St. John of Kronstadt tells us “the Holy Sacraments are called the Divine Gifts because they are given to us by the Lord freely, for nothing, undeservedly on our part. Instead of punishing us for the numberless sins we are committing every day, and giving us over to Spiritual death, the Lord, in the Holy Mysteries, forgives us, and cleanses us from all our sins, Hallows us, and grants peace to our Spiritual Powers, healing and health of Soul and body, and every Blessing, simply in accordance with our Faith”. Considering all the breadth and depth of these Blessings from God, the only stipulation or consideration to all this is the last few words – simply in accordance with our Faith.

What IS our Faith?  It is the priority we place God in our lives – the degree we participate in God. The priority we place on listening to God’s constant guidance and our speaking with God (prayer). Our Faith Our Faith is demonstrated in the simple way we try to perfect our imitation of Christ in every aspect of how we live. Our Faith is also manifested in the way we treat one another and the degree that we treat each other with care, love, and respect. Our Faith is manifested in how we cooperate with God in His plan for our life rather than our own agenda for life. Our Faith is shown to God in how respectful we are to God and His Holy Church. Do we arrive at Church in time for the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, participating in the Sacraments (the Divine Gifts from God) of Confession and Communion? Do we participate in Saturday Vespers and the Holy Days? Do we give of our time and treasure to God’s Holy Church lovingly and freely?

We are all called to freely and robustly participate in God (God Blesses us to literally share in Himself through the reception of Confession and Holy Communion). This Blessed invitation should not be ignored, or accepted in an occasional fashion, nor should we come to Church sometimes, even as the main doors are closing, but for every Divine service God provides for us. God established His Holy Church to nurture us and care for us, guiding us throughout the troubled waters of everyday life in this imperfect world.

In November of this year, I will celebrate forty years of ordained service to God’s Holy Church. Throughout all those years I have “lived in hope” – primarily hoping that many others would come to a much more active participation in God and His Holy Church. We should all live in the hope of God’s Love coming to us and allowing us to spread this love around to others and influence them to come to God.

I knew this type of influence was possible when my Father came to me after I was ordained a Deacon. He was tearful when he said that the service was beautiful and he hoped I would be Blessed in this new service to God. This came from a man who had been in Church only twice in my life. Unfortunately he passed away only a few weeks later. I have seen this change in countless hundreds of others since. I know God is leading me on a path to make positive change in the lives of others.

Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ built the Holy Church and handed it over to the Apostles, their successor Bishops and Priests to continue to build up the Church – the Body of Christ. All of us Clergy or Layman are responsible for this building up and can cooperate with this effort. Are you?

THEOLOGY OF HESYCHASM

By Very Rev. Dr. Matthew Searfoorce

Palamas uses in all his work the mystical Tradition of Orthodoxy which had roots in Evagrius and Macarius, Christian teaching based on the Bible and a wide knowledge of the Church Fathers. Palamas rooted all of his thoughts even the "Method of Nicephorus in the entire life of the Church and the placement of Christ at the center of the Church community - the Body of Christ.

Barlaam, Palamas' main opponent, based his position on two postulates;

1) The Aristotelian postulate that all knowledge,

including knowledge of God, is derived from

perception of the senses -"experience,"

2) A Neoplatonic postulate based also in Christian

writers, especially Pseudo-Dionysius, according

to which God is beyond sense and experience, and

therefore unknowable.

Barlaam held that all knowledge of God must be indirect, passing always "through beings" perceptible to sense. Therefore mystical knowledge itself can have only a symbolic reality.

Palamas could not accept Barlaam's statements, and supported the possibility of direct knowledge of God, or more specifically, the possibility of the direct intervention of the Spirit in man's knowledge of God

"I hold that among God's gifts some are natural; they are granted indiscriminately to all, before the law, inder the law, after the law. Others are supernatural and full of mystery. These latter gifts I hold to be higher that the former, as those who have been judged worthy to receive the Wisdom of the Spirit are superior to the whole tribe of Hellenists. I hold that philosophy is one of the natural gifts of God, as are also the discoveries of human reason, the sciences...I give each the honor it merits..."(Triads II;1;25, pages 275-277)