The Lives of the Saints are Applied Dogmatics - St. Justin Popovic

An excerpt from "Introduction to the Lives of the Saints" by St. Justin Popovic.  

Listen here: https://youtu.be/q1SQB8O2Aek

Read here: here: http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/stjustin_intro.aspx 

The Prologue of Ochrid by St. Nikolai Velimirovich is great for daily reading. It includes a brief life of one or two saints, a hymn of praise, reflection, and homily. Buy the Prologue from various Orthodox Bookstores online.   

Listen free to the lives of the saints every day of the year at Patristic Nectar: https://patristicnectar.org/synaxarion 

St. Justin writes:  

“The Lives of the Saints are holy testimonies of the miraculous power of our Lord Jesus Christ. In reality they are the testimonies of the Acts of the Apostles, only continued throughout the ages.”  

“And who are the Christians? Christians are those through whom the holy Divine-human life of Christ is continued from generation to generation until the end of the world and of time, and they all make up one body, the Body of Christ-the Church: they are sharers of the Body of Christ and members of one another. The stream of immortal divine life began to flow and still flows unceasingly from the Lord Christ, and through him Christians flow into eternal life. Christians are the Gospel of Christ continued throughout all the ages of the race of men.”  

“What are the Lives of the Saints? Behold, we are in Paradise, in which everything which is Divine, holy, immortal, eternal, righteous, true, and evangelical grows and increases. For by the Cross in every one of the saints the tree of eternal, Divine, immortal life blossomed and brought forth much fruit.”  

“Saints are people who live on earth by holy, eternal Divine truths. That is why the Lives of the Saints are actually applied dogmatics, for in them all the holy eternal dogmatic truths are experienced in all their life-creating and creative energies. In The Lives of the Saints it is most evidently shown that dogmas are not only ontological truths in themselves and for themselves, but that each one of them is a wellspring of eternal life and a source of holy spirituality.”   

Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!