Why We Exist
At Ora House, we believe that we must learn what it means to be in the image and likeness of God from the image and likeness of God, Jesus Christ. It is from Him and through Him that we become human. Together, we aim to live in the spirit of the Patristic and Celtic Christian traditions, which participated in God through Beauty, Contemplation, and Formation. The Early Christians fostered monastic communities that lived a daily rhythm of life that included practices such as contemplative and liturgical prayer, scriptural meditation, friendship and hospitality, silence and solitude, artistic creativity and labour.
At Ora House, we believe that we are to be formed by God by stepping into the rhythm of creation with God. We are not looking to build an online community, but rather to encourage and support each person in living the ancient Celtic monastic way within their own community and culture.
Throughout the History of the Church, there has been a rich anthropology. In Jesus, we do as Pontius Pilate unwittingly tells all to do in John 19:5, "Behold, the human." He is fully and perfectly man, and fully and perfectly God. It is in Christ that we come to know what it means to be human perfectly, yet God does not force us to become it. Instead, as St. Irenaeus teaches us in Against Heresies, we are made with the capacity for it. It is through our learning and willful obedience that one is made in the image of God, which is our created purpose, but it is only through union with Christ, who is the image of God, that we can become as He is. Ora House was born out of the desire to help the people of God become truly human. To live out our union with Christ, through participation in Him.
We believe that in Christ, humanity is made in the image and likeness of God, no matter your socioeconomic status, academic achievements, spiritual prowess, age, or gender. There are no special abilities or knowledge granted to a select few to gain access to divine perfection, leaving others excluded from it. God gave all free will, Christ died for all, and the Spirit came to lead all into truth. The economy of God is one where all have been given the power of choice to receive the goodness of God in obedience to His teaching or to reject it.
Fundamentally, we believe that this path to perfection in Christ cannot happen alone. We are not individuals in the world, set apart from all other people. Instead, God has made us to be persons who make up one body. In Christ, we are one. With that in mind, we aim to build a community of people dedicated to participating in Christ through beauty, contemplation, and formation. One day, Lord willing, that will include a geographical place, but for now, we look to connect with others who are like-minded and in need of connection.