tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546468339418636140.post7985390904013743090..comments2024-01-12T04:58:49.069-05:00Comments on Kyrie, Eleison!: Ye Shall Know the Truth (Part 2 of 3)Anastasia Theodoridishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16092531121989260111noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546468339418636140.post-28264777158029794662009-07-25T10:56:20.000-04:002009-07-25T10:56:20.000-04:00Good points. I think you are talking more about h...Good points. I think you are talking more about how one becomes Orthodox in the first place, while I'm talking about how it is when one is already Orthodox.<br /><br />Yes, becoming Orthodox is by grace and faith, and ultimately faith doesn't come by argumentation. Agreed. Faith is a gift and, as you say, one accepts or rejects it. <br /><br />And yes, there is is an aspect of it that involves ones own judgment, but perhaps you'll agree there is this difference. It is only if we decide to remain in error that we exercise our own, private judgment. If we decide to embrace Truth, we do so in community, together with our spiritual father, our godparent(s), the Holy Spirit, and with the prayers of the whole Church. In fact, the judgment we make, ironically, is that henceforth, we will no longer trust our own, private judgment. We will no longer judge the Church, but let her judge us. We will no longer judge the Scriptures, but let them judge us. And so forth. We defer to the opinion of the rest of the Church; isn't it so?<br /><br />The decision we make is to take to heart St. Paul's counsel to "submit to one another in the fear of God." (Eph. 5:21) and St. Peter's exhortation: "All of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (I Peter 5:5)<br /><br />What do you say?Anastasia Theodoridishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16092531121989260111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6546468339418636140.post-50933827129851519882009-07-25T06:38:08.947-04:002009-07-25T06:38:08.947-04:00I'm not sure others will buy your reasoning an...I'm not sure others will buy your reasoning and honestly I'm not sure I agree totally either. To the outsider (just as I am now an outsider to Protestantism), it looks like I have come to this conclusion on my own. Just because I have seen this by looking at the lives of the saints doesn't seem much different than seeing it by reading the life and works of Calvin or Luther. <br /><br />I see this as a faith issue. Either one believes it or not (just like the Resurrection). Unlike historical and doctrinal facts, I don't think it can be argued. <br /><br />I absolutely agree with Fr. Stephen's last two sentences (although people never ask me and I don't usually tell). When I first read it my heart leapt that someone understood.DebDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12594843598589340808noreply@blogger.com