“"I am afraid that God has sent these men to lay waste the world".” MenWorldWasteLaysIslam Author:Gregory Palamas
“Mary properly bore the name of Virgin, and possessed to the full all the attributes of purity. She was a virgin in both body and soul, and kept all the powers of her soul and her bodily senses far above any defilement. This she did authoritatively, steadfastly, decisively and altogether inviolably at all times, as a closed gate preserves the treasure within, and a sealed book keeps hidden from sight what is written inside. The Scriptures say of her, 'This is the sealed book' (cf. Rev. 5:1-6:1; Dan. 12:4) and 'this gate shall be shut, and no man shall enter by it' (Ezek. 44:2).” MenBookSoulBodyChristianNamesWrittenSightScriptureSensesTreasureAll TimePreservesPurityOrthodoxGatesAttributesPossessedMaryBoresVirginsCfsDefilement Author:Gregory Palamas
“They have not understood that the Lord's Cross discloses the entire dispensation of His coming in the flesh, and contains within it the whole mystery of this dispensation. Extending in all directions, it embraces everything above, below, around and between.” MenWholeChristianLordMysterySonGloryCrossesEmbraceFleshOrthodoxLiftingOrthodox ChristianExtendingLifting Up Author:Gregory Palamas
“'Now we are the sons of God'. This is the starting point of adoption. However, 'it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is' (I Jn. 3:2). This is the perfection of adoption of sons and renewal which God bestowed on us in Christ, and of which John says in his Gospel that, 'Christ gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God' (Jn. 1:12-13).” KnowsMenBelieveDoeChristianNamesChristBornBloodSonPerfectionStartingFleshOrthodoxAdoptionRenewalOrthodox ChristianStarting Point Author:Gregory Palamas
“The recovery of spiritual sight and the healing of physical blindness have much in common. Some of those whose bodily eyes were blind received their sight at once, like the man who heard and immediately saw and was healed. Others recovered their sight gradually as in the case of the man, who, before he was completely cured, said, “I see men as trees, walking”. It is the same with those whose spiritual eyes were healed.” MenSaidEyeChristianSpiritualCommonHealingCasesSawsHeardTreeStageHe ManWalkingSightBlindRecoveryOrthodoxBlindnessHealedOrthodox ChristianSpiritual Eyes Author:Gregory Palamas
“... whenever Christ, the Bridegroom of pure souls, is mystically united with each soul, He gives the Father occasion to rejoice over this as at a wedding. It is Christ Himself Who says, 'Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner who repents' (Lk. 15:7). For joy, according to the Apostle, is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22), Who through conversion brings back to Christ those living in repentance, and reunites them with Him. And this joy embraces both those in heaven and godly men on earth. That is why there is joy in heaven over one repentant sinner.” MenGivingSoulEarthChristianJoySpiritFatherHeavenChristUnitedHolyPureEmbraceFruitConversionOccasionsHoly SpiritSinnerOrthodoxRepentanceRejoiceGodlyRepentApostlesOrthodox ChristianGalsPure SoulBridegroomGodly Man Author:Gregory Palamas
“...the grace of the Spirit takes possession of the quiet soul, and gives it a taste of the unspeakable good things to come, which no passionate and negligent eye has seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of such a man (cf. I Cor. 2:9). This taste is the earnest of these good things, and the heart which accepts these pledges becomes spiritual and receives assurance of its salvation.” MenGivingHeartSoulEyeChristianSpiritualSpiritAcceptingGraceHeardTasteQuietEarsSalvationGood ThingsPassionatePossessionOrthodoxAssuranceEarnestPledgeOrthodox ChristianUnspeakableCfs Author:Gregory Palamas
“'Go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father, and to My God, and your God' (Jn. 20:!7). He is our Father by grace through the Spirit of adoption (Rom. 8:15), but His Father by nature on account of His divinity. Similarly, He is our God as the creator of our human nature, but His God by reason of the dispensation whereby He became man. He made these distinctions so that we might understand the difference.” MenHumansMadeReasonMightChristianSpiritFatherDifferencesGraceHuman NatureAccountsCreatorDistinctionDivinityOrthodoxAdoptionOur FatherOrthodox ChristianBrethren Author:Gregory Palamas
“The heavenly Father Whom we worship is the Father of the Truth, namely, of the only-begotten Son, and has the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit, and those who worship Him in these Two do so because they believe in these Persons and act through Them. For the Apostle tells us that it is through the Spirit that we worship and pray (cf. Rom. 8:26), and God's only-begotten Son says, 'No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me' (John 14:6).” MenBelievePersonsTwoChristianSpiritFatherSonPrayingHolyWorshipHoly SpiritHeavenlyOrthodoxApostlesOrthodox ChristianHeavenly FatherCfs Book:The homilies Source: The homilies
“While He [the Lord Jesus] was sitting alone by the well, 'There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water' (John 4:7). As man, the Lord was thirsty, and saw that someone who was naturally thirsty was coming to quench her thirst. As God, however, He also saw that her heart was athirst for the water of salvation, although she did not know Him Who could give it to her. So He hastened to reveal Himself to her longing soul for, as it is written, He Himself longs for those who long for Him (cf. Ps. 9:10; Prov. 7:15).” KnowsMenGivingWellsHeartLongSoulChristianJesusWaterLordSawsWrittenDrawsSittingSalvationLongingOrthodoxThirstOrthodox ChristianThirstyCfsQuenchSitting Alone Author:Gregory Palamas