"... The true aim of our Christian life consists in the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. As for fasts, and vigils, and prayer, and almsgiving, and every good deed done for Christ's sake, they are only means of acquiring the Holy Spirit of God. But mark, my son, only the good deed done for Christ's sake brings us the fruits of the Holy Spirit..."
St. Seraphim Russian Orthodox Church
Basics of Orthodoxy
The Mystery of Faith
Bishop Hilarion (Alfeyev)
(pdf file ~0.5 MB)The Mystery of Faith
Bishop Hilarion (Alfeyev)Web page of St. Vladimir's Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan (non-working recently)
