Orthodoxy as True Witness.

        Someone has said: “Faith cannot be imposed on anyone because it has to be freely given and freely embraced; but faith will not be easily received if the new life it creates is never seen or heard.” Orthodoxy cannot successfully preach love, righteousness, justice, unity and peace to others without convincing evidence of these realities within its own bosom. Jesus’ words ring out: “You are the light of the world . . . let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:14-16). Orthodoxy is endowed with the gift of true witness. It proclaims Christ and the Gospel in its fulness, it freely gives of what it freely has received, but without coercion, manipulation, or dissimulation. Orthodoxy takes an incarnational approach to the world, showing profound love and respect for all people in their own cultural contexts, ignorance, even sin. Its deepest intention is to let the truth speak for itself and to attract people to Christ, not merely to “Orthodoxy” as a self-contained ideology or a religion of exotic externals.

        The challenge for Orthodox Christians is to recover more of our evangelical spirit through genuine repentance, deep prayer and spiritual renewal. The evangelical spirit, kindled by the grace of God, is the vital energy behind the Church’s ministries. We must plan and define objectives in the light of Christ and the Gospel. We must meet in board rooms and conferences in the presence of the Holy Spirit as if were conducting a Liturgy. We must face issues of leadership, education and administration with the eyes of God. We must come out of our committee meetings and our liturgical assemblies transformed and ready to share the “more” of Orthodoxy as fulness of faith and life. Orthodoxy is the fulfillment of all things in order that God’s glory may shine in all creation. The living tradition of Orthodoxy is creative and liberating, not merely protective and preservative. The message of Orthodoxy is one of love, joy and generosity; it has nothing to do with defensiveness, narrowness, self-righteousness, hostility or negativism toward others. Respectful of other faiths and religions, and gracious toward all people and their backgrounds, we witness to the fulness of the mystery of Christ shining in the gifts of Orthodoxy for the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.