Gifts in Return

Theology of the Gift and the Gift of Theology

The texts in this book reveal some of the gifts that God has given us. They represent the spiritual inheritance that the Metropolitan has received through the riches of Orthodox theology and the life of the Church, from his parents, spiritual fathers and teachers, and from contemporary saints. They are offered to readers as a gifts in return, to show that the theology of the gift resolves all the problems that we face in our lives.

By perceiving everything as a gift from God, we realise that we must offer ourselves as a gift in return to God and our brethren. Gifts have theological meaning, because they express love and the Cross, which prevent us from identifying ourselves with the gift and becoming attached to it. Instead we must remember God, Who is the greatest gift and the greatest benefactor in our lives. The gifts of God are not an end in themselves. They must not be seen in isolation, but placed within the perspective of Orthodox theology, to enable us to see God’s energy within them.