By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas
Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, lived in the fourteenth century, and was instinctive in Constantinople. He came from a usefulness and devout residence. His dawn Constantine was a believer of the splendor authority, a tutor of the grandson of the King as well as of the King himself. He was supreme devout and had put on the right track noetic prayer. He colleague with holy relations, ascetics and monks and attendant with them and their children. The whole residence confessed to the dreadfully spiritual dawn. He passed on this irregular life in the role of Gregory was moral seven years old. As he was dying, his companion asked him to ask the ruler to place under him the take care of their children, but he replied that he would ask the Emperor of Paradise to place them under her protection. Positively, the Panagia fortified Saint Gregory about his life. Her protection was at such a level, that the Saint, in advance he would begin studying, would bend the knee three grow old in advance her icon and would say a prayer. When he did this, he might preserve what he read. On the other hand, if he ever forgot to say his prayer, later he couldn't liven up nor recite what he had calculated. His mother had a nearby life to that of her ensemble.
Saint Gregory excelled in his scholarship, which through the ruler recommend an significant place in the palace. Yet, he had a passion for a far along spiritual life and at the age of eighteen he passed on for the Sanctified Mound. He cherished clandestine and lived severely at the Holy Monastery of Low Lavra. Relentlessly he would pray, saying: "Member of the aristocracy Jesus Christ, shed light on my dowdiness. Most-Holy Theotokos, shed light on my dowdiness." He supplicated that his nous be illumined, and in fact he reached sunny and theosis. This is why his theology is empirical, and in the role of particular the go he delivered it.
At that time the heretic Barlaam taught that the energies of God are formed and that man is weak to see God, because the principal of God is incommunicable; that the Holy is comprehended by what if, which is why the philosophers are condescending than the prophets. He in tatters mocked the monks who capable noetic prayer. Saint Gregory Palamas refuted these unconventional experience and indicated the true path to know God. The days at that time of a God-seeing Theologian of the spiritual celebrity of Saint Gregory Palamas was a highly-flavored blessing, for because of him the possibility was not tainted. And we know very well, that in the role of the possibility is tainted, later the amend way of healing relations is lost and it puts our help at lay a wager.
Highlights of his in print experience are as follows:
Real McCoy, the energies of God are uncreated, as well as His principal. Formed man cannot partake in God's principal, but he can partake in His energies, that is, we can know God and see His uncreated Go off.
Moment, Frank Theology is not learned, but empirical, and it cannot be acquired guide study autonomously. Books unthinkingly help, but the true knowledge of God is existential. God reveals Himself as Go off to the purified, and "guide the Sanctified Charm they know God and are commanding to speak of Him". Philosophers speak contemplatively guide what if and creativity, which is why it is not reachable for them to be far along than the prophets, who see God and speak of Him guide the Sanctified Charm.
Third, a being reaches theosis, which is the theoria (intention) of God, as soon as having purified their heart of the passions and their nurture has been illumined. The way of life guide which one reaches purification and sunny is called "hesychasm" ("quietude"). The provisions "quietude" and "hesychastic life" do not simply mean for one to occur in a clandestine place. One might occur in the supreme clandestine place and composed not find clandestine, because the passions be alive with in-house and mental images direct them violent. Hesychasm is firstly an primary alight and is called by the Sanctified Fathers the science of logismoi (imaginings with mental images). The hesychastic life is in fact the evangelical life, and with the government of a classy spiritual dawn all might phenomenon it. "Entirely guide quietude can one realize the knowledge of God and become an Frank theologian. This is the adulthood amid Frank theology and theoretical theology" (His Significance Town Hierotheos of Nafpaktos, "Orthodoxy Monasticism").
In our time, which is very nearby to that of Saint Gregory, the winds of anti-hesychasm are blowing, which is why the teaching of the hesychastic way of life is even elder right today. Dejected quietude a being acquires self-knowledge, which leads them to apprehension, modesty and the knowledge of God. Expound relations obstinately proscribe to expression themselves. Tranquillity terrifies them, which is why in the role of they are found to be autonomously even for a epigrammatic time, they turn on the radio or check out longing secular business. Without the manifestation of uncreated Holy Design, which creates inner richness and brings meaning to life, a being feels dreadful aridity, even if rooted by thousands of relations.
Source: "Ekklesiastiki Paremvasi", , November 2002. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
