Monday, February 24, 2014
The Apophatic Way
The great
mystery of the Incarnation remains a mystery eternally. Not only is what
is not seen of it greater than that which has been revealed- for it is revealed
merely to the extent that those saved by it can grasp it- but also even what is
revealed still remains entirely hidden and by no means in known as it really
is… Let us contemplate with faith the mystery of the incarnation and in all
simplicity let us simply praise Him who in His great generosity became man for
us.
-St. Maximus
the Confessor
Truth is not to be identified with its linguistic formulations; language only marks, or signifies, the intellectual boundaries of Truth. The guardian and keeper of Truth can only be the social body with experience of the Truth.
-Christos Yannaras
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my firm support, and my refuge, and my deliverer; my God is my helper, I will hope in him; [he is] my defender, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper. 3 I will call upon the Lord with praises, and I shall be saved from mine enemies. 4 The pangs of death compassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness troubled me exceedingly. 5 The pangs of hell came round about me: the snares of death prevented me. 6 And when I was afflicted I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of this holy temple, and my cry shall enter before him, [even] into his ears. 7 Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains were disturbed, and were shaken, because God was angry with them. 8 There went up a smoke in his wrath, and fire burst into a flame at his presence: coals were kindled at it. 9 And he bowed the heaven, and came down: and thick darkness was under his feet. 10 And he mounted on cherubs and flew: he flew on the wings of winds. 11 And he made darkness his secret place: round about him was his tabernacle, [even] dark water in the clouds of the air. 12 At the brightness before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire. 13 The Lord also thundered from heaven, and the Highest uttered his voice. 14 And he sent forth [his] weapons, and scattered them; and multiplied lightnings, and routed them. 15 And the springs of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blasting of the breath of thy wrath. 16 He sent from on high and took me, he drew me to himself out of many waters. 17 He will deliver me from my mighty enemies, and from them that hate me; for they are stronger than I. 18 They prevented me in the day of mine affliction: but the Lord was my stay against [them]. 19 And he brought me out into a wide place: he will deliver me, because he has pleasure in me. 20 And the Lord will recompense me according to my righteousness; even according to the purity of my hands will he recompense me. 21 For I have kept the way of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God. 22 For all his judgments were before me, and his ordinances departed not from me. 23 And I shall be blameless with hem, and shall keep myself from mine iniquity. 24 And the Lord shall recompense me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes. 25 With the holy thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent. 26 And with the excellent [man] thou wilt be excellent; and with the perverse thou wilt shew frowardness. 27 For thou wilt save the lowly people, and wilt humble the eyes of the proud. 28 For thou, O Lord, wilt light my lamp: my God, thou wilt lighten my darkness. 29 For by thee shall I be delivered from a troop; and by my God I will pass over a wall. 30 [As for] my God, his way is perfect: the oracles of the Lord are tried in the fire; he is a protector of all them that hope in him. 31 For who is God but the Lord? and who is a God except our God? 32 [It is] God that girds me with strength, and has made my way blameless: 33 who strengthens my feet as hart's feet, and sets me upon high places. 34 He instructs my hands for war: and thou hast made my arms [as] a brazen bow. 35 And thou hast made me secure in my salvation: and thy right hand has helped me, and thy correction as upheld me to the end; yea, thy correction itself shall instruct me. 36 Thou has made room for my goings under me, and by footsteps did not fail. 37 I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; and I will not turn back until they are consumed. 38 I will dash them to pieces and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet. 39 For thou hast girded me with strength for war: thou hast beaten down under me all that rose up against me. 40 And thou has made mine enemies turn their backs before me; and thou hast destroyed them that hated me. 41 They cried, but there was no deliverer: [even] to the Lord, but he hearkened not to them. 42 I will grind them as the mud of the streets: and I will beat them small as dust before the wind. 43 Deliver me from the gain sayings of the people: thou shalt make me head of the Gentiles: a people whom I knew not served me, 44 at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me: the strange children lied to me. 45 The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness. 46 The Lord lives; and blessed [be] my God; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. 47 [It is] God that avenges me, and has subdued the nations under me; 48 my deliverer from angry enemies: thou shalt set me on high above them that rise up against me: thou shalt deliver me from the unrighteous man. 49 Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name. 50 [God] magnifies the deliverance of his king; and deals mercifully with David his anointed, and his seed, for ever.
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my firm support, and my refuge, and my deliverer; my God is my helper, I will hope in him; [he is] my defender, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper. 3 I will call upon the Lord with praises, and I shall be saved from mine enemies. 4 The pangs of death compassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness troubled me exceedingly. 5 The pangs of hell came round about me: the snares of death prevented me. 6 And when I was afflicted I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of this holy temple, and my cry shall enter before him, [even] into his ears. 7 Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains were disturbed, and were shaken, because God was angry with them. 8 There went up a smoke in his wrath, and fire burst into a flame at his presence: coals were kindled at it. 9 And he bowed the heaven, and came down: and thick darkness was under his feet. 10 And he mounted on cherubs and flew: he flew on the wings of winds. 11 And he made darkness his secret place: round about him was his tabernacle, [even] dark water in the clouds of the air. 12 At the brightness before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire. 13 The Lord also thundered from heaven, and the Highest uttered his voice. 14 And he sent forth [his] weapons, and scattered them; and multiplied lightnings, and routed them. 15 And the springs of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blasting of the breath of thy wrath. 16 He sent from on high and took me, he drew me to himself out of many waters. 17 He will deliver me from my mighty enemies, and from them that hate me; for they are stronger than I. 18 They prevented me in the day of mine affliction: but the Lord was my stay against [them]. 19 And he brought me out into a wide place: he will deliver me, because he has pleasure in me. 20 And the Lord will recompense me according to my righteousness; even according to the purity of my hands will he recompense me. 21 For I have kept the way of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God. 22 For all his judgments were before me, and his ordinances departed not from me. 23 And I shall be blameless with hem, and shall keep myself from mine iniquity. 24 And the Lord shall recompense me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes. 25 With the holy thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent. 26 And with the excellent [man] thou wilt be excellent; and with the perverse thou wilt shew frowardness. 27 For thou wilt save the lowly people, and wilt humble the eyes of the proud. 28 For thou, O Lord, wilt light my lamp: my God, thou wilt lighten my darkness. 29 For by thee shall I be delivered from a troop; and by my God I will pass over a wall. 30 [As for] my God, his way is perfect: the oracles of the Lord are tried in the fire; he is a protector of all them that hope in him. 31 For who is God but the Lord? and who is a God except our God? 32 [It is] God that girds me with strength, and has made my way blameless: 33 who strengthens my feet as hart's feet, and sets me upon high places. 34 He instructs my hands for war: and thou hast made my arms [as] a brazen bow. 35 And thou hast made me secure in my salvation: and thy right hand has helped me, and thy correction as upheld me to the end; yea, thy correction itself shall instruct me. 36 Thou has made room for my goings under me, and by footsteps did not fail. 37 I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; and I will not turn back until they are consumed. 38 I will dash them to pieces and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet. 39 For thou hast girded me with strength for war: thou hast beaten down under me all that rose up against me. 40 And thou has made mine enemies turn their backs before me; and thou hast destroyed them that hated me. 41 They cried, but there was no deliverer: [even] to the Lord, but he hearkened not to them. 42 I will grind them as the mud of the streets: and I will beat them small as dust before the wind. 43 Deliver me from the gain sayings of the people: thou shalt make me head of the Gentiles: a people whom I knew not served me, 44 at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me: the strange children lied to me. 45 The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness. 46 The Lord lives; and blessed [be] my God; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. 47 [It is] God that avenges me, and has subdued the nations under me; 48 my deliverer from angry enemies: thou shalt set me on high above them that rise up against me: thou shalt deliver me from the unrighteous man. 49 Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name. 50 [God] magnifies the deliverance of his king; and deals mercifully with David his anointed, and his seed, for ever.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Persona
The soul comes
to know herself first and foremost face to Face with God. And the fact that
such prayer is the gift of God praying in us shows that the persona is born
from on High and so is not subject to the laws of Nature. The persona
transcends earthly bounds and moves in other spheres. It cannot be accounted
for. It is singular and unique.
Absolute Being
is Hypostatic; and man, the image of the Absolute, is hypostatic. God is
Spirit, and man-hypostasis is spirit; yet spirit which is not unconnected,
abstract, but given concrete expression by the corporal body. Just as the
Divine Logos took on Himself human flesh and thereby showed that God is not a
fantasy of man’s imagination, born of ignorant fear of unknown phenomena, but
actual reality. So, too, the human hypostasis is actually real. The Divine
Spirit embraces all that exists. Man as hypostasis is a principle uniting the
plurality of cosmic being; capable of containing the fulness of divine and
human life.
The persona
does not determine himself by opposition. His is an attitude of love. Love is
the most profound content of his being, the noblest expression of his essence.
In this love lies likeness to God, Who is Love. Per se the persona is
excellence surpassing all other cosmic values. Rejoicing in the freedom that he
has discovered, man contemplates the divine world.
Scientific and
philosophical knowledge may be formulated but the persona is beyond definition
and therefore incognisable from without, unless he himself reveals himself.
Since God is a Secret God, so man has secret depths. He is neither the author
of existence nor the end. God, not man, is the Alpha and Omega. Man’s godlike
quality lies in the mode of his being. Likeness in being is the likeness of
which the Scriptures tell. –Elder
Sophrony
Friday, February 14, 2014
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