...is To Assume Responsibility for the Christian Tradition

     

     

     The Orthodox Church is the Church of
Tradition. Notice the capital "T". This Tradition
is absolutely not to be equated with the transient
cultural and other merely human aspects of the
Church. Tradition, in the Orthodox view, is not a
specific thing or set of things. It is, rather a
critical faculty, a discerning sense, which
enables the Church to assimilate some things as
consonant with genuine Christian experience and
to reject other things as contrary to Christian
authenticity. Tradition is simply the faculty
present in the Church by virtue of the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit, who forges the "mind" of the
Church. Tradition is the expression of this Spiritformed "mind."

     Tradition has crystallized in a number of forms: in Scripture, of course, the primary deposit of Tradition; in patristic writings (the writings of the Church Fathers); in church art; in conciliar decrees; in liturgical texts; in the example provided by the saints. All of these are
testimony to the operation of the Spirit in the
Church.

     And this Tradition is not a museum piece,
locked away by ecclesiastical authorities for
safekeeping. It is a living, vital force accessible
to each of us. In fact, every Orthodox Christian is responsible for discerning, preserving, enriching, and passing on this precious deposit of 
Tradition. How? Above all, by acquiring the
Divine Person who forges and maintains it 
namely, the Holy Spirit. Thus theosis is crucial
not only to the transformation of individuals and
of the world, but for the health of the Church as
well. In Orthodoxy, it is not an authoritative
magisterium which safeguards the Faith; it is the 
faithful themselves! For the faithful to be able to
assume this responsibility - and privilege - they
must immerse themselves in the life of the Spirit
though prayer, sacramental participation, and
spiritual training.