[editor's note: a parishioner asked His Grace on an email list what the Orthodox definition of humility is. Below is Bishop Elias' response.]

Dear Brothers & Sisters in XP,

The Orthodox Church, unlike the legally minded Churches of the west, has no "definition" of humility. This is because Orthodoxy is not a faith to studied, but to be lived. Definitions will exist for Dogma, but not for disciplines which are often time bound.

St. Paisios of the Holy Mountain said "To seek perfection in Christ (God), is to seek after pride and vanity; for perfection is of Christ in that we live in the ways he has taught us "

Most of the great Teacher's of the Church seem to feel that perfection, if it exists in this world at all, is the end of the process of Theosis. HUmility is not found in definitions, but rather in actions. We learn humility by observation and emulating actions, not in reading.

In the Orthodox Church the sin of Pride is called the mother of all sins, because it is at the base of foundation of all sinful acts. The Church has never been against "standing up for one's self". Look at St Mark at the infamous Council of Florence... he stood up for his beliefs. We in Church pray for "justice" and "compassion". All the great Martyrs stood up for what they believed. If we are standing up for moral justice, not just for ourselves, but for all humanity, then we are doing a good and Christian thing.

Reading the Holy Fathers is a good thing and profitable to our souls. One should be a bit more careful when reading the Desert Fathers. There are many translations of their words with some translations easier to understand in relationship to the time when it was written. Reading these together with the guidance of a spiritual father is wonderful... but doing it without the guidance of a spiritual father can be dangerous.

+Elias