“Every day we should stand in awe of Him, as He is with us, and do what is pleasing before Him. If we are unable now to perceive Him with our physical eyes, we can, if we are watchful, see Him continuously with the eyes of our understanding and not just see Him, but reap great benefits from Him.” IfsGivingShouldEyeSpiritualEvilUnderstandingSinVisionBirthBenefitsEternalPerceivePurityAweEternal LifeReapDemolish Author:Gregory Palamas
“Through the fall our nature was stripped of divine illumination and resplendence. But the Logos of God had pity upon our disfigurement, and in His compassion He took our nature upon Himself. On Tabor He manifested it to His elect disciples clothed once again most brilliantly. He showed what we once were and what we shall become through Him in the age to come if we choose to live our present life, as far as possible, in accordance with His ways.” IfsWayAgeSpiritualFallCompassionDivinePityDiscipleIlluminationLogosPresent LifeDisfigurement Author:Gregory Palamas
“The commemoration of Christ's saving Passion is at hand, and the new, great spiritual Passover, which is the reward for dispassion and the prelude of the world to come. Lazarus proclaims it in advance by coming back from the depths of Hades and rising from the dead on the fourth day just by voice and command of God, Who has power over life and death (cf. Jn. 11:1-45).” WorldHandsChristianSpiritualPassionVoiceChristRewardsDepthCommandSavingRisingLife And DeathOrthodoxFourthComing BackHadesCfsPreludeGreat SpiritualLazarusCommemoration Book:The homilies Source: The homilies
“Let none of you have a soul which is barren and without fruit. Let nobody be unloving or unreceptive to the spiritual seed. May each of you eagerly accept the celestial seed, the word of salvation (cf. Lk. 8:11), and by your own efforts bring it to perfection as a heavenly work and fruit pleasing to God. Let no one make a beginning of a good work which brings no fruit to perfection (cf. Lk. 8:14), nor declare his faith in Christ only with His tongue.” MaySoulChristianSpiritualChristEffortAcceptingPerfectionSalvationFruitTongueSeedsHeavenlyOrthodoxGood WorkOrthodox ChristianCelestialBarrenCfs Author:Gregory Palamas
“... we grapple with this 'law of sin' (Rom. 8:2) and expel it from our body, establishing in its place the surveillance of the intellect. Through this surveillance we prescribe what is fitting for every faculty of the soul and every member of the body. For the senses we prescribe what they should take into account and to what extent they should do so, and this exercise of the spiritual law is called self-control.” ShouldSoulSelfBodyChristianSpiritualLawSinExerciseMembersAccountsIntellectSensesOrthodoxFacultySelf ControlSurveillanceFitting 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
“If from one burning lamp someone lights another, then another from that one, and so on in succession, he has light continuously. In the same way, through the Apostles ordaining their successors, and these successors ordaining others, and so on, the grace of the Holy Spirit is handed down through all generations and enlightens all who obey their spiritual shepherds and teachers.” IfsWayLightChristianSpiritualSpiritGraceTeacherGenerationsHolyBurningHoly SpiritOrthodoxLampsEnlighteningApostlesSuccessionShepherdsSuccessors Author:Gregory Palamas
“We start... imitation of Christ with Holy Baptism, which symbolizes the Lord's Burial and Resurrection. Virtuous living and conduct in accord with the Gospel are its intermediate stage, and its perfection is victory through spiritual struggles against the passions, which procures painless, indestructible, heavenly life.” ChristianSpiritualPassionChristLordStruggleStageVictoryHolyPerfectionHeavenlyOrthodoxResurrectionVirtuousImitationAccordOrthodox ChristianBaptismBurialIndestructiblePainless 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
