III. The Sunday of Gregory Palamas

Gregory Palamas was born in 1296. He was originally from Asia Minor but
later was driven by the
Turks to Constantinople. In 1316, Gregory decided to become a monk. He
went to Mt. Athos for
the next twenty years. In the 14th C. Mt. Athos was the center of all
Orthodox monasticism. From
1368, this Sunday has been designated to the memory of St. Gregory of
Palamas, Archbishop of
Thesolonica (1296-1359).

Meditation from St. Gregory: His defense of hesychasm

1. In Christ man is given the power to become spirit.

"When spiritual joy comes into the body from the mind...it transfigures
the body, spiritualizing it. For
then rejecting all the evil desires of the flesh, it no longer weighs
down the soul but rises up with it,
the whole man becomes spirit, as it is written, 'He who is born of the
spirit is spirit' (John 3:6,8).

2. "Knowledge of God" (i.e. Transfiguration) is experienced inwardly.

"This knowledge is the common possession of all those who believe in
Christ...Christ will come in
the glory of the Father and ...in that glory "the just will shine as the
Sun" (Matt. 13:43). They will be
light and they will see light, a blessed and sacred vision, that is the
portion of the purified heart alone.

3. The spiritual life is Christ centered.

"God reveals himself 'face to face'...he unites himself to those who are
worthy as to his own
members, as soul is united to body; he unites himself coming to dwell in
his wholeness in the whole
of their being, so that they may in turn dwell in him; through the Son,
the spirit is poured out
abundantly upon us."

[Taken from:

http://www.assumptionscottsdale.org/Lent/Lent.htm

Web site of Assumption Greek Orthodox Church,
Scotsdale, AZ. This site is full of all kinds of articles relating to
the
Orthodox faith, worship, theology, etc. Absolutely excellent!]