Pre-Lenten and Great Lenten Homilies of St. Gregory Palamas

[Maria]

In this thread, I encourage everyone to post excerpts from the homilies and writings of St. Gregory Palamas concerning Pre-Lenten and Great Lenten themes of love, forgiveness, repentance, and striving for theosis.

On Peace With One Another is a pre-Lenten homily delivered by St. Gregory Palamas. It is listed as Homily One in the book, Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies.

Surprisingly, this first homily of many is very pertinent today as it deals with crimes of hatred and violence in the cities. At that time, in the 13th century, we would have expected perhaps more of a Christian milieu, but even in the "Golden Age" of Christianity, there was no peace. In order to understand ourselves and others and to grow in our Holy Faith, it is well worth purchasing and reading this book.

Paragraph 3 contains the heart of St. Gregory's message on peace:

• We have one baptism, brethren, for regeneration and divine birth, one faith, one hope, one God, who is above all and through all and in us all. In His love He gathers us together to Himself and makes us members of one another and of Himself. But by the devil's cooperation, hatred towards one another entered in, forcing out love, or rather, it entered in not once but many times, breaking up the unity that was ours in our love for one another and for God. This hatred not only paralyses the city by dividing its inhabitants, but it has also ranged them in warring factions and stirs up civil revolts, irreparable disorders and troubles. It makes fellow-countrymen into antagonists and renders our city like one taken by the enemy. Hatred stirs it up piteously against itself, deceiving it into making war on itself, until this accursed discord turns it into a grim riddle.

  Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies, Ed. and Trans. Christopher Veniamin, Mount Tabor: 2009, p. 2 #3

I am not copying any more from this homily so as to avoid copyright violations.

As we approach Great Lent, let us pray for an increase of Divine mercy, that we ourselves may become peacemakers during these troublesome times. The Gospels warn us that there will be a great loss of faith as the Second Coming of Christ nears, thus we must pray that we are not an occasion of temptation for others to lose their own faith.

[Matthew]

Amen, dear Maria, very apropos quotation, and sober admonition for us all. God help us to stand firm in this hour of apostasy. To stand firm, and walk in real forgiveness and love towards all. Amen, Lord Jesus. Come quickly, Lord!

[jgress]

I love St Gregory Palamas!

[Matthew]

Sounds good to me, Maria!

[jgress]

I'll post one my favorites. This is St Gregory Palamas on secular wisdom, from Triads:

"Nonetheless, if you put to good use that part of the profane wisdom which has been well excised, no harm can result, for it will naturally have become an instrument for good. But even so, it cannot in the strict sense be called a gift of God and a spiritual thing, for it pertains to the order of nature and is not sent from on high. This is why Paul, who is so wise in divine matters, calls it "carnal;" for, as he says, Consider that among us who have been chosen, there are not many wise according to the flesh."

And here:

"Why did we need, not someone to teach us philosophy, but One who takes away the sin of the world, and who grants us a true and eternal wisdom--even though this appears as "foolishness" to the ephemeral and corrupt wise men of this world, whereas in reality its absence makes truly foolish those not spiritually attached to it? Do you not clearly see that it is not the study of profane sciences which brings salvation, which purifies the cognitive faculty of the soul, and conforms it to the divine Archetype?"

I find the latter interesting, since I recall St Justin the Philosopher arguing to the pagans of his time that Christianity was the supreme philosophy! Of course, he was operating under a different definition of "philosophy".

As an academic, I find I really need this kind of advice to strike that balance between become a captive to secular wisdom or completely rejecting it, without distinguishing good from bad.

[Matthew]

Excellent quotes from St Gregory Palamas. I am put in remembrance of my time in university again, by your comments about these quotes. I, too, had similar struggles and temptations regarding learning as a result of the particular conditions in always dealing with people who put far more stock in human reason than is wise. Not to mention that the very system of study is formed out of a humanist approach to and concept of what constitutes "knowledge".

[Maria]

This week, my husband and I read Homily Two from Saint Gregory Palamas: The Homilies:

"On the Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee", pp. 6-14.

Since Metropolitan Moses in his recent sermon on The Publican and the Pharisee gave a great homily, I will present the closing arguments of Saint Gregory Palamas on pages 13 and 14:

• 20. The happenings which took place in those days are shown in the parable of the publican and the Pharisee, fulfilled for ever by righteousness. If someone really accounts himself guilty of eternal punishment, he will courageously endure not just dishonour but also harm, disease, and in fact, every kind of misfortune and ill-treatment. He who shows such patience, as though in debt and guilty, is delivered by a very light condemnation, temporary and ephemeral, from truly grievous, unbearable and unending punishment. Sometimes he may even be delivered from dangers threatening him now, because God's kindness begins from that point, due to his patience. Someone, chastened by God said, "I will bear the chastening of the Lord because I have sinned against Him" (cf. Micah 7:9 Lxx).

  1. May we, chastened not by the Lord's wrath and anger, but by His mercy, not be cast down by God's punishment, but like the psalmist may we be raised up at the end by the grace and love towards mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory, might, honour, and worship, together with the Father and the life-giving Spirit, now and for ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

May we all learn to accept illness and/or corrections from our fellow Christians with love and long-suffering.

Incidentally, there was a Greek Orthodox father who had a son whom he loved. The son, following the example set by his yiayia learned to pray at an early age, and even made his first confession before the age of five. As soon as he had graduated from high school, he entered the seminary, earned his B.A. and then entered the theological seminary to study for the priesthood. The father was very pleased with his son, but was not a very devout Christian. Later, the father came down with Lou Gerig's disease, and the son was crushed. As a Priest, the devoted son frequently visited his father bringing oil from the lamps and relics from various Orthodox Christian Saints with which to anoint his father. He remembered his dad by praying the Akathist to the Sweetest Jesus and the Paracleisis to the Theotokos. In addition, he implored both St. Nectarios of Aegina and St. Panteleimon to heal his father. However, his father became progressively worse. Finally, the dad asked his son for prayers, not for physical healing, but for strength to finish the race and attain the heavenly crown. His son, the Priest, broke down in tears and prayed all the more for healing. Calling his son to his sickbed, the father told his son how he had lived a sinful life and that this blessed illness had been given to him for salvation as now he had time to come to his senses and to repent. He once again pleaded for prayers that he would persevere and win the crown of salvation. The son, with tears in his eyes, joined his father in praying the Paracleisis to the Virgin Theotokos. Shortly after, his father died, and his son buried him.