Praying the Lord’s Prayer with the Saints

The Lord’s Prayer is not merely a set of words to be recited, but a divine pattern for all prayer. Saint Gregory of Nyssa and Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov help us uncover its inner meaning—showing that through this prayer, we are called to purification, union with God, and the transformation of our hearts.

The Lord instructed His disciples, saying:

When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you…

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father…

(Matthew 6:6-9)

Christ teaches us to avoid the vain and thoughtless speech—the “babbling” that arises from distraction and self-importance. True prayer begins with stillness: we must quiet our thoughts, turn inward, and focus our mind on God. We come before Him as His creatures, fashioned from the dust of the earth and wounded by the Fall of Adam and Eve. This remembrance of our lowliness is the beginning of humility, and humility is the foundation of all genuine prayer.

Our Father, Who Art in Heaven

The Lord’s prayer begins with a profound declaration: “Our Father.” In these words, we are invited into an intimate relationship with God—not as distant servants, but as His children. To call God “Father” means that we recognize ourselves as sons and daughters who bear His image and are called to grow into His likeness. Yet this is also a daring confession, for how can we, fallen and unworthy, claim such kinship?

Saint Gregory of Nyssa observes that Christ gave this prayer before His work of redemption had been completed, and yet already called his followers to address God as “Father.” This reveals the depth of His mercy: He offers even sinners the privilege of sonship, inviting us to repentance and purification so that we may truly live as His children. Before we utter these words, we should therefore examine our hearts and ask whether we are striving to live in a way that befits those who bear His name.

When we add the phrase “Who Art in Heaven,” we are reminded that our Father is not of this world. To pray properly, we must lift ourselves above earthly cares and direct our hearts towards a heavenly homeland prepared for us. Prayer begins with an ascent: a rising of the soul toward God, who awaits our return in the kingdom of Heaven.

Hallowed Be Thy Name

To hallow God’s name means to make it holy—not that His name itself can become more holy, and manifest its holiness through our lives. When we pray, “Hallowed be Thy Name,” we are asking that God’s holiness be revealed in us—that our thoughts, words, and deeds may glorify Him. This petition calls us to purification, repentance, and the struggle against sin, so that God’s light may shine through us without stain or shadow.

Saint Gregory of Nyssa explains this beautifully:

God’s name should be glorified through my life—a life purged from all stain of sin… a life that will oppose fortitude to the assaults of the passions…a life not softened by the luxuries of the body… not engulfed by the pleasurable enjoyments of its life… a life that strives after the immaterial life and divine.

Thus, the holiness of God’s name is not honored merely by our speech but by our way of life. Each time we pray these words, we renew our commitment to live as true children of our heavenly Father—so that His name may be sanctified in us, and through us, in the world.

Thy Kingdom Come

When we pray, “Thy Kingdom Come,” we are not merely asking for the end of time or the final coming of Christ in glory. We are asking that His divine reign begin within our hearts even now. As Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov reminds us, the Lord has said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Therefore, this petition is a plea that God’s grace may rule within us—subduing the tyranny of sin and transforming our inner life into a dwelling place for the Holy Trinity.

To desire the coming of the Kingdom is to long for union with God. Christ Himself says, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). This is what we are asking for when we pray these words: that God’s Kingdom may descend into the depths of our being, so that His will, His peace, and His love may reign in us.

Saint Gregory of Nyssa explains:

 “When we ask that the kingdom of God may come to us, we mean we desire to be freed from corruption and death; when the Kingdom of God truly comes, all earthly sorrow and suffering will vanish, and joy will reign forever in the soul.”

Saint Ignatius adds: 

“A person who feels the kingdom of God within him becomes a stranger to the world that is hostile to God.”

To pray for the Kingdom, then, is to ask that our heart become heaven—that our mind be illumined, our will purified, and our desires conformed to the eternal joy of God’s presence. We are seeking to live already, even on earth, as citizens of that heavenly realm.

Thy Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven

When we pray, “Thy will be done,” we are surrendering our own self-will and asking that our life may be governed entirely by God’s divine purpose. This is not an act of resignation, but of trust and love. Just as the angels in heaven obey God’s will perfectly, we are asking that His will may also be fulfilled perfectly in us on earth.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov teaches:

“Only through the will of God can the human will poisoned by sin be healed.”

The submission of our will to God’s will is the most perfect and saving path. This healing requires His grace. Left to ourselves, our will is enslaved by passions and distorted desires. To say “Thy will be done” is to ask God to restore harmony to our soul—to cure the sickness within that drives us away from Him.

Saint Gregory of Nyssa writes:

“When Thy will is done in me, every corrupt and wicked movement of my free will is brought to nothing.” 

Our uncontrolled passions will be subdued; our pride will be destroyed by humility; our charitable acts will expel many evils that live in our soul; hate, envy, and anger will be controlled; any hypocrisy or cravings for revenge will be eliminated.

Through this prayer, we ask to be made whole—to have our heart purified, our pride humbled, and our will aligned with the divine will, until our life mirrors the obedience and peace of the heavenly hosts. Then, even amid the struggles of this world, our soul begins to live in the harmony of heaven.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

This petition has both an earthly and a spiritual meaning. On one level, it is a humble request for what is necessary to sustain our bodily life. On a deeper level, it points to the divine nourishment of our soul—the heavenly Bread that is Christ Himself.

Saint Ignatius teaches that his daily bread is first of all the life-giving food we receive in the sacrament of Holy Communion, where we receive the true Body and Blood of Christ. Through it, our mortal nature is united with His immortal life:

This bread is not perishable. It transforms us into His likeness and will give us everlasting life. Jesus says, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me and I in him…whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (Jn 6:56). Thus, when we pray for our “daily bread,” we are asking that we may be made worthy to receive Holy Communion—not casually or unworthily, but as those who hunger for eternal life.

Yet Saint Gregory of Nyssa also reminds us that this prayer also includes our simple bodily needs. Christ, who took flesh and shared our hunger, teaches us to depend upon the Father each day and to seek nothing beyond what is necessary. Gregory writes:

“Ask for this bread—not delicacies or riches, nor magnificent garments, golden ornaments, precious stones…,or landed estates, military commands, or political leadership.” 

Ask for the food which sustains life.  We are saying that we must trust in Him that He will provide what is necessary for this day.

This petition, then, trains the heart in trust and moderation. We ask for what is needful, not for excess. We entrust ourselves to the daily providence of God, knowing that all who seek first His Kingdom will lack nothing essential. Whether in the Eucharist or in the simple bread of daily life, He is the One who feeds and sustains us.

Forgive Us our Trespasses

In this petition, we ask for God’s mercy—and at the same time, we commit ourselves to show mercy toward others. Forgiveness is not optional for the Christian; it is the condition of our own forgiveness. Christ Himself makes this clear:“

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt 6:14-15)

When we pray these words, we acknowledge that we are trespassers before God. There is no one that is righteous in the eyes of God (Romans 3:10). The measure of mercy we extend to others becomes the measure by which we ourselves are judged. When we approach God in our prayer, we recognize God as the Benefactor. Therefore, we too need to be benefactors to call Him our Father.

Saint Gregory of Nyssa says, 

“Do you want your trespasses to be forgiven by God? Forgive then yourself, and God will ratify it. For your judgment of your neighbor, which is in your power whatever it may be, will call forth the corresponding sentence upon you. What you decide for yourself will be confirmed by Divine judgment.”

When we forgive, we make room for grace. Our heart becomes light, and prayer becomes pure. Thus, in saying these words, we are not merely asking for pardon—we are learning to love as God loves, and to be freed from the burden of vengeance and pride.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

In this final petition, we acknowledge our weakness and ask for God’s protection. Temptations arise both from the enemy and from the passions that dwell within us. We cannot overcome them by our own strength; we need divine help to resist the snares that lead us away from God.

When we pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” we are not suggesting that God tempts us to sin—for Scripture declares, “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone” (James 1:13). Rather, we ask that He would not permit us to fall into the power of temptation, that we might not be overwhelmed by trials beyond our strength. We pray that our hearts may remain steadfast, guarded by His grace.

Saint Ignatius writes:

Do not allow us to be carried away by our sinful desires.

Do not allow us to be conquered by love of money, ambition, or lust for power.

Do not allow us to be misled by false thoughts and teachings.

Do not allow us to become enslaved by sensuality or gluttony at times when we abound in earthly good things, or by pusillanimity and grumbling when we are surrounded by depravations.

Do not allow us to be seized by pride when we are leading a virtuous life, or swallowed up by hopelessness and despair in the face of stumbling blocks.

These words reveal the depth of the struggle. Every passion, every thought, every trial can become a temptation if it turns us from humility and trust in God. Yet even these struggles, when endured with faith, can become occasions of victory, as the Apostle says,

“Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God”(Acts 14:22).

When we add, “but deliver us from evil,” we are asking for freedom from the dominion of the evil one—the adversary who seeks to destroy the image of God in us. Only Christ can deliver us from his power. Through this prayer, we entrust our whole life to the mercy and might of God, that we may be preserved in the light and peace of His Kingdom.

Thine Is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory

We conclude this prayer saying: 

“For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

 The Lord’s Prayer ends with praise—a doxology that returns everything to God. Having asked for our needs, forgiveness, and protection, we now confess that all good belongs to Him: the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory. In this way, the prayer closes where it began—with the acknowledgment that God alone is our Father and King, the source and goal of all things.

Saint Gregory of Nyssa and Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov remind us that in praying the Lord’s Prayer, we are asking for nothing less than God Himself—to dwell in us, to establish His Kingdom within us, and to make us sharers of His divine life. Every petition leads toward this one end: union with God in love.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov says,

“We are asking God to do no less than grant us Himself, to dwell in us and establish His kingdom within us, so that we, through this, may reside in Him, and reign through Him 5overall”.

This is not the only prayer we should be offering. In our other prayers, we should be asking for only things needed for our spiritual growth and to purify our souls so we can live in Him eternally and He in us. 

Saint Ignatius warns: 

Beware of asking for earthly good things and privileges that fill the prayers of heathens.”

Our prayer, then, must always aim toward the eternal: the sanctification of our lives, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the fulfillment of the divine will in us. As Christ Himself teaches, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

To pray the Lord’s Prayer with understanding is to walk the path of transformation. Each phrase becomes a step in our ascent—from humility, to purification, to illumination, and finally to communion with the living God. When we pray with attention and repentance, the words of the Lord become the living breath of our soul. Through them, we learn to live already in the peace of His Kingdom—here and now, and unto the ages of ages.

Let us pray the Lord’s Prayer not merely with our lips, but with a heart striving to live its meaning—until every word becomes reality within us.

References: 

St Gregory of Nyssa, The Lords Prayer, The Beatitudes, Ancient Christain Writers No 18

St Brianchaninov, The Harvest, vol IV, The Collected Works

What is Salvation? The Orthodox Teaching

This is a very important lessons because salvation is the very purpose of our life—to be united with God. In this lesson, we explored what salvation truly means and the path that Christ Himself revealed to us.

In short, salvation is the healing of our fallen condition—the condition we inherited from Adam and Eve’s disobedience. Because of their sin, humanity became separated from God and subject to death. This earthly life, with all its struggles and fears, is not a punishment but a path God allows for spiritual perfection and restoration, a time where we learn to love and freely follow God’s will. Our task is to heal the soul from a tendency to sin and to restore our union with God through Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit.

The first step is to overcome the illusion that we can define what is good on our own. When we make ourselves the standard of righteousness, we are blind to our sinfulness and the reality that all truth and goodness come from God. Our “good” actions, when guided by self-will, are often corrupted by pride and self-interest. Living by our own wisdom, we become prideful, self-centered and estranged from God.

Yet God never abandons us. In time, He awakens our heart to His truth. Once we believe in the Gospel, we begin to see our own sinfulness and desire to change, to become more like Christ.

God gave the Ten Commandments through Moses, but the Law alone was not sufficient to heal our fallen nature. It revealed sin but did not provide the power to overcome it. Many, like the Pharisees and Sadducees, sought righteousness by human effort—by rule-keeping rather than transformation of the heart. Christ saw them as hypocrites. 

When the time was right, God sent His Only-Begotten Son, and the great mystery of the Incarnation took place: God’s divinity was united with human flesh. Jesus Christ, being fully God and fully man, came to transform and heal all humanity so that we might be reunited with Him and become like Him, healing the consequences of the Fall. 

His earthly life, recorded in the Gospels, shows us the way we must live to be healed and receive His grace to live in communion with Him. 

Out of love, He voluntarily offered Himself on the Cross on our behalf, revealing that death itself can be overcome. This was not a mere payment but an act of love. His death was followed by His Resurrection, showing that life beyond death is now possible for all who follow Him.

After His Resurrection, Christ ascended into heaven, opening the gates of Paradise so all who follow Him can enter. He then sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, transforming the Apostles and empowering them to establish His Church—a living faith community where the grace of the Holy Spirit continually works through the sacraments to heal and sanctify us.

This is known as general salvation—the possibility of salvation for all. Yet salvation must also become personal. Each person, through free will, must choose to follow Christ’s path. This begins with faith, recognition of our sinfulness and repentance, followed by Baptism, through which we enter His Church—the spiritual hospital for our healing. There we are nourished through the Eucharist, receiving Christ’s Body and Blood as real participation in His life. When we fall into sin, we are restored through Confession, renewing the purity of our baptism.

Our personal salvation is a lifelong process of transformation though repentance. Step by step, through prayer, repentance, and obedience to Christ’s commandments, our soul is purified and our will is trained to align with His. This is called synergia—the cooperation of our effort with God’s grace. We are saved by grace, yet this grace is given only when we actively participate in the life Christ offers.

Throughout life we face trials and tribulations—both those allowed by God and those we undertake voluntarily through fasting, prayer, forgiveness, and self-denial. These shape and purify us. Even if we do not reach perfection in this life, the Fathers assure us that God, in His mercy, will receive all who persevere faithfully to the end.

All of this takes place within the Church, the Body of Christ, where the Holy Spirit is ever at work healing, restoring, and sanctifying the faithful.

In summary:

The ultimate goal of our life is Theosis—to be united with God, illumined by His glory, and transformed by His grace. To live in Theosis is to live in love, humility, and communion with God, reflecting His image in our daily life.

Christ has opened the way for all, but each of us must cooperate with His grace, repent, and live a life of faith and love within His Church. This lifelong journey—the Orthodox Way of Life—leads to Theosis, our true destiny: union with God for all eternity.

Only God’s grace saves, but salvation involves our cooperation with His grace.

Five Key Points to Remember

Union – Our life’s purpose is union with God (Salvation).

Christ Heals – Through His Incarnation, Crucifixion and Resurrection, Christ heals our fallen nature.

Synergia – Salvation is by grace, requiring our free cooperation through faith and repentance.

The Church – The Orthodox Church is the spiritual hospital where healing and transformation occurs in the sacramental life.

Theosis – Our goal is to be transformed by God’s grace and live in eternal communion with Him.

Resources:

Video: https://www.catechism-orthodox.church/lesson-9

Reading: Chapter 6 in Orthodox way: A Catechism for Seekers

What Does it Really Mean to Love God?

Discovering the Deeper Love Christ Commands

When we read Scripture, it’s easy to gloss over familiar words like “love” without grasping their deeper meaning. When Jesus commands: “'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…”, what does He mean? Surely this is not the same kind of love we speak of in romance, friendship, or even affection for our favorite things. In everyday speech, “love” often describes emotional attachment or desire, but the love of God is something entirely different. He is calling us into a living relationship — to participate in His divine energies — so that our desires and very being are reshaped to become like Him.

Human Love vs. Divine Love

The love God asks of us is not like affection for a spouse or best friend. Natural affection, though good, is often mixed with pride, sensuality, and self-interest. Love for God, by contrast, must be pure — seeking nothing in return and springing from the grace of God dwelling in the heart. Saint Ignatius warns that thinking of God in a worldly way is to offer an “impure sacrifice.”  God desires instead “only true, spiritual, holy love.” He seeks a union in which our desires and emotions are united with His will, His divine love—where every act of love become a living prayer: “Thy will be done,” not “My will be done.” In this love, we begin to want what God wants, to think as He thinks, and to live as He lives. It is a love that heals, purifies, and draws us into communion with Him.

The Apostle Paul reinforces this by declaring that love is greater than anything else—greater than knowledge, prophecies, even faith itself. He calls love the “bond of perfection” that unites us with God.

Saint Maximus the Confessor describes this love as a “holy state of the soul” that values the knowledge of God above all things. He explains that we cannot truly possess this love while we’re still attached to worldly desires. 

Elder Thaddeus teaches that God’s love is not “according to this world.” Rather, it is a mystical participation in His divine energies—a sacramental union that transforms us from within.

Saint Porphyrios uses the language of passion and desire, urging us to make Christ our deepest longing: “Christ is everything. He is our love. He is the object of our desire.” He exhorts us to be able to say, “My Christ, whatever Your love dictates, it is sufficient for me to live within Your love.” Truly, “the love of God transforms everything; it sanctifies, amends, and changes the nature of everything.”

What Jesus Commands

The love Jesus commands is a call to union with Him, a commitment to live by His teaching. Since He Himself is love, only through Him are we able to truly love. As we follow Him, He draws us into a love that is inseparable from obedience: 

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments”

To love Christ means aligning our entire life with His will, not merely seeking to feel good or to get what we want. It is a willingness to let God reshape our hearts and desires so we may become more like Him. This love endures every trial and tribulation He permits. It requires surrender—laying aside self-centered desires in order to be conformed with His will.

Gift of the Holy Spirit

Saint Paul teaches that we can only experience this kind of love through the Holy Spirit—“God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” — and love is the first fruit of the Spirit’s work in us. This love is not produced by our own effort; it is a gift God grants as we cooperate with Him, participating in His divine energies.

How We Cultivate This Love

There are no shortcuts. Unlike human affection, divine love cannot be manufactured by effort or discipline; it is a gift of grace, received through repentance and humility. In worldly love, our actions are essential—developing affection through spending quality time together, offering consistent care and support, being honest and vulnerable, communicating openly, and building trust through reliability and shared experiences. Such worldly love grows through small, everyday acts: listening attentively, showing appreciation, bringing gifts, and working through adversity together. Actions that we initiate to build a human relationship.

Saint Ignatius warns us that the love of God cannot be created in this way, through our own efforts. We may commit ourselves to meditation, spiritual reading, or other disciplines. We may think by placing our effort into daily prayer, ascetic practices like fasting, or even regular attendance at worship services we will love God. This approach is an error, he says. Not because these activities are bad, but they assume you can become united with God’s love through your own effort, just like you do in human relationships.

Love of God is not something we can generate by making it a goal. It is something that is given to us by Him. We cannot say, “I must develop my love of God” and expect to produce it by sheer willpower. Saint Ignatius insists that developing a love for God requires prior preparation of the soul, so that God Himself may bestow it. 

Saint Porphyrios teaches that to love God we must first prepare our hearts. We need to cultivate an “Orthodox spirit”: a heart shaped by faith, repentance, and a longing for Christ. Most importantly, this begins with purity of heart and humility. We must recognize God’s almighty power and the reality of the Final Judgment at His Second Coming. Without a heart free of selfish desire and pride, there is no room for His love in us. We must let go of pride, self‑interest, and sensuality. 

Our first step, then, is a life of repentance—turning away from sin so that divine grace can fill us. This must be our goal. Love of God emerges from a purified, humble heart and the gift of His grace, not from self-directed exercises or manufactured feelings. It must be something much greater than words such as “I believe,” or “I need your help,” or even “I love you.”

Fear of God and Growth of Awe

Saint Ignatius says, 

“Love for God is…available only for those who have completed the invisible path to God.” 

He teaches that this path begins with a reverent fear of God. Jesus Himself says, 

“Come you children, and harken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” 

This fear is not terror but a deep awe and reverence that keeps us from becoming indifferent and instructs us in the way of God’s commandments. We must remember that He is our Creator and Judge, who will determine our fate at the Final Judgment when He comes again. Such fear is the acknowledgement of Who He is—a reverence that leads us along the path to a love greater than any earthly love. 

As this reverence matures, the fear rooted in any kind of punishment fades and is replaced by awe that burns in our heart, bringing warmth and light that fills us with joy as we are embraced by His love.

There are two kinds of fear: fear of punishment, and the fear of losing the joy of being in communion with God. As we grow spiritually, the first gives way to the second. Developing our love of God, then, begins with purification—ridding the heart of sinful tendencies so divine grace may fill it.

Fear of God is only the beginning. As our love deepens, awe becomes joy, and reverence blossoms into freedom. The commandments cease to feel like burdens and instead become the natural expression of a heart united with Christ.

Love of God is revealed in our obedience to Him. We must love Him in the way He has commanded us to love. Jesus says: 

”Abide in My love. If you keep my commandments , you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in Him.” 

The Journey of Love: Repentance to Theosis

The way is repentance. As Jesus said in His first public teaching, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand”. Repentance means changing our way of life to be like His, to live by all His commandments. It requires both self-sacrifice and our cooperation with His grace. These sacrifices demonstrate our love for Him. 

At first, our efforts may be motivated by our fear of punishment at the Final Judgment. But as we walk the path of repentance and receive His grace step by step, that fear is transformed into a deeper one—the fear of losing the sweetness of His grace. As Saint Ignatius says: 

“Repentance is the ship. Fear is the helmsman. Love is the divine shore.”

In the end, the love for God is far richer and deeper than the feelings we often call love. It requires preparation, purification, humility, effort, reverent fear, and continual cooperation with God’s grace. It is not a self‑improvement technique or a method of emotional comfort, but a lifelong journey toward becoming fully alive in Christ—participating in His life, His love, and allowing that love to transform every aspect of who we are. This is the path of Theosis — becoming like Him.

References: 

The Refuge: Anchoring the Soul in God, St. Ignatius Brianchaninov

Four Hundred Texts on Love, Saint Maximus the Confessor

Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives, Elder Thaddeus

Wounded By Love, Saint Porphyrios

Matthew 22:37,  Col 3:14, John 14:15, Rom 5:5, Gal 5:22, Ps 33:12, John 15:10, Matt. 4:17

What Is Faith Really?

When people today speak of faith, they often mean something quite ordinary. Faith can mean belief — “I have faith that this statement is true.” It can mean trust — “I have faith in you,” confidence that a person won’t let us down. Or it can mean acceptance — “I believe what you are telling me,” taking someone at their word.

All of these meanings are real, but in the Christian life, faith goes far deeper. The Apostle Paul calls faith “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). And St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, one of the great spiritual Fathers of Russia, writes simply: “Faith in Christ is life.”

So what is faith really? Let us unfold it.

More Than Belief: Faith Is Life

Belief accepts truths; faith lives in them. Through faith, the soul already experiences a foretaste of eternal life. It is not only knowing about Christ but living in Christ, receiving His life as our own. Even a mustard seed of faith, if alive, carries within it the power of eternity. As St. John Chrysostom says: 

“Faith gives reality and substance to what is expected; it makes them present to the soul and causes them to be realized in it.”

More Than Trust: Faith Endures

Trust relies on promises, but faith clings to Christ in every storm. St. Ignatius teaches that those who truly believe must “patiently bear cruel temptations” and “accept the pain of sorrows.” Faith is not mere optimism; it is the strength to remain with Christ when trials come. This endurance is itself a miracle of grace — a quiet fire in the soul that outlasts both joy and sorrow.

More Than Saying “I Believe You”: Faith Sees Providence

Words can affirm, but faith interprets reality. St. Ignatius explains that true faith means to ascribe all events to God’s providence. Whether in joy or in grief, success or loss, the faithful heart rests in God’s wise care. Faith looks at the world sacramentally: every circumstance, even painful ones, is part of God’s saving plan.

A Deep Relationship: Love, Obedience, Humility, and Union

At its heart, faith is relational, ethical, and mystical. It is a deep relationship with Christ that transforms the whole person.

• Love: Faith awakens love for God and neighbor. As St. Paul says, “faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6) is the true measure of the Christian.
• Obedience: Faith listens to Christ’s commandments. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).
• Surrender of ego: Faith is kenosis, self-emptying. It lets go of pride and control so God can reshape us. St. Ignatius insists that true faith immerses the soul in deep humility.
• Desire for union: Faith longs to be one with Christ, sharing His life now and forever. It is not content with moral improvement but hungers for theosis — participation in God’s own life.

This is why in every Liturgy we pray: “Let us commend ourselves and each other, and all our life unto Christ our God.”

Faith and Zeal

Faith is not static; it burns with zeal — the soul’s eager fire toward God.

• St. John Chrysostom: “Faith produces zeal, and zeal produces works.”
• St. Isaac the Syrian: “Zeal for God is a fire in the heart that burns up everything earthly and brings the mind into the presence of God.”

Yet zeal must be rightly guided: true zeal is humble and compassionate, not arrogant or judgmental. Faith gives birth to zeal, and zeal carries faith into action.

Faith as the Spirit’s Indwelling

Faith is not just mental conviction or emotional warmth. St. Paul says: 

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16).

 To have faith is to become a living temple.

This is not a passing feeling. The Spirit’s presence is known by His energies: peace, illumination, repentance, love, patience, transformation. The Fathers caution us not to seek feelings in prayer, but God Himself. St. Theophan the Recluse writes: 

“Do not seek feelings in prayer. Seek God Himself. The feelings will come in their own time, as He wills.”

Faith, then, is not primarily emotional but ontological: God dwelling in the soul, making it His temple.

The Fruit of Faith: Transformation and Power

Faith that is alive produces fruit. For St. Ignatius and the Fathers, this fruit appears in two ways:

• Hidden miracles: endurance, forgiveness, humility, repentance — the inward resurrection of the soul.
• Manifest miracles: the saints, through faith, healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out demons, and foretold the future. These are not human feats, but God’s power working through those whose hearts are fully surrendered.

Thus, faith is both quiet perseverance and radiant power — the Cross and the Resurrection joined together.

Faith Moves Mountains

Christ says: 

“If you have faith as a mustard seed… nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt. 17:20). 

Faith moves mountains — not by magic, but by aligning our will with God’s. The “mountains” are the obstacles of sin, fear, despair, and even death itself. By persevering in prayer, repentance, and the sacraments, the faithful see these mountains cast into the sea.

The Western Contrast

It is worth noting how faith has been understood differently in the West.

• In much of Western Christianity, faith often became tied to justice, duty, and social welfare — Catholic theology framed works of mercy as “meritorious,” while Protestant traditions often emphasized charity as either a sign of faith or the main expression of Christian life.
• In Orthodoxy, works of mercy are not simply social programs or moral duties but ways of encountering Christ Himself (cf. Matt. 25). They are ascetical, healing the soul from selfishness, and sacramental, extending the Divine Liturgy into daily life.

Thus, while both East and West feed the hungry, Orthodoxy understands faith’s works as part of theosis, not only social ethics.

In the Words of Christ

Jesus Himself gives the most concise summary:

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live; and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” (John 11:25–26)

Faith is not only to accept that Christ exists, but to believe in Him so deeply that His life becomes ours, conquering even death.

Conclusion

So what is faith really?

Faith is more than belief, more than trust, more than words. It is life itself — the soul’s union with Christ. It is the foundation of hope, the foretaste of eternal life, the quiet fire of zeal, the indwelling of the Spirit, the humility of surrender, and the power that moves mountains. Faith endures trials, sees all things in providence, and expresses itself in love and obedience. It transforms the believer and, through the believer, the world.

Faith in Christ is not an idea we hold. It is the life of God at work in us.