Many thanks for this incredible article full of history, with the goal of pointing us to the key of Orthodoxy: theosis and holiness.
The famous quote of St. John (Maximovitch) of San Francisco is apposite here:
"Never, never, never let anyone tell you that, in order to be Orthodox, you must be Eastern. The West was fully Orthodox for a thousand years."
Another excellent reflection and introduction to Orthodoxy in the West are the various Introductions by Fr. Seraphim Rose in his translation of St. Gregory of Tours' Vita Patrum. Fr. Seraphim undertook that work at the encouragement of St. John (who, recall, had also served as a bishop in Paris!) and largely with the goal of reminding the West of its Orthodox patrimony and heritage. Vita Patrum is difficult to find in hard copy, but it is available online at Internet Archive, and I understand the St. Herman of Alaska Press is in the process of reissuing the work in a new edition.
Thank you for this beautiful, insightful introduction. I had studied a little about Celtic and Anglo-Saxon spirituality in the past. Thank you for relating it to Orthodoxy. I was brought to tears many times by the tenderness and beauty in this writing. I'm looking forward to learning more from you on this topic.
Thank you for this excellent and informative article. Do you know if there is a service (vespers & matins hymnography) written for All Saints of the British and Celtic Lands?
Many thanks for this incredible article full of history, with the goal of pointing us to the key of Orthodoxy: theosis and holiness.
The famous quote of St. John (Maximovitch) of San Francisco is apposite here:
"Never, never, never let anyone tell you that, in order to be Orthodox, you must be Eastern. The West was fully Orthodox for a thousand years."
Another excellent reflection and introduction to Orthodoxy in the West are the various Introductions by Fr. Seraphim Rose in his translation of St. Gregory of Tours' Vita Patrum. Fr. Seraphim undertook that work at the encouragement of St. John (who, recall, had also served as a bishop in Paris!) and largely with the goal of reminding the West of its Orthodox patrimony and heritage. Vita Patrum is difficult to find in hard copy, but it is available online at Internet Archive, and I understand the St. Herman of Alaska Press is in the process of reissuing the work in a new edition.
Eventually you should stop reading the lives of the saints and become one.
Thank you for this beautiful, insightful introduction. I had studied a little about Celtic and Anglo-Saxon spirituality in the past. Thank you for relating it to Orthodoxy. I was brought to tears many times by the tenderness and beauty in this writing. I'm looking forward to learning more from you on this topic.
Thank you for this excellent and informative article. Do you know if there is a service (vespers & matins hymnography) written for All Saints of the British and Celtic Lands?