Life as an Orthodox Christian
Due to the Church’s dedication to keeping an unaltered faith, the lives of Orthodox Christians across the world have remained largely unchanged for the past 2,000 years. Many of the practices observed today can be traced back to antiquity. They include regular participation in church services; daily personal prayer, as well as prayer using the Coptic Book of Hours (Agpeya); regular confession; daily Scripture reading; dedication to education, service, and almsgiving; fasting; sharing the faith with others; adhering to a strict moral code; and constant spiritual renewal through the Church Sacraments, the Holy Mysteries. Through these practices, Orthodox Christians for generations have become united with God and have experienced lives filled with peace and hope, even amidst great persecution.
Our Creed
In this section we will outline the origins of the Creed, as it is the core declaration that describes the faith of an Orthodox Christian. Then we will address four essential practices in the life of an Orthodox Christian.
In the Orthodox Church, our Creed is both a prayer and a proclamation that we declare multiple times each day as a reminder and a hope of the things to come. Since the time of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ until today, the Orthodox Church has lived to uphold the same, unchanged apostolic faith that Christ preached to his apostles and their disciples. Using the interpretations and writings of the early church fathers, the Orthodox Church has protected and maintained the same faith for the past 2,000 years. This unchanged doctrine of faith has been challenged often through the ages. At every service, the Church reminds its believers of this proclamation of the faith, and also of the sacrifices its believers made to keep it.
Origin of the Creed
Early in church history, there were disagreements in some matters of the faith. To reach agreement and prevent incorrect theology, the early Church held ecumenical (universal) councils to clarify, strengthen, and unify the Church, and to fend off heresies that had potential to fundamentally change the faith.
The Nicene Creed is a direct result of the first ecumenical council that occurred in the year 325 AD. At this ecumenical council, now known as the council of Nicea, Arius and his followers argued that Christ was created by the Father and therefore not equal to God the Father. This issue led the council to create what is now known as the Nicene Creed to emphasize that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all equal with one another.
The Nicene Creed was the first, but not final, form of the Creed that we use today. In subsequent councils additions were made to combat other heresies, to emphasize the Divinity of the Holy Spirit, and to clarify the importance of St. Mary as the Theotokos (Mother of God). The final form of the Creed is now known as the Orthodox Creed.
The Orthodox Creed
The Orthodox Creed is as follows:
Introduction to the Creed
We exalt you, the mother of the true Light. We glorify you, O saint, the Theotokos (Mother of God), for you brought forth unto us the Savior of the whole world; He came and saved our souls.Glory to You, our Master, Our King, Christ, the pride of the Apostles, the crown of the martyrs, the joy of the righteous, the firmness of the churches, the forgiveness of sins.We proclaim the Holy Trinity in one Godhead. We worship Him. We glorify Him.Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord bless. Amen
The Orthodox Creed
We believe in one God, God the Father the Pantocrator who created heaven and earth, and all things seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not created, of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy spirit and the Virgin Mary and became Man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried. And on the third day He rose from the dead, according to the scriptures, ascended to the heavens; He sits at the right hand of his Father, and He is coming again in His glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.
Yes, we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giver, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.
And in one holy, catholic and apostolic church. We confess one baptism for the remission of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the coming age. Amen.
This creed defines the core dogmas of Orthodox Christianity. It is central to the Church’s identity, and is the basis upon which the whole Church is established.
Discipleship
“The Christian life is a life of discipleship. Everyone who believes in Christ, is called to be His disciple.”
(Pope Shenouda – Discipleship)
It is key for an Orthodox Christian to seek spiritual guidance and to have a spiritual guide to whom they are a disciple. The word “disciple” means a student or a follower. The Orthodox Christian understands that we are called to be disciples and to learn how to grow closer to Christ from those before us. In the Great Commission, our Lord commanded His disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Therefore, Christ intends to have discipleship as a key part in the growth of His Church. Newer generations learn from previous ones and grow stronger in spirit.
Father of Confession
Regular confession is a critical part of the life of an Orthodox Christian. Christ gave the apostles and all ordained clergy the authority to forgive and retain sins (John 20:23). While God is the only one who truly forgives sins, the priest declares the forgiveness of God to a repentant sinner after confession by praying an absolution on them. In addition to the absolution of sins, the sacrament of confession provides accountability to the believer to maintain a flourishing spiritual life.
A believer chooses a priest as a father of confession, to whom they confess their sins and seek guidance. The sacrament of confession is one of the key ways discipleship has continued in the Orthodox Church for the past 2,000 years. As a spiritual guide, the father of confession will usually give a spiritual rule for the believer to follow that may include praying certain prayers from the Book of Hours, fasting certain days of the week, making prostrations each morning, etc. With guidance from their father of confession, a believer draws nearer to Christ and learns how to handle and overcome many of their spiritual struggles.
Personal Prayer
Prayer is direct dialogue with God in which a person opens their heart to speak with Him. It is essential for the spiritual growth of a believer. We are called to pray to God without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). A prayer to God starts from the deepest part of the soul and is expressed in many ways. It can be shown by simple words of the mouth, by songs and hymns, by tears and joy, or by complete silence. While prayer can vary in its outward expression, prayer of the inward expression should always be performed in sincerity from the heart.
The Physical Aspects of Prayer
While prayer emanates from the heart, it can also be expressed physically with the body so that the whole being prays to God. A person prays continuously throughout their day. As Christians, we are not just spirit, but also flesh. Thus the flesh is also a part of the process of prayer in addition to opening one’s heart to God. This is primarily seen in the way Orthodox Christians make the sign of the cross.
Signing of the Cross
During any mention of the Holy Trinity (The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) believers make the sign of the cross while praying. The signing of the cross starts and ends prayers, eases spirits during stressful situations, and protects from harm. An Orthodox Christian makes the sign of the cross very often in their daily life. The sign of the cross is done like so:
The sign of the cross starts at the forehead and goes down to the chest area, symbolizing Jesus coming down from Heaven (the head) to earth (chest). We then complete the cross by signing from left shoulder to right shoulder, symbolizing Christ bringing us from darkness to light. Alternatively, left to right symbolizes moving from the goats (left) to the sheep (right) in reference to Matthew 25.
Raising of Hands
In addition to signing the cross, many faithful raise their hands during prayer such as when reciting the Lord’s prayer (“Our Father…”).
“Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
(Psalm 141:2)
Prostration and Bowing
Prayer can include prostrations and bows. Often used in prayers reflecting repentance, prostrations show reverence and declare submission to God. Often times the Greek word “μετάνοια” (Metanoia) is used to describe a prostration. The word “metanoia” means to change in heart or to repent. The explanation behind prostrations exemplifies this repentance. By bending their knees and bowing their heads, believers acknowledge their sins with a spirit of humility. They recall the spiritual poverty of the human soul which is susceptible to the passions of lust, greed, anger, pride, and more. By rising to their feet following a prostration, the Christian acknowledges the saving grace of God and the repentance of their sins.
Prostrations are uncommon in western practice, but they are used often in the Orthodox faith. It is important to note that prostrations are only a method to deepen prayer life and express humility, rather than a legalistic means of achieving repentance itself. Prostrations without a repentant heart is of no value to the believer.
Facing the East
Whenever the church or an Orthodox individual prays, they make an effort to face east. Though there are many reasons for this, we’ll mention the three most important ones.
- We see Christ as our East in that the sun rises from the East. The sun is the source of our life and similarly, Christ is our salvation—the source of our life in the spirit. Without Him, we can not see the light for our path to heaven. He is our heavenly direction that we look to for guidance and support. His light will lead us to everlasting life if we choose to abide by life through Him.
- During prayer, we direct our minds toward two important events that occurred in the east: Christ’s crucifixion and ascension. We face Christ on the cross, acknowledging his sacrifice for us and looking to Him as our savior. Since we know that Christ will return in the east, we face the east awaiting His Second Coming: “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
- Lastly, by facing east we stand unified in prayer as one body. For centuries, all the Orthodox Christians around the world have together faced east as one church in solidarity. Every Orthodox Church is built facing the east so that believers will be facing east together during prayer.
The Book of Hours: “Agpeya”
Seven prayers recited at fixed hours of the day make up the Coptic Book of Hours, often referred to as the Agpeya. Each hour commemorates a significant event in our Lord Jesus Christ’s life. Every hour includes the Thanksgiving Prayer; Psalm 50; psalms, a gospel reading, and an absolution all specific to a given hour; a few additional prayers; and the concluding prayer. The Book of Hours aids a person’s prayer life and helps one to learn to pray. The majority of people pray the hours of the Agpeya according to the guidance of their father of confession. It is strongly recommended that a person consult with their father of confession before changing their spiritual practices, so that they do not burn out or become discouraged. Praying the Agpeya prayers is a teaching received from the apostolic and patristic fathers.
The Agpeya aids us in our prayer, and teaches us how to praise and glorify God. It gives us the words to pray when we have little to say. Instead of searching for words, we simply focus on the words that are given to us from the Holy Scripture. In this way it helps us to focus our minds on the Lord.
The Five Types of Prayer
“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men”
1 Timothy 2:1
There are five types of prayer. It is important to recognize all five of these types of prayer and to try to incorporate all five of these into personal prayers. All of these types of prayer are found in each hour of the Book of Hours and in the Church’s liturgical prayers.
- Thanksgiving – Giving thanks. Each prayer in the church starts with thanksgiving. We recognize God’s grace and offer thanks for all that our Lord has done for us. In the Book of Hours the first prayer is the Thanksgiving Prayer.
- Repentance – Forgiveness for our sins. The most common phrase in the liturgy is “Lord Have Mercy.” This phrase, although short, is a powerful prayer that the believer can use throughout their day. It is a clear example of a prayer of repentance.
- Praising – Worshipping and glorifying God. There are multiple services in the church which are completely dedicated to praising God: Midnight Praises and Vesper Praises. In addition, there are many forms of praise throughout the liturgical services such as Doxologies and other hymns.
- Supplication – Asking for something. It is very common to pray to God about problems, worries, and other concerns. This is a normal part of having a relationship with God. Even though God is all-knowing, it is important to share your heart’s concerns with Him.
- “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (1st John 5: 14)
- Intercession – Praying on the behalf of others. We both “pray for each other” (James 5:16) and we ask the saints and angels to pray for us. Through intercession the entire church grows closer to Christ and truly acts as one body.
Fasting
Fasting is a regular part of an Orthodox Christian’s life. Fasting in the Orthodox tradition is described as a period of time where we voluntarily give up eating/drinking certain foods, such as meat and dairy products. We usually fast right before a feast so that when the feast day arrives, we all break our fast and celebrate together! This way, the joyful occasion can be fully appreciated by all the church. The fasts preceding these feasts vary in size and focus, depending on the feast to be celebrated. Fasts can be categorized as either level 1 or level 2. Level 1 fasts are done to prepare for the largest feast of the year, the Resurrection, and also on Wednesday and Fridays throughout the year. Level 1 fasts are observed by abstaining from all animal products (essentially becoming vegan). Level 2 fasts are done to prepare for smaller feasts and are observed by abstaining from all animal products with the exception of fish.
The Orthodox Church holds the tradition of fasting every Wednesday and Friday. As it is also considered a level 1 fast, we abstain from all animal products. We fast on Wednesdays to remember Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus and on Fridays to remember Jesus’ crucifixion.
Fasting is a way to gain spiritual strength. It is a means of spiritual growth and not a goal in or of itself. Fasting incorporates many different practices and is not limited to abstinence from food. Ultimately, fasting is abstaining from indulgences, sin, and the frivolous things in this world. Fasting raises the mind and spirit toward the godly and away from the earthly. Similarly, St. Paul says, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
Purpose of Fasting
Fasting is a spiritual exercise meant to edify the body, not simply to physically weaken it. When our souls are satisfied with God, the soul is elevated above the carnal desires. This is the goal we try to accomplish through abstinence. Fasting is an attempt to subdue and control the body and its desires. Often during times of non-fasting, we are easily controlled by our bodily desires. Fasting gives us the opportunity to keep our desires under our control so that we may learn to keep them as our servants and not our masters. By denying ourselves, we can more intently listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit within our hearts. In this way, we learn to do the perfect will of God, and not our own will.
Fasting is a spiritual exercise to be performed with other practices as well, such as prayer. The fasting periods of the church are often periods of increased prayer and focus upon the spiritual life.
Although the Orthodox church places a great importance on the benefits of fasting, oftentimes too much emphasis is placed on deciding which foods to eat and less on the spiritual benefits gained from it. Going to great lengths to find substitute foods we enjoy that are technically “fasting” defeats the very purpose of fasting: denying our bodily desires to strengthen our relationship with God.
Sacraments
Living as an Orthodox Christian also means living a sacramental life. Faithful Christians regularly partake of the Church’s sacraments. For some this concept is a bit foreign, but sacraments are an ancient and core aspect of the Christian faith.
Meaning of Sacrament
A sacrament (or mystery) is the invisible work of the Holy Spirit accomplished through some visible physical action. It is through sacraments that the Holy Spirit works in the church and in each individual believer.
Importance of Sacraments
The Orthodox Church has seven sacraments: baptism, chrismation, confession, communion, priesthood, marriage, and unction of the sick. In each of these, the Holy Spirit works mystically to transform and sanctify the believers. The four essential sacraments for salvation are baptism, chrismation, confession, and communion. The sacraments of baptism and chrismation are practiced only once in the believer’s life, while the sacraments of confession and communion should be practiced regularly.
These sacraments transform us through the grace of God and are like medicine for our souls. Through the physical water of baptism, we die and rise again with Christ. Through the application of the chrism (a special oil), also called Holy Myron, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit of the living God. Through physical bread and wine, we partake of the precious Body and Blood of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ. Through the confession of sins, we are absolved from our sins by the hands of the priest.
Church Reverence
“One thing I have asked the Lord this also I will seek, that I dwell in the house of the Lord all my life, that I should behold the fair beauty of the Lord and visit his holy temple”
Psalm 26
The church is the center place of our worship, where the body and blood of our Lord is present on the altar during the Divine Liturgy. As such, the church is the most holy place and requires the highest degree of reverence. The following basic guidelines along with your own personal judgement should be considered to maintain the respect of this holy place.
While there is no mandatory dress code, no shorts, sleeveless shirts, or hats should be worn in church. Women should cover their heads as St. Paul instructed in 1 Corinthians. When entering the sanctuary to receive communion, shoes should not be worn as God instructed Moses, “take your sandals off your feet for the place where you stand is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). If you are not sure about something, please don’t be afraid to ask and remember that the most important thing is to show modesty.
In the Orthodox Church you will find that we stand for the majority of the liturgy since we are in the presence of the Lord. If you are able, we encourage you to stand as we worship God together. Of course, sitting is okay for those who are unable. There are certain parts of the liturgy where the entire congregation should stand to the best of their ability: for example, during the Lord’s prayer and communion.
We know the liturgy is long, but it is important to arrive at the beginning of the service to participate in the entire liturgy (including the morning raising of incense) as we prepare to receive the blessed sacrament of communion.
Finally, we should maintain the cleanliness of the church. This entails refraining from eating or drinking while in the church. This is all in an effort to maintain our reverence for this most holy place.
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