How to Remain in Communion With God

There are many necessary elements for remaining in communion with God. Among the chief are:

• Regular attendance at Sunday Divine Liturgy, as well as consistent participation in the Feasts and fasts of the Church year.

• Maintaining a daily prayer rule (for a basic outline; see Morning Prayers and Evening Prayers on pages 755 to 761 in the Orthodox Study Bible).

• Daily reading and study of the Holy Scripture.

• Regularly partaking of the Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion).

• Regular repentance and confession of sins.

"One of the best known of the Desert Fathers of fourth-century Egypt. Saint Serapion the Sindonite, traveled once on pilgrimage to Rome. Here he was told of a celebrated recluse, a woman who lived always in one small room, never going out.Skeptical about her way of life--for he was himself a great wonderer--Serapion called on her and asked: 'Why are you sitting here?' To this she replied: 'I am not sitting, I am on a journey.'

Biblically and historically, true worship has consistently been liturgical. "Spontaneous" worship is an innovation of the last century or so.

Does the Orthodox Church place Holy Tradition above or equal to Holy Scripture?

The Church sees the Holy Scripture as inspired and authoritative Holy Tradition: the Logos/Word of God. It is crucial to understand how the word "tradition" is used in the New Testament, which condemns the tradition of men but calls us to follow Apostolic or Holy Tradition.

They were Persian Christians, and suffered in the time of king Sapor, in 355 A.D. The first three were servants at the court of this king, but secretly served Christ their Lord. When they were arrested and brought to trial before the king, he asked them where they came from. To this they replied: 'Our paternity and life is the Most Holy Trinity, consubstantial (of one essence) and undivided, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God.'

Saints Cosmas and Damianos (Damian), the siblings and holy martyrs, known as the holy unmercenaries (anargyroi), were from Asia. They were the sons of a certain pious woman named Theodote. They were skilled in the medical arts but received their gift of healing from Christ. They ministered free of charge to their patients, fulfilling the Gospel command: "Freely ye received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). The Holy Church also commemorates two other sets of holy unmercenaries, who share the names of Kosmas and Damianos. We differentiate them by provenance.