The Orthodox Church quotes on Church, Fathers, Communion, Confession

Orthodox Church Quotes on the Church, Fathers, Communion, Confession, Creeds

by Matt Slick | Nov 23, 2013 | Orthodox Church, World Religions

Church
1. “The Church is the divinely inspired Interpreter of the Bible. The Holy Spirit has been abiding in the Church since Pentecost guiding it to all truth.” (Coniaris, Anthony M. (2010-12-29). Introducing the Orthodox Church: Its Faith and Life (Kindle Locations 6038-6039). Light & Life Publishing Company: www.light-n-life.com. Kindle Edition.)
2. “The Church, as a whole, is infallible, but it is not God-inspired to the extent that it has understood the entire depth of the truths and formulated and proclaimed them to the world.” (https://www.goarch.org/-/the-fundamental-teachings-of-the-eastern-orthodox-church)
Church Fathers
1. “The Orthodox Church has never attempted to define exactly who the Fathers are, still less to classify them in order of importance. But it has a particular reverence for the writers of the fourth century, and especially for those whom it terms ‘the Three Great Hierarchs’: Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus (known in Orthodoxy as Gregory the Theologian), and John Chrysostom.” (Ware, Timothy (1993-04-29). The Orthodox Church (Kindle Locations 3177-3179). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition. p. 204)
Communion
1. Infant Communion: “Orthodox children receive communion from infancy.” (Ware, Timothy (1993-04-29). The Orthodox Church (Kindle Locations 4478-4479). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition. p. 288)
2. Communion in a spoon with bread and wine: “Communion is given to the laity in a spoon, containing a small piece of the Holy Bread together with a portion of the Wine; it is received standing. Orthodoxy insists on a strict fast before communion, and nothing can be eaten or drunk after waking in the morning.” (Ware, Timothy (1993-04-29). The Orthodox Church (Kindle Locations 4468-4470). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition. p. 287)
Confession
1. Confession empties assault from sin: “Confession is the oral avowal of the sins which lie heavily laden upon one’s conscience. Confession, however, only empties the soul from sin but repentance cleanses and makes it ready to receive the Holy Spirit.” (Grube, Fr. George (2012-08-19). The Orthodox Church A to Z (Kindle Location 4210). Light and Life Publishing, http://www.light-n-life.com. Kindle Edition.)
2. Impossible to purge the soul from sin without confession: “Is Confession worthwhile; is it of any use? Certainly, it is worthwhile and even absolutely essential because just as it is impossible to cleanse the vessel without ridding it of all uncleanness, so it is impossible to purge your soul of sins without Confession. But is Confession alone enough for the reception of the Holy Spirit? Certainly not, because to receive the sweet-smelling and priceless Balsam into the defiled vessel it is not enough to just empty it, but it is necessary to wash it with water and burn it with fire. To receive the Holy Spirit it is not enough just to confess or recite your sins before your Father Confessor, but it is also necessary to purge your soul with repentance or contrition and humiliation of the soul and to burn it with the free-willed suffering of insults.” (Grube, Fr. George (2012-08-19). The Orthodox Church A to Z (Kindle Locations 4226-4232). Light and Life Publishing, http://www.light-n-life.com. Kindle Edition.)
3. No confessionals: “In Orthodoxy confessions are heard, not in a closed confessional with a grille separating confessor and penitent, but in any convenient part of the church, usually in the open immediately in front of the iconostasis,” (Ware, Timothy (1993-04-29). The Orthodox Church (Kindle Locations 4486-4487). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition. p. 288)
4. No official confessional procedure: “There is in Orthodoxy no strict rule laying down how often one should go to Confession.” (Ware, Timothy (1993-04-29). The Orthodox Church (Kindle Locations 4511-4512). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition. p. 290)
5. Confession cannot be done in private: “Sometimes priests are asked if Orthodox Christians cannot just confess to God “in private”. While it is certainly permissible to first seek God’s forgiveness “in private”, we must also seek the forgiveness of the community we offended. We do this by confessing to a priest, who is the legitimate representative of the Church . . . The Mystery of Confession belongs to the Church, not to the individual conscience, and therefore, as in all Mysteries of the Church, a priest is required for conferring the sacramental love of confession to the faithful of the Church.” (Grube, Fr. George (2012-08-19). The Orthodox Church A to Z (Kindle Locations 3886-3891). Light and Life Publishing, http://www.light-n-life.com. Kindle Edition.)
Creeds
1. “The Creed is merely a divinely inspired human statement to help us in our understanding of God.” (Coniaris, Anthony M. (2010-12-29). Introducing the Orthodox Church: Its Faith and Life (Kindle Locations 540-541). Light & Life Publishing Company: www.light-n-life.com. Kindle Edition.)