Catechism: Patristics, and Saints

Today the catechism series continues. We are in the section on Tradition, and today we are getting an introduction to The Church Fathers and saints. The Church Fathers did not always agree on every question, but their writings reveal a remarkably consistent center of apostolic faith, worship, and holiness that the Church has received, clarified, and lived across the centuries. From the Apostolic Fathers through the great defenders of Orthodox doctrine and the later mystical theologians, we see how the Church preserved its inheritance, articulated it in response to controversy, and deepened its understanding of salvation as participation in the life of God. Studying the Fathers and the saints teaches us to distinguish the enduring heart of Holy Tradition from individual speculation and extraordinary practices, so that we may faithfully embody the same apostolic faith through humility, repentance, and love of God and neighbor.