Words of Wisdom

Here are some quotes from some individuals who devoted their lives to God.  There will probably be more quotes comming soon.


"Prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian practices, however good they may be in themselves, do not constitute the aim of our Christian life, although they serve as the indispensable means of reaching this end. The true aim of our Christian life consists in the [increasing] acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts, and vigils, and prayer, and almsgiving, and every good deed done for Christ's sake, they are only means of acquiring the Holy Spirit of God."

-St. Serafim Sarovsky

"When a person accepts anything Godly, then he rejoices in his heart, but when he has accepted anything devilish, then he becomes tormented."

-St. Serafim Sarovsky

"To be free from the tendency to have wandering thoughts during prayer, one must concentrate and pray with warmth. Before prayer, one should prepare for such an effort by making prostrations and by a moment of reflection."

-St. Theophan the Recluse

“Invisible in Himself, He is known from the works of creation; so also, when His Godhead is veiled in human nature, His bodily acts still declare HIm to be not man only, but the Power and Word of God”

-St. Athanasius the Great

"Stand fast, therefore, in this conduct and follow the example of the Lord, 'firm and unchangeable in faith, lovers of the brotherhood, loving each other, united in truth,' helping each other with the mildness of the Lord, despising no man."

-St. Polycarp

1st Post

Welcome to this new blog!  I do not claim to be Justin Martyr, nor "his voice on earth."  He is the patron saint of this blog, not the administrator.  The subject matter discussed herein, he would certainly find stimulating, and it is the great hope of the administrator that St. Justin would be in agreement with the ideas related.

So, what is St. Justin Martyr's blog all about?  This blog is dedicated to discussing Orthodox Christianity, and the Post-Modern world.

Jesus Christ is the central figure of Christianity.  Nearly 2000 years ago, He, the incarnate God, established a church upon this earth.  Christ says in Matthew 16:18: "And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  This church is still in existence to this day, per the words of Christ.  It was never dissolved, there was no "Great Apostasy" (this would defy the scripture). 

In Ephesians 1:22 we read: "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."

Over the ages, countless people have sought to change the Christian Faith.  Scripture was misunderstood, both in it's contents, and in it's relationship to the Church.  Age old teachings were forgotten, or ignored.  Various "innovations" have been made, by various parties.  Many ideas such as Sola Scriptora, Sola Fide, Papal supremacy, created grace, and countless others, materialized long after the Christian Church was established.

The only body, which has maintained the original doctrines and Apostolic Succession is the Eastern Orthodox Church.  Why is it called "orthodox?"  The term orthodox is used as a reactionary measure.  In reality, the Orthodox Church is simply "The Christian Church."  The reason the word "orthodox" is employed is simple, but one that modern man cringes at.  This church maintains the original doctrine, and all other churches fall short.  Although the Orthodox Church does not have a "monopoly" on truth, it contains the truth in its fullness.

On this blog, God willing, I shall discuss these matters, and demonstrate the validity of the Orthodox  Church, and it's teachings.

I am not here to offend anyone.  Much of the time, I speak in terse statements.  I am almost certain that many Roman Catholics, Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, atheists, agnostics, and many others will be offended at some point.  I am sorry for this; offense is not my intention.

When you find truth you ought to share it.  I do not subscribe to the modern attitude so prevalent in this day in age: keep to yourself, to each his own, you need to "respect" other religions, don't tell me what to believe, etc.  This attitude is a cancer eating away at the soul of mankind!  We ought to seek truth.  We ought to talk with one another.  And for God's sake, if you know something, share it!

People are in constant disagreement over things of a religious nature.  In the end, if there is a true religion, a true faith, we should come to the quite logical conclusion that anything, any other religion, any party, that disagrees with this true religion, is wrong.  This is the approach that must be taken if we truly seek truth.  It is the approach of academics, and of science, yet the same individuals that would call religious teachers "bigots" for claiming their religions are true and others are false do not attack education!  Objective truth exists.  If their wasn't, there would be no existence. 

Orthodox Christianity is a way of life.  I loosely refer to it as a religion.  The English term "religion" comes from the Latin term re-legare (ri-leg-ar-ei), which means reconnection.  The objective of the Orthodox Christian is to seek reconnection with the Creator.  To cleave to Him, to love Him.  God is love.  The persons of the Holy Trinity: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit love one another, and look to each other for their identity.  In this love, they form the single, triune God.  The Father is the Mind, the Son is the Word, the Holy Spirit is the Breath.  There is but one God from all eternity, one single Primal Essence.  The exact mechanics of the Holy Trinity are incomprehensible to man, for God lives outside of time, and cannot be understood with our minds.  He is the creator of time, and of this world.  Nothing restricts Him.  God created man, a conscious being, in His image, out of love.  God created us, with free wills, and does not force us to love Him.  We have the choice of loving God.  If one loves God, they love all that is true, and shall be united with God.  This is where true happiness is found.  God will not force someone to spend eternity with Him if they do not want to.  Salvation comes from God alone.  We are saved from un-truth: all that is unprofitable.  Heaven and Hell are both places and states of mind.  They are realities that are real and present while we are alive on earth, and after we depart.

Much more shall be discussed.