Categories: hymns, parish-life, feast-days
Date: 04 March 2007 05:13:05
Light of Orthodoxy, teacher of the Church: its confirmation! Ideal of monks and invincible champion of theologians. Wonder-working Gregory, glory of Thessalonica and preacher of grace: always intercede with the Lord that our souls may be saved!
Troparion of the St Gregory Palamas
Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Great Lent: The Sunday of St Gregory Palamas. St Gregory, who was a monk and who became Archbishop of Thessalonica, is well-known in Orthodoxy through his defence of hesychastic prayer and also his distinction of the energies and essence of God, stating, as that OrthodoxWiki article writes, "...that it remains impossible to know God in his essence (God in himself), but possible to know God in his energies (to know what God does, and who he is in relation to the creation and to man), as God reveals himself to humanity." He also made mention of the "uncreated light", that is, what Peter, James and John witnessed at the Transfiguration, and that, again from OrthodoxWiki, "it is possible for others to be granted to see that same uncreated light of God with the help of repentance, spiritual discipline and contemplative prayer."
Father gave us a challenging and encouraging sermon, and one that rang clear and true to me: often, especially in the fasting seasons of the Church, we can easily become discouraged as we aren't making the progress we had prayed for or hoped for. And often, in many places and at many times, we feel the Christian path is too hard and too difficult, and we risk just throwing our hands up and giving up. But this is not the way: God is not some tyrant who, after several failures by us, throws His hands up and says, "I'm giving up on you!": no, He never does: His mercy, His grace, His strength, His love, is infinite, and He is always there when we acknowledge what we have either done wrong, or what we should've done and have not, and He is always there to support us and to carry us on our way. Thanks be to God.