I’m Orthodox: What Does that Mean?
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).
Beloved in the Lord,
God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — is the true and uncreated Light. He is the “creator of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible,” as we recite in the Creed.
In order for us as Orthodox Christians to follow the words of Christ recorded by Matthew the Evangelist, we must be properly educated about the Truth of God and His Church, which is the Kingdom of Heaven realized on earth.
For this reason, together with the many other spiritual offerings of our Holy Metropolis, this small Question and Answer-formatted guidebook was developed to help inform the faithful — and those interested in learning about Orthodoxy — about our Christian faith, which alone leads man to salvation in Christ.
Read this guidebook; contemplate the information provided in it; apply the lessons on a daily basis; become an active Orthodox Christian who prays, fasts, is a cheerful giver, merciful, goes to confession and church services, and lives a sacramental life.
By learning more about what a tremendous blessing it is to be an Orthodox Christian, we can give light … and shine before men in today’s society and glorify the Triune God. We hope that this guidebook — together with our Orthodox Catechism: Basic Teachings of the Orthodox Faith book – enhances your relationship with the saints of our Church, the Most Holy Theotokos and, above all, Christ, the only Redeemer and Savior of the world.
With fatherly love and blessings,
METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOP SOTIRIOS
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