Spirituality, Theosis, Holy Spirit, the Indiviudal and the Church
SPIRITUALITY
The Orthodox Church proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the
Greek language, the word for Gospel is Evangelion which means
literally"The good news.”The good news of Orthodox Christianity is
a proclamation of God's unbounded and sacrificial love for man kind,
as well as the revelation of the true destiny of the human person.
Reflecting on the joyous message of the Gospel, Saint Gregory of
Nyssa wrote in the fourth century: The good news is that man is no
longer an outcast nor expelled from God's Kingdom; but that he is
again a son, again God's subject.
Orthodoxy believes that the supreme treasure which God wishes to
share with us is His own life. Our faith begins with the affirmation
that God has acted in history to permit us to participate in His love
and His goodness, to be citizens of His Kingdom. This conviction is
expressed so beautifully in the prayer of the Liturgy which
says: "You have not ceased to do all things until You brought us to
heaven and granted us the Kingdom to come.”
The initiation of love of God the Father is perfectly expressed and
embodied in the Person and Ministry of Jesus Christ. The whole
purpose of the Incarnation of the Son of God was to restore humanity
to fellowship with God. The great teachers and Fathers of the
Orthodox Church constantly reaffirmed this conviction by proclaiming
that God had become what we are in order that we could become what He
is.
Christ is exalted as our Light and our Life. In His Person there is a
unity of humanity and divinity which each of us is called to share.
In His way of life. there is the model of authentic human life which
we are invited to follow. In His victorious Resurrection, there is
liberation for us from all powers which can keep us from the Kingdom.
Through Christ, then, God the Father has repossessed us and has
called us to be His sons and daughters.
THEOSIS
The fundamental vocation and goal of each and every person is to
share in the life of God. We have been created by God to live in
fellowship with Him. The descent of God in the Person of Jesus Christ
has made possible the human ascent to the Father through the work of
the Holy Spirit. Orthodoxy believes that each Christian is involved
in a movement toward God which is known as theosis or deification.
Theosis describes the spiritual pilgrimage in which each person
becomes ever more perfect, ever more holy, ever more united with God.
It is not a static relationship, nor does it take place only after
death. On the contrary, theosis is a movement of love toward God
which begins for each Christian with the rites of Baptism and which
continues throughout this life, as well as the life which is to come.
Salvation means liberation from sin, death, and evil. Redemption
means our repossession by God. In Orthodoxy, both salvation and
redemption are within the context of theosis. This rich vision of
Christian life was expressed well by Saint Peter when he wrote in the
early pages of his second Epistle that we are called"to become
partakers of the Divine nature.”It was also affirmed by Saint Basil
the Great when he described man as the creature who has received the
order to become a god.
These are certainly bold affirmations which must be properly
understood. The Orthodox Church understands theosis as a union with
the energies of God and not with the essence of God which always
remains hidden and unknown. However, the experience of the Church
testifies that this is a true union with God. It is also one which is
not pantheistic, because in this union the divine and the human
retain their unique characteristics. In this sense, Orthodoxy
believes that human life reaches its fulfillment only when it becomes
divine.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The ever-deepening union of each Christian with God is not a magical
or automatic process. While Christ has destroyed the powers of sin,
death, and evil once and for all, this victory must be appropriated
by each person in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Each person is
called to join with the lifegiving and liberating Spirit"In
realizing the fulness of human life in communion with the Father. The
Holy Spirit is the agent of deification whose task it is to
incorporate us into the life of the Holy Trinity. However, the Spirit
always recognizes our human freedom and invites our active
cooperation in perfecting the"Image and likeness of God"With which
each of us is created.
Our participation in the life of the Holy Trinity, which we know as
theosis, takes place within the Church. For the Orthodox, the Church
is the meeting place between God and His people. The Holy Spirit and
the Church are organically linked. In the second century, Saint
Irenaeus reminded us of this by saying: "Where the Church is there is
the Spirit, and where the Spirit is there is the Church.”The Holy
Spirit moves through the life of the Church to reveal our common
humanity in Christ and to unite us with the Father. We acquire the
Holy Spirit through our celebration of the Eucharist and the
reception of Holy Communion, through our participation in the
Sacraments, through our discipline of daily prayer, and through the
practice of fasting, all of which result in a Christ-like life.
The Holy Spirit, Who is honored as the Lord and Giver of life, is
manifest in the life of the Church in order to bring our lives to
perfection, and to make us responsible and loving human beings. The
fruit of Worship is the gifts of the Spirit. In his letter to the
Galatians, Saint Paul identified these as: "love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and self-
control.”Certainly, these are the virtues of a Christ-like life.
They testify to the fact that the love of God and the love of
neighbor are inseparable.
THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE CHURCH
The reality of theosis not only bears witness to the love of God who
wishes to share Him self with us but also expresses a very positive
view of the human person. Orthodoxy believes that each person has an
intrinsic value and importance in virtue of his or her unique
relationship to God. The human person is never seen as being totally
depraved. The"Image of God"Which can be distorted by sin, can never
be eradicated. Through the life of the Church, there is always the
opportunity for fulfillment. When the Sacraments are administered,
they are always offered to the individual by name. This action not
only reminds us of the dignity of each person but also emphasizes the
responsibility each person has for his or her relationship to God.
While Orthodoxy recognizes the value of the person, it does not
believe that we are meant to be isolated or self-sufficient. Each
person is called to be an important member of the Church. Orthodoxy
believes that one cannot be a Christian without being a part of the
Church. The process of theosis takes place with the context of a
believing community.
To be united with God within the midst of the Church does not mean
that our unique personalities are destroyed. We are not engulfed by
an impersonal force or power. As with all love which is true and
valuable, God's love for each of us respects our personhood. His love
is not one which destroys. God's love is one which reveals, elevates,
and perfects our true selves. By entering into the life of God, we
become the persons we are meant to be.
TREASURES OF ORTHODOXY is a series of pamphlets written for the non-
Orthodox, especially those who are considering becoming members of
the Orthodox Church and who wish to deepen their appreciation of her
faith, worship and traditions. The pamphlets are authored by Fr.
Thomas Fitzgerald, a faculty member of Hellenic College-Holy Cross
School of Theology. The pamphlet titles are as follows:
Copyright: 1983-1996 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Department of Religious Education
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