Talk 79: Why Are the Lives of Saints Considered the Encyclopedia of Orthodoxy?

Orthodox Talks by Priestmonk Kosmas, Sydney, Australia
www.OrthodoxTalks.com

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This talk is a continuation of Talk 78: “Why Do the Demons Tremble When We Read the Lives of the Saints?” For many years, few lives of saints were available in the English language, leaving the English-speaking Orthodox faithful without this soul-saving spiritual nourishment. Such is no longer the case, and we now have volumes of the lives of saints available in English. Nevertheless, the majority of Orthodox Christians are spiritually deprived because they read the lives of saints either rarely or not at all.

In this talk, Father Kosmas uses the teachings of various saints and elders to show the spiritual value of reading the lives of saints and to explain why they are considered the encyclopedia of Orthodoxy. He reads from a range of saints’ lives and emphasises that we should study them in order to apply aspects of their lives to our own spiritual life.

The following questions are also discussed: is it easy to confidently speak with the saints and to have our prayers answered? Why is there a greater emphasis on reading the lives of saints than on reading the Gospels? Why did the Roman Catholic Church remove many pre-schism saints from their calendar? How can Orthodox Christians overcome doubts and unbelief when reading about the great achievements and miracles in the lives of the saints? Can the lives of the saints help us understand more about ghosts and UFOs?

Other points covered in this talk include: how Saint John of San Francisco emphasised studying and commemorating the saints of one’s homeland; the importance of reading the lives of recent saints and elders; how many deceptions and heresies among Orthodox Christians today are due to neglecting the lives of the saints; how to resist sexual temptation by reading about saints who were tempted; how the disabled and sick can benefit from reading the lives of saints who suffered similarly; and why a woman saint who was being tortured felt pain, unlike many martyrs who reportedly felt no pain.