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"The Prologue of Ohrid" by St. Nikolai Velimirovich (Lives of Saints, Homilies & Reflections)
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Our Parish Life"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit." (Holy Epistle of St. James chapter 5, verses 14-18)“A Living
Salvation” “Rather than look to rational proofs and theological arguments, the Orthodox believer finds the confirmation of his faith in the proven, verifiable spiritual history of these blessed traditions, called sacraments. Performing these acts within the holy community of the Church gives the believer the opportunity to encounter the living Presence of Christ. This is a way of life totally removed from studying and refining beliefs. One who travels the sacramental path does not focus upon learning more about God, in hope that this knowledge will somehow miraculously turn into true love. Rather day by day, moment by moment, the believer participates directly in Christ’s life by joining Him in the sacramental acts of love that He Himself has ordained we perform together. This way to God is founded upon a simple, fundamental truth: real love is an act, not an idea." |
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