Sin

In the Orthodox Church, there are no categories of sin as in Western Christianity. Sin is sin and means “to miss the mark", the mark being to lead a Christ-like life. Sin is an infection rather than an infraction. A good way to look at sin would be the following: "Are my actions, my thoughts, my attitudes, my material goods, etc. controlling me, or am I in control of them?" After the Fall we are predisposed to self-centered choices directed by the passions rather than choices based on agape. Sin makes us to be out of communion or what might be called disunion with God and neighbor. We should go to Confession when we sin.

Teacher Training and Resources

Reference Materials

A reference is a referral to another's text or information and can refer to written sources (books, reports, articles), videos, Internet sites, images, etc. It can also refer to personal communication in the form of letters, e-mails or interviews. A reference is synonymous with a literary citation or citing a source.

The following materials are offered as sources for information and ideas but please remember to properly give credit if material is used in your writing! If you forget to use references, or your references are incomplete, your work can seem like an empty postulation or create suspicions of plagiarism.

Articles

  1. The Orthodox Understanding of Sin, Fr. George Morelli (Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America)
  2. Sin, The Orthodox Faith, OCA
  3. Original Sin, Fr. Tenny Thomas

Videos

  1. What is Sin?, Be the Bee (ep. 38), Greek Orthodox Church

Podcasts

Scripture

In order to help our children grow in the Orthodox Faith in North America, a decision was made to standardize all materials to the Orthodox Study Bible (DSWA Kalpana DSWA/C/016/2010, October 28, 2010). Please continue to pray and support the development of a fully approved translation based on the Peshitta, and our textbooks will educate on the various translations and historic development of Scripture.

  • [1 John 5:16–17]

    If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

Liturgical Resources

The Ministry of Liturgical Resource Development (LRD) was created in July of 2015 (DSWA Kalpana DSWA/C/10/2015, July 24,2015) to promote the translation, versification, and publication of vital English liturgical resources. Today most of our Sacramental offices are available and the "Service Book of the Holy Qurbono" and "Shehimo: Book of Common Prayer" are available in print. Wherever possible references will be made using LRD resources given the easy access to these materials to the faithful in North America.

Holy Qurbono


Other Hymns


Other Prayers


Promion and Sedro


Quotes

Patristic Quotes

  • [St. Seraphim of Sarov] "In spite of our sinfulness, in spite of the darkness surrounding our souls, the Grace of the Holy Spirit, conferred by baptism in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, still shines in our hearts with the inextinguishable light of Christ ... and when the sinner turns to the way of repentance the light smooths away every trace of the sins committed, clothing the former sinner in the garments of incorruption, spun of the Grace of the Holy Spirit. It is this acquisition of the Holy Spirit about which I have been speaking."
  • [St. Gregorios of Parumala] "Forgiveness is strength. It gives a person a good name. It is the distinguishing feature of righteous people."
  • [St. Gregory of Nyssa] "For virtue is a light and buoyant thing, and all who live in her way 'fly like clouds' as Isaiah says, 'and as doves with their young ones'; but sin is a heavy affair, as another of the prophets says, 'sitting upon a talent of lead.'"
  • [St. Isaac the Syrian] "As long as you are journeying in the way to the city of the kingdom and are drawing near the city of God, let this be for you a signpost: the strength of the temptations you encounter. The nearer you draw and progress, the more temptations multiply against you.”
  • [St. Isaac the Syrian] "Spread your wings over the sinner, and if you cannot carry his sins, then at least shelter him."

Other Quotes

  • [Unknown] "Satan's goal was not to see Job suffer. His goal was to see Job sin in his suffering."
  • [Fr Martin Laird] "The human is built in such a way as to commune with God in the silent depths of a heart enlightened by the grace of baptism. But because of the weakness of our nature, such communion seems distant and practically impossible. Part of the problem is the obsessive tendencies or patterns of the mind called “the passions.” These passions are stirred up by afflictive thoughts with the result that “bit by bit one drifts away from what one is supposed to be doing [praying] into a world of fantasy.” Growing gradually out of touch with reality, the Christian thus grows out of touch with God. The journey of prayer is a way of working out the grace of baptism, which becomes in a practical way a battle against the inner noise and chaos of endless thoughts and mental chatter that keep our attention riveted to the surface of life and therefore ignorant of the silent depths within, where God dwells. As a remedy to this struggle of the human condition the Philokalia advises stillness, watchfulness, and the Jesus Prayer."
  • [CS Lewis] "Why then did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having."
  • [Fr Bishoy Kamel] "The saints are not humans without sin. They are humans who have struggled against sin."

Syriac and Greek Words

Icons

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