The witness of Orthodoxy lies, in a word, in seeking to build up the community on the basis of the Christian faith. A visible Head on the historical plane does not govern this community. It has a hierarchy, which constitutes more liturgical and spiritual leaders than men endowed with the authority to rule. It can have local variations in liturgical practice and even in theological explanations. So long as there is agreement in essentials. The word `Orthodox implies two ideas. In the first place, it prefers to the belief that these Churches call to the faith as our Lord through the Apostles has handed it down and as it has been maintained the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Secondly the faith does not lie in the intellectual realm of theological formulation only, but is also made real in life through the worship. The fact that our church was founded originally by St.Thomas, one of the Apostles of our Lord, does not give us any special credit. The coming St.Thomas to India indicates the bringing into our country of the Christian Church as a Servant community. As we celebrate the nineteen hundredth anniversary of the Apostle, may God open our hearts and mind to see the many tasks that lie before us, and may He enable us to fulfill our responsibility in the years to come. From the Northeast Diocese MOSC website
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 23:35:18 +0000
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