything in the Church comes about through the Holy Spirit, from the least to the greatest. In fact, every Holy Mystery and Holy Virtue is a little Pentecost; in them, the Holy Spirit descends upon us, into us. The Lord dwells in us by the Holy Spirit, and we in Him. This is testified to us by the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. We live by the Holy Spirit in Christ, and He in us. We know this “by the Spirit which He hath given us” (I Jn. 3:24).”
Saint Justin Popovich of Serbia
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“The Lord said of His Church: ‘I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ This is said of the Pastors of the Church, or the Church Hierarchy, and of all true believers, as well as of all the Sacraments, all the Dogmas and Commandments of the Holy Orthodox Faith, and of all the Offices of the Sacraments; for instance, the Liturgy, Holy Orders/Ordination, Matrimony, Baptism, Chrism, Holy Oil, which have been established unto all the ages, and have already been in existence unchanged during many centuries. See how firm is the Church, founded by the Lord! Remember these words of the Lord, and do not waver in the slightest degree when celebrating any of the Sacraments. Be firm as adamant.”
Saint John of Kronstadt
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“The Church’s foundation is unshakable and firm against the assaults of the raging sea. Waves lash at the Church but do not shatter it. Although the elements of this world constantly batter and crash against her, she offers the safest harbour of Salvation for all in distress.”
Saint Ambrose Bishop of Milan
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“Sometimes Japanese protestants come to me and ask me to clarify some place in the Holy Scriptures. You have your own missionary teachers, I tell them, Go ask them. What do they say?’ “We have asked them. They say: understand as you know how. But I need to know the real thought of God, not my own personal opinion.’… It’s not like that with us [Orthodox]. Everything is clear, trustworthy and simple, since we accept Holy Tradition in addition to the Holy Scriptures. And Holy Tradition is a living, unbroken voice of our Church from the time of Christ and His Apostles until now, and which will exist until the end of the world. In it all the meaning of the Holy Scriptures are preserved.”
Saint Nicholas Archbishop of Japan
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“Thus, is it reasonable for the Church to listen to worldly opinions and act accordingly, so that people say that She is following the spirit of the age? Absolutely not. Rather, reason and truth require that the Christian Church remain always as it was; and our Orthodox Church still adheres and always will adhere, to what was handed down by Divine Revelation that is, to religious Truths, both Spiritual and moral, that admit no change nor alteration at all.”
Saint Raphael Bishop of Brooklyn
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“Images are books for the illiterate and silent heralds of the honour of the Saints, teaching those who see with a soundless voice and Sanctifying the sight.”
Saint John of Damascus
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“Some of the sailors on a ship may quarrel and fight each other, but the ship sails on and reaches its destination. The same is true of the Church, because Christ Himself is at the helm.”
Saint Gavrilia, the Ascetic of Love
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“When there is a respect for small things, there will be an even greater respect towards the bigger things. When there is no respect for small things, then neither will there be for the bigger ones. This is how the Fathers maintained Tradition.”
Saint Paisios the Athonite
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“The disciples Worshipped the Most High Lord Who had come down from Heaven, made the Earth into Heaven and gone up again whence He came, having united things below with things above and formed one Church, at the same time Heavenly and Earthly, to the Glory of His love for mankind.”
Saint Gregory Palamas
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“Learn about the teachings of the Orthodox Christian Church and hold onto them in your heart – and you will see the way to the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Saint Theophan the Recluse
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“Plant yourself upon the rock of faith and the Tradition of the Church, not giving room to those who introduce novelties to undermine her Holy structure. For if everyone were allowed a free hand, little by little the entire Body of the Church would be destroyed.”
Saint John of Damascus
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“To be constantly persecuted is a distinguishing mark of the True Faith and of the Orthodox Church.”
Saint Nikolai Velimivoric
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“Orthodox Church is a ship that sails on the ocean caught by a storm. We, the Orthodox, are on that ship. People of other religions swim alone.”
Saint Gabriel, the New Confessor of Georgia
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“Of the Doctrines preserved in the Church, some come to us in writing, and others come from the Tradition of the Apostles, Mystically preserved. Both of these have the same authority.”
Saint Basil the Great
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