Visit the Archdiocese’s Great Lent website to learn more about the second Sunday of Great Lent Gregory Palamas and his profound influence on Orthodox Christian theology This site offers resources for the faithful and video commentary.  Dive deeper into St Gregory's teachings to enrich your Lenten journey www.goarch.org/sunday-stgregorypalamas Get the Orthodox Observer delivered to your inbox Download VCF • Join our Mailing Lists • Donate The information contained on the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is for informational purposes only Certain individuals and institutions are presented for reference purposes only and may not be under the supervision or jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese The Holy Archdiocese does not exercise any administrative oversight or assignment authority over clergy that are not part of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America during the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Wood Green Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain ordained Deacon Gregory-Palamas Florides to the Holy Priesthood The ordination took place amidst a congregation of clergy and faithful marking a significant moment for the parishes in Wood Green and the Archdiocese as a whole Abbot of the Holy Patriarchal and Stavropegic Monastery of Vlatadon in Thessaloniki Among those serving were Archimandrite Nephon Tsimalis Archimandrite Palamas Tsilipakos from Mt Athos Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Throne Professor Athanasios Mellisaris Assisting in the service were the Archdeacons Dr along with the Reverend Deacon Andreas Badila Among those in attendance were also Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Consuls of Greece and Cyprus In his moving address before entering the Holy Altar Gregory expressed his deep gratitude to Archbishop Nikitas whose guidance and fatherly love have profoundly shaped his ministry Reflecting on his journey from the diaconate to the priesthood he prayed that he might serve the Church with faithfulness and humility following Christ’s command: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren he pledged to preach and live the Gospel with sincerity Gregory also acknowledged the unwavering support of his family He extended his heartfelt appreciation to his brother clergy and the faithful who have embraced and encouraged him in his ministry Recalling the wise counsel of Archbishop Nikitas he recognised the importance of both pastoral care and administration in the life of a clergyman Now serving in the historic parishes of the Dormition of the Mother of God and St he remains committed to serving the Church as a family in Christ Archbishop Nikitas offered words of wisdom and pastoral counsel Gregory to carry out his ministry with humility He commended him for his obedience and for his growth in both confidence and faith during his time of service Archbishop Nikitas reminded him of the profound responsibility of the priesthood—not only to serve but to inspire and lead the faithful closer to Christ Gregory to ensure that the church remains as full as it was on the day of his ordination a testament to the love and support of the community Welcoming him into the ranks of the clergy of the Archdiocese the Archbishop encouraged him to be an instrument of God’s grace Archbishop Nikitas elevated Thomas Chiu to the Order of Reader together with the Parish Council and clergy offered their warm wishes to the newly ordained priest A festive reception in the community hall concluded the day celebrating this momentous occasion in the life of the Archdiocese Photo credit: Alexios Gennaris and Christina Charalambous the Patriarchate of Jerusalem solemnly celebrated the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women... Archbishop Elpidophoros of America celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Monastery of the Theotokos.. it was announced that two Roman Catholic institutions in Bavaria have decided to jointly.. A car once used by Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to Bethlehem is being transformed into a mobile.. the Monastery of Saint Vlash in Albania hosted a festal Divine Liturgy on the.. Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece presided over the festal Great Vespers at the historic.. (function() { window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { listeners: [] cb) { window.mc4wp.listeners.push( { event : evt callback: cb } ); } } }})(); © 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website These cookies do not store any personal information Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website find insights about the upcoming Gospel reading where we learn how Christ heals a man with paralysis Why did Christ choose to forgive his sins before physically healing him What is the link between God and our healing Why did people think it was blasphemous that Jesus forgave sins To find out, read this sermon from the Department of Religious Education (DRE): www.goarch.org/departments/religioused/sermons SUNDAY SERMON SERIES is an easy-to-download weekly sermon on the Sunday Gospels with insights and analyses about the readings All sermons are posted on the DRE website: www.religioused.goarch.org where you can also subscribe for free to the Department’s email list and receive them directly in your inbox Captain Jones leading by example in round 1 from Puerto Rico. 🥤 pic.twitter.com/SnRhNaqNaj Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here the Olympic Anthem is in fact the oldest property of the modern Games had already established his reputation across Europe his three-act opera “Flora Mirabilis” was played at La Scala in Milan and were performed in all the major cities in Europe and the Middle East He was even considered the equal of contemporary Italian composers Giacomo Puccini On 6 April 1896, the Games opened in Athens. The Panathenaic Stadium was packed for the Opening Ceremony with an audience of around 80,000 enthusiastic spectators King George I of Greece declared: “I hereby proclaim the opening of the First International Olympic Games in Athens,” whereupon an eyewitness – the gymnast who became a celebrated educationalist and Greek sports leader Ioannis Chrissafis – wrote: “Once the long applause from the spectators had died down of enormous size compared with the city of Athens at the end of the 19th century took their place at the heart of the stadium to perform the Olympic Anthem composed by the illustrious Greek musician with words by poet Kostís Palamas inspired by the odes of Pindar.” Samaras personally conducted a total of nine philharmonic orchestras and 250 singers Chrissafis went on: “This imposing symphonic array so moved the souls of the spectators from the King himself to the humblest citizen that they wished to hear the piece a second time There is another stirring account of this particular moment in the Official Report of the Athens 1896 Games: “These words sung in the open air by hundreds of voices accompanied by hundreds of instruments The harmonious chords of the music floated in the air and fuelled a fire of enthusiasm in the heart of each person listening and the spirit of Antiquity seemed to permeate the Stadium Mr Samaras’ composition was a great sensation and ended with a triumphant crescendo swelled by all of the voices and instruments in the orchestra Tumultuous applause rang out from all parts of the Stadium at the end of this Anthem and unanimous requests for a second performance with the King himself expressing his approval through vigorous applause the composer was rewarded with renewed applause.” The Olympic Anthem also features the words of famous Greek poet Kostis Palamás He published his first collection of poems to great acclaim in 1886 He is one of the best placed men to talk about him as he is himself a Greek Hugo,” was how writer Romain Rolland put it in a letter to essayist Jean Guéhenno The Olympic anthem lyrics penned by Palamas to accompany the music by Samaras create a bridge between the ancient and modern Games: with medals awarded for all kinds of musical works: compositions for one instrument But the Olympic Anthem by Samaras and Palamás disappeared from view for more than 60 years either there was no anthem at all (especially at the first Games of the 20th century) simply the national anthem of the host country the work by Samaras was played for the opening by the Tokyo orchestra and choir IOC member Prince Axel of Denmark then proposed: “Let us return to this paean rather than what was composed recently and which the majority of the members do not like.” His proposal was adopted unanimously the anthem composed in 1896 rang out in the Olympic Stadium of the Eternal City with words translated into Italian by Professor Sigfrido Troilo and a musical arrangement by conductor Bonaventura Somma the Olympic Anthem became a standard part of the protocol It is played after the parade of nations and once the Games have been officially declared open by the head of state of the host country It can then also be used for the gold medallists competing independently and for example was used in 1992 for the champions of the Unified Team composed of the athletes of the 12 former USSR countries It is also played at the closing ceremonies Troparion & Kontakion The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” Founded in 1794 — Granted Autocephaly in 1970 Copyright The Orthodox Church in America™ (OCA™)© 1996–2025 Features and timeless charm of Greece’s third-largest city the capital of Greece’s Achaea region I had visited the region many times before but I had not had the time to take in the sights of Patras I was always passing through on my way to or from the Peloponnese But I now discovered some of the rich history and burgeoning life of the city My recent journey there revealed some of its amazing highlights My appreciation was the result of my having been given a well-informed personal tour of Patras’ historic areas by one of my partner Vicki’s relatives – Jenny Kyritsis – a retired educator who volunteers at a major local museum who proved to be an inspiring advocate for her home city Jenny exudes enthusiasm for a story she feels is little appreciated She was ably assisted on our tour by another local relative Jim Sarris Both Jenny and Jim are part of the local Greek-Australian diaspora having both lived in Australia for many years in their youth We start with a tour of Patras’ great St Andrew’s Cathedral This huge cathedral has many stunning icons and murals One that takes my eye is a unique and striking mural depicting a famous act of resistance to the Axis occupation in WW2 that took place in Patras The defiance and bravery of the locals is reinforced by the great memorial statue to Bishop Germanos one of the leaders of the Greek war of independence Then we came to the Kostas Palamas House and Museum in central Patras poet and key figure and co-founder of a literary revival in Greece in the 1880’s that would be known as the New Athenian School Often referred to as Greece’s national poet amongst his works are the lyrics of the Olympic Hymn But my own knowledge of Palamas was as a symbol of resistance to the Axis occupation of Greece in WW2 I had read about how his writings had been banned during the occupation and that his funeral in Athens in 1943 was the occasion for one of the great spontaneous demonstrations against the occupation At his funeral fellow poet Angelos Sikelanos recited his funerary poem which roused the mourners to oppose the occupiers I approached the visit to his former home with excitement The house is one of Patras’ remaining neoclassical buildings and has been faithfully restored into a museum space One of its treasures is its original marble fireplace dating from the 1840’s First we see a major exhibition on the history of the Olympic movement and Kostas Palamas’ role in it I was glad to see amongst the many Olympic torches on display that of Sydney and Melbourne – as well as Athens of course Upstairs are more displays on Kostas Palamas We are fortunate to be offered a private tour by the Museum Director The Museum contains a complete collection of Kostas’ writings and publications In these we see his important role in the cultural fight for the use of the demotic language in modern Greece Kostas was a constant advocate for both its importance and usage in all forms of discourse In this he played a key part in what can be considered a major conflict at the heart of modern Greece with the split between advocates of demotic and those of the more formal (some might say artificial) Katharevousa often mirroring that between Royalist and Republican supporters The road to the final triumph of demotic was a tortuous one but eventually Palamas and his co-advocates won the day The Museum also contains a display on the life of the famous Italian writer and publisher Mathilde Serrai who also lived in the house for a time before moving to Italy There she established a major newspaper that is still in publication She also lived her life as she thought fit she famously rebuked Italian dictator Mussolini to his face that her newspaper would never support his fascist movement The Museum is also home to a temporary display on the Holocaust and resistance in Greece in WW2 We then viewed one of the local bunker complexes used by locals in response to air attacks by the Italians in 1940 Possibly the remains of a Roman-era structure the local population were forced to seek safety in bunkers like these This bunker complex is now preserved as a museum with informative display boards tell the story of the era These are complemented with new artistic interpretations and installations stimulating the visitor to think on these days of war Above Patras on the outskirts of the city are the amazing Mycenaean tombs at Vendoumi The whole site contains the remains of the settlement and its cemetery The latter are a must see for anyone interested in the history of the region and Greece They have been the site of some of the most significant excavations of the Mycenaean era These tombs are located many metres below the surface accessed by long descending cuts in the earth As we walked down the long entrance to the deep tomb I was reminded of my previous visits to other European archaeological sites such as Orkney’s Maeshowe tomb (dated to 3,000BCE) and Newgrange tomb outside Dublin (dated to 3,200 BCE) You have the same feeling of descending slowly through the ages through narrow access shafts Inside the tomb is a large rectangular room which once contained the remains and burial goods which are now preserved in Patras’ new archaeological museum Returning to the city on our way to visit Patras Castle we stopped briefly to view the oldest Ottoman-era hammam baths in all Greece These have been operating since 1400CE and are in regular use by locals The hammam has been refurbished but retains the original baths reminding me of the similar baths at Therma on Lemnos which were well patronised by the Australian and other Allied troops in 1915 Patras Castle was erected by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian around 600CE following an earthquake and like many castles in Greece was built on the site of a former acropolis the Castle remained in Byzantine control until it fell to the Ottomans in 1458 It is well worth the walk up on to the battlements where one can enjoy great views of across the city and over to Nafpaktos the waters of the Gulf of Patras and the Ionian Sea beyond Our next stop on our history tour was to the new Patras Archaeological Museum with its striking steel and wooden structure holds an impressive collection of artefacts from ancient and Hellenistic Greece to the Roman and Byzantine eras As you enter the Museum you see items recently repatriated from museums in the US One of the distinctive features of the Museum is a “skywalk-type” structure which provides the viewer with a more complete scene of the great massive mosaic floors placed below Amongst the impressive collection of glass and pottery I was particularly taken by the stone olive press and separator dating from 100CE a Roman era ceramic colander or strainer and the clay coffins or larnax We had also taken the opportunity the previous day to visit some of the locations dear to Vicki’s father George who came to Patras as a youth where he learned important life skills which have served him well George had no problem remembering the location of his former home opposite the remains of a Roman-era coliseum The tour finished with a lovely meal on the Patras Riviera – as I like to call the marina – with its sailing boats moored nearby with spectacular views of the opening of the Gulf of Patras and Ionian Sea beyond Here the discussion moves on from public history to the personal stories of migration that many will be familiar with yearning for a lost but comforting past in a changed world The memories are sad and sweet at the same time But we all agree that life is for the living and we must seize the day Next time you are planning your trip to Greece '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia presided over the Divine Liturgy at the St the Bishop offered a prayer for the repose of the recently departed Hierarchs Metropolitan Anthimos former of Thessalonica and Metropolitan Titos former of Paramythia Metropolitan Cleopas briefly spoke about the theology of Saint Gregory Palamas and the Gospel reading of the healing of the paralytic and the faith of the paralytic and his friends he welcomed and introduced the visitors from Greece author of the study “Auschwitz: Greeks – Number of Those Who Were to Die,” and his entourage Director of the “Agape Charitable Organization” Pilichos to address the congregation with a brief talk about the Orthodox prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp walked at the head of 25,000 people along the 4.5 km route from the central Auschwitz camp to the Birkenau extermination camp – a march of remembrance He was the first Orthodox Patriarch to participate in the “March of the Living,” honoring the memory of the 1,200,000 prisoners who were murdered in this so-called ‘death factory.’ Those people enduring a brutal and inhuman death – a death no one deserves a vast cemetery the size of 268 football fields His All-Holiness delivered a speech of peace and hope which was broadcast by international media emphasizing the deep need of humanity to be close to God Three words stood out in His speech: ‘We are all brothers and sisters.’ These words summarize the essence of our Christian faith Auschwitz was not only a place of martyrdom for them Among the victims were Christians of all denominations as well as members of other minorities considered ‘unnecessary’ by the Third Reich Greek Orthodox Christians were also deported to Auschwitz The Nazis arrested them either because they helped Jews or because they were deemed resistance members due to their political beliefs or because they refused to obey orders for forced labor in Germany Many were sent to Auschwitz for ‘offenses’ or ‘disobedience.’ Their lives in the camp were no different from those of the Jewish prisoners: they suffered the same daily horrors – forced labor It is estimated that approximately 20,000 Greeks were sent to Germany for forced labor 3,508 deaths of Greek Orthodox and Catholic Christians are recorded the records were destroyed by the Germans themselves the total number of Greek Christians who lost their lives in Auschwitz is estimated to be around 7,000 to 7,500 individuals The three words of our Ecumenical Patriarch ‘We are all brothers and sisters,’ are not just a phrase If we followed them in our daily lives and sought to live according to their deep meaning The evil ‘I/ego,’ which lurks within each of us would not manifest in ways that cause pain and suffering As we approach the culmination of the Holy Passion let us allow these words to guide our thoughts and actions Not only during these days but every day of our lives I thank you once again for the invitation and the opportunity you have given me to deliver this brief address.” The Metropolitan thanked and congratulated Mr conveyed the paternal blessings of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and presented him with the two-volume study of the unpublished correspondence of Saint Nectarios of Pentapolis published by the “Apostolic Diakonia of the Church of Greece” A reception followed in honor of the visitors from Greece at the “Museum of Hellenic-Christian Heritage,” located at the Cathedral premises The second Sunday on the Orthodox Calendar commemorates St Gregory Palamas – perhaps the most significant theologian and teacher of the late Byzantine period He particularly is important when considering the nature of the Christian experience of God Orthodoxy believes that it is truly possible to know God though He remains unknowable The mystery of this true knowledge constitutes the heart of St I offer this small reflection on the topic of freedom in his honor Part of the experience of being involved in religious activities in the late 60′s and early 70′s was the not infrequent encounters with members of cults (they seemed to be everywhere) I’m not certain how I would define a cult (not purely by doctrine but certainly by its destruction and control of its members as whole persons) I worked in a “coffee house” (which in that particular time period was not associated with coffee) for a couple of years – playing music and being involved in the adhoc ministry that was part of that world We encountered young people from across the country (there was hardly anywhere else to go on the weekends unless you drank or did drugs – the coffee house had neither) But a common thread in my encounters with cult members was an absence – it was as though nobody was home Conversations could be attempted – but the answers came back as selected quotes many of the things that you would expect from most people in conversations regarding God It is little wonder that people involved in cults were often treated as though they had been “brain-washed.” Something like that seemed to be the case Since then I have occasionally (though not often) encountered the same phenomenon in people who were not members of what anyone would think of as a cult Several years back I came across a small book that offered interesting insight into all of this: In Search of the Person: “True and False Self” according to Donald Winnicott and St. Gregory Palamas (Alexander Press though from what I read his work is pretty standard psychological fare who is both a practicing Psychotherapist and an Orthodox priest I was struck by a quote in the book from Fr “To the extent that man does not use his freedom In order to emerge from that indeterminate state he must utilize his freedom in order to know and be known as himself.” To summarize (hopefully without doing injustice) – our freedom an essential part of what it means to be a person is frequently suppressed in the name of religion (or other ideologies) that results in the creation of a “false self.” This “false self” is the “absence” I encountered in some cult members and others It is an utterly inherent part of our existence – a critical part of our salvation – and yet threatening in its power Freedom of the self can seem a threat to every kind of order (religious Nevertheless we are told in Scripture that “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty (freedom)” (2 Corinthians 3:17) Paul will also warn in his letter to the Galatians (5:13) that our liberty should not be used as an excuse to sin we will not become the whole person we were created to be and which is the proper end of our salvation But freedom can also be directed incorrectly But substituting a religious bondage for a sinful bondage is not the answer Scripture also speaks of our being the “slaves of Christ,” a true statement when rightly understood but also capable of misunderstanding and misuse a number of acquaintances in my former Church made explanations to themselves that my conversion was an effort to hide from and avoid the discomfort of freedom There was an assumption on their part that because the Orthodox Church’s teachings are clear and “conservative” on certain points (certainly in comparison to liberal Protestantism) that the Church must therefore be rigid and controlling because it is canon “law,” suppresses our freedom and makes us slaves The canons and Tradition (like Scripture) point us in the proper direction and enlighten us in the path of salvation But the Orthodox application of the canons is guided by something other than a rigid literalism Every Bishop and Priest who serves as a custodian of the canons has to apply them with salvation in mind (this is the proper use of what is termed “economia”) require different applications of the canons This mystery extends throughout the Church This is not a reduction of canons into mere “guidelines” but the requirement of wisdom in their application as we seek to direct souls towards a proper relationship with God The freedom of the person has to be respected in a manner such that what is nurtured is the “true self” and not a humanly created automaton (the “false self”) or simply the ego quoting what it does not truly know there is liberty.” The paradox of our relationship to God is that obedience in our relationship to Him does not enslave us – but sets us free It is the same as the paradox of the Cross I lay it down of my own self” (John 10:18) No one can take our life from us – we must lay it down of our own self We lose a false self in order to find the true The saint is the most free of all human beings His weblog “Glory to God for All Things” has quickly become one of the most read Orthodox sites on the Web He is also author of the book Everywhere Present Be the Bee is a video series about finding God in everything Find individual episodes here or visit the Y2AM Be the Bee Playlist on YouTube intercede forever that our souls may be saved."  (Apolytikion for the Sunday of Saint Gregory Palamas) How could a perfect God have anything to do with His imperfection creation?  These are some of the questions Saint Gregory Palamas faced in the 14th century And they're questions the Church faces today We dedicate the Second Sunday of Great Lent to this important saint because he taught an important theological truth that's at the core of the Christian life:  That God is both knowable in His Energies and unknowable in His Essence.  And this mystery is shown to us when Jesus heals the paralytic in Mark 2.  But why did Christ choose to forgive his sins before physically healing him And why did people think it was blasphemous that Jesus forgave his sins Sunday Sermon Series is an easy-to-download weekly sermon on the Sunday Gospels with insights and analyses about the readings. All sermons are posted on the DRE website: religioused.goarch.org You can also subscribe to the Department’s email list on the website to receive them directly Follow the DRE social media accounts @goarchDRE on Instagram Having just returned from the Sacred Center of our Faith I come to you today filled with enthusiasm and hope for our Church – both in the world and in this country Although there are many difficulties and sad events around the world which has now cost over a staggering 300,000 lives from both the invaded and the invader; 2) The unspeakable destruction in Türkiye and Syria with the loss of over 50,000 of our fellow human beings; 3) And the tragedy of the Greek railway accident which has shaken the country and the Diaspora with the senseless loss of promise and life; Because we have seen enormous outpourings of love support and prayer in all these tragedies – without regard to ethnicity or religion This is the best of our spiritual tradition which we celebrate today in Saint Gregory Palamas That He entered fully into our humanity in every way – except sin – so much so the Creator manifested that creation is “very good,” as it says in the Book of Genesis.* God entered our experience and made it possible for us to enter into His This Second Sunday of Lent is another triumph of Orthodoxy because Saint Gregory Palamas – a great monastic and great Archbishop of Thessaloniki – gave to the Church the definitive teaching that we can truly and authentically experience God He articulated the theology of the Divine Energies – the reality of God that every human being can experience because the Energies of God are the means by which the created world exists Just as how we cannot take icons for granted – but every year we confirm their authority on the First Sunday of Lent we confirm our authentic relationship with God through exalting the person and the teachings of Saint Gregory Palamas As someone who has spent many years in Thessaloniki I can tell you that the devotion to this Saint is well deserved Saint Gregory Palamas was a great preacher and the crowds would throng to hear his sermons – much like the People of Antioch used to pack the churches to the brim to hear Saint John Chrysostom who later became Archbishop of Constantinople is gone – utterly destroyed by the recent earthquake and that is why the teaching of today’s great Saint and Theologian is so important That capacity is meant to be filled with Divine Energies but also make us open to a miraculous way of living If you can practice these virtues in your daily life you will find that you build strength to endure any and every challenge we celebrate the holy Archbishop of Thessaloniki are available to us if we live as creatures capable of His love and grace and in turn experience His Divine Energies because we have prepared ourselves to receive them May we all gain a glimpse of those Energies working in our souls through the intercessions of this great Father Too many automated requests from this network This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Patriarch Daniel spoke on Thursday about St Demetrius the New as a hesychast saint and outlined his connection with the believers on both banks of the Danube River and described him as a fruit of the work of grace among the Thessalonians: they fulfilled throughout the centuries Saint Paul’s exhortation to them: Pray without ceasing The Patriarch of Romania described the biography and finding of the relics of Saint Demetrius the New indicating that a Wallachian ruler constructed the first cathedral in his honour “It is known that the rulers of Wallachia were from the Basarab dynasty It is an ancient Thracian origin of the ancient Basarab family because in that area referring to the name of the town of origin of the Venerable Demetrius wanting to show that they have continuity in history and that they are autochthonous This explains the connection between this venerable saint and the pious people on both sides of the Danube.” Basarabovo Monastery is in the diocese of His Eminence Metropolitan Naum of Ruse That is why he is often invited to Bucharest Demetrius the New from Basarabovo was given by His Beatitude Patriarch Teoctist to this monastery as a sign of fraternal communion and appreciation because St Demetrius the New lived as a monk in those areas in the Lom Valley stillness and hesychia,” His Beatitude noted who lived at the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th century,” the Patriarch of Romania recalled “It is known that starting from the twelfth century the Vlach-Bulgarian Empire (or Romanian-Bulgarian) was established in these parts by the brothers Peter and Asen established the Romanian-Bulgarian Empire of Tarnovo Romanians and Bulgarians had a great reverence for the venerable His Beatitude also mentioned another saint who is related both to the Vlach-Bulgarian empire from the south of the Danube and to the Basarab Dynasty: “In the 14th century and towards the end of her life she became a nun.” with the name of the Byzantine Empress Theophano Patriarch Daniel referred to the solemn year of prayer in the Romanian Patriarchate and remembered St Gregory Palamas A fragment of St Gregory’s relics was brought to Bucharest for the festivities of Saint Demetrius the New by a delegation headed by Metropolitan Panteleimon of Veria Gregory Palamas is the theologian of unceasing prayer he is the theologian of the uncreated light which appeared at the Transfiguration of the Saviour Jesus Christ as not light from the sun but light springing from within the person of the Saviour Jesus Christ – an uncreated who were imbued with Western scholastic thought that there is a distinction between the divine nature which are shared through God’s love with creatures Gregory Palamas is also called the theologian of uncreated energies.” The Patriarch of Romania went on to explain what grace is through which the servants of the Church are consecrated and all the works and activities of the Church are sanctified Grace “is given to us by Christ and shared with us by the Holy Spirit especially through the Holy Mysteries of the Church and He pours His love into the soul of the one who prays.” when he blesses the Corinthians in the second Epistle says this: May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all!” “One can understand from this blessing what grace is: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the love of God the Father and the fellowship or communion of the Holy Spirit the grace belongs to the entire Holy Trinity shared by the Holy Spirit,” the Patriarch explained If in the Old Testament grace was designated by a word that meant the kindness and mercy shown by God to someone inferior to Him “grace is the love of God shown in Jesus Christ and shared through the Holy Spirit.” we would like to show a work of God’s grace over time,” His Beatitude emphasised Paul wrote in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians (5: 17): Pray without ceasing Gregory Palamas was accepted by the Church in 1351 the Apostle Paul said to the Thessalonians: Pray without ceasing the Archbishop of Thessaloniki became the theologian of grace and unceasing prayer Here we see how God works through His saints for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity and our salvation,” the Patriarch of Romania concluded The Divine Liturgy for the autumn patronal feast of the Patriarchal Cathedral was celebrated on Thursday at the outdoor altar on the Hill of the Patriarchate including Metropolitan Pateleimon of Veria Gregory Palamas to Bucharest and Metropolitan Naum of Ruse St Gregory’s relics were placed for veneration in an outdoor baldachin next to the other relics usually kept in the Patriarchal Cathedral “All these saints are calling us to be co-workers with the grace of God,” Patriarch Daniel said Gregory Palamas met on the esplanade next to the Patriarchal Cathedral with the relics of Saints Constantine and Helen and St Nectarios of Aegina after being carried in a procession on the streets next to the Patriarchal Cathedral The ceremony was attended by Patriarch Daniel Bishop Galaction of Alexandria and Teleorman and the Bucharest Archdiocese’s Assistant Bishop Timotei of Prahova The delegation of the Orthodox Church of Greece that brought the relics of St Gregory Palamas to Bucharest is composed of Metropolitan Panteleimon of Veria The guests from Greece also brought two icons Gregory Palamas and the other representing members of his family who have been declared saints by the Ecumenical Patriarchate A short ceremony to welcome the relics of St Gregory Palamas took place at the outdoor altar next to the Patriarchal Cathedral which included a welcome address by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel and a message by Metropolitan Panteleimon of Veria through the kindness of His Eminence Panteleimon whom we thank for his friendship and generosity we can venerate not only Saint Demetrius the New the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen and St whom we have for permanent veneration in the Patriarchal Cathedral Gregory Palamas and the icon of his holy family,” the Patriarch of Romania said “All these saints call us to be co-workers with God’s grace To follow the lives of the saints helps us to seek human perfection and holiness as St Paul writes to the Hebrews: ‘Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14),” His Beatitude added Patriarch Daniel also presented a brief biography of the Greek hierarch The Metropolitan of Veria repatriated to Thessaloniki the relics of Saint Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher and those of St Paul to Veria and initiated the annual Pavlia Congress dedicated to the Apostle to the Gentiles “We come from the Holy Metropolis of Veria where Saint Gregory Palamas and his holy family lived for a time; from the place and where they reached the measure of holiness and became Saints in our Church,” Metropolitan Panteleimon of Veria told the pilgrims on October 24 The Greek Metropolitan appreciated the devotion he noticed in the Romanian people in 2009 the year of the canonization of six members of the family of St at the invitation of the archbishop of Lower Danube Gregory Palamas were brought to Galati (eastern Romania) The Metropolitan of Veria thanked Patriarch Daniel for the opportunity to celebrate the three great mystical theologians of the Church to whom the Romanian Patriarchate has dedicated the current commemorative year “I express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude for Your Beatitude’s invitation and I humbly pray that the grace which flows from the holy relics of St the preacher of the uncreated and divine light and teacher of the prayer of the mind may strengthen you in the work and ministry of Your Beatitude and bless the clergy and the faithful people of Bucharest and the whole of Romania,” His Eminence Metropolitan Panteleimon concluded The ceremony ended with the deposition of the relics of St Gregory Palamas in the Baldachin of the Saints and the veneration of the relics by the participating hierarchs The Festivities of Saint Demetrius the New are taking place on the Patriarchate’s Hill on October 22-28 This graffiti-scrawled iron door in the Athens district of Plaka leads to the house where celebrated Greek poet Kostis Palamas died in 1943 The next chapter of this historic residence will be reassessed by the Culture Ministry after a ruling by the Council of State determined its announced compulsory purchase order two years ago must be revisited The owner of the house and its surrounding land applied to halt the purchase as she believes it will harm the value of the remaining lot She first bought the house in 2000 with the goal of converting it into a cultural center a goal she now once again wishes to fulfill Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox Nathan DuffySource: On Behalf of All © 1999-2016 Православие.Ru При перепечатке ссылкана Православие.Ru обязательна Контактная информация Bishop Kyriakos of Sozopolis presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Church of St accompanied by Bishop Themistocles of Nicopolis Following the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy Bishop Kyriakos addressed the congregation He extended the blessings of Archbishop Makarios of Australia and encouraged the faithful to embark on a meaningful spiritual journey throughout the remaining days of Holy and Great Lent the house in the Plaka district of Athens once belonging to the celebrated Greek poet Kostis Palamas will be restored and given a new lease on life as a landmark and as a place to exhibit his work and to study modern Greek literature His funeral procession in 1943 started from this house at 5 Periandros Street and developed into a demonstration against the German occupation Officials say many people are still trapped in central areas of the country hit by Storm Daniel Firefighters backed by the army have rescued hundreds of people from villages in central Greece cut off by floods that have claimed at least 10 lives “More than 2,850 people have been rescued since the beginning of the bad weather,” Yannis Artopios a fire department spokesperson told the broadcaster Mega on Saturday “There are still many people in the villages around Karditsa adding that six people were officially missing Several homes remain under water in the village of Palamas and rescue workers were trying to reach marooned people “It was truly hellish,” said Palamas resident Eleni Patouli “We were stuck without help or information for hours The [emergency services] 112 message to evacuate arrived just as we were facing up to the flooding and we had no means of escape,” she said The situation also remains worrying near the city of Larissa “We are having great difficulties with the Pinios River which has overflowed and reached a height of 2.5 metres [8ft] on the outskirts,” Artopios said The flooding has laid waste to thousands of hectares of rich agricultural land and farmers have also lost many head of livestock 70% of our farm suffered damage,” said Thomas Kasos Water supply in the port city of Volos has become a problem because pumping stations and a large part of the supply network have been damaged The health ministry has said the water is not suitable for drinking 0:58Greece: residents rescued in helicopters after severe floods – video“Gastroenteritis cases have appeared and there is a risk of that increasing if people don’t have enough water Authorities need to distribute at least two litres of drinking water to everyone,” Elena Riza a professor of epidemiology at the University of Athens School of Medicine Traffic also remained challenging with the highway connecting Thessaloniki struck the central coastal region of Magnesia on Monday and Tuesday before hitting other towns such as Karditsa and Trikala farther inland on Wednesday Experts have described the event as “extreme in terms of the amount of water falling in a space of 24 hours” The heavy rains and flooding follow devastating fires in Greece this summer that killed at least 26 people As the world warms, the atmosphere contains more water vapour, which increases the risk of heavy precipitation in some parts of the world, notably in Asia, western Europe and Latin America Combined with other factors such as urbanisation and land-use planning these more intense rainfall events contribute to flooding Severe flooding in neighbouring Turkey and Bulgaria this week left 12 people dead You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Hunterdon County DemocratGLEN GARDNER — St Gregory Palamas Orthodox Church in Glen Gardner has a new priest Father Kilian graduated with a master’s degree in divinity from St Vladimir’s Seminary and is completing a master’s thesis in Orthodox Christian canon law the head of the Orthodox Church in America ordained Father Kilian to the priesthood in June He has been a monk for six years and in November will be commissioned as a reserve chaplain for the Navy Father Kilian has worked tirelessly and actively participated in church functions and events he strives to help the parish to better understand Christ’s teachings and to implement them through prayer alms-giving and becoming better stewards of our planet Great Vespers are served every Saturday at 5 p.m. with a general confession on the first Saturday of each month Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Let's face it: The villainous population of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is decidedly male dominated Across the films and television shows that make up the franchise and Kilgrave are the ones most likely to come up when talking about memorable evildoers but that's not to say we haven't actually had some excellent female antagonists turn up over the years With the back half of 2017 set to embrace female villainy with Sigourney Weaver's Alexandra going up against The Defenders and Cate Blanchett's Hela ready to make major waves in Thor: Ragnarok now is the perfect time to look back and shine a spotlight on some of the MCU's best female villains to date From turning up in the movies to going toe-to-toe with the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D to being a thorn in the side of Peggy Carter back in the day they're characters who have had rich arcs of their own have left a lasting impression on the landscape of the MCU or - in some cases - have even bigger destinies yet to be fulfilled Debuting only a few episodes into the show's second season and forced to do the bidding of Daniel Whitehall robbed of it physically thanks to the photostatic veil failing and leaving her with Melinda May's face and robbed of the purpose that had been forced upon her in the wake of Whitehall's death who helped restore her face and her memory Blaming Bobbi Morse for all that she had gone through - Bobbi had been the one to give up the safe-house Kara had been hiding in after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D though had been unaware of Kara's presence - she and Ward enacted a plan to make Bobbi watch as Lance Hunter would be killed in front of her when Hunter and other agents arrived to rescue Bobbi Ward shot and killed her before she could stop him What makes Agent 33 such an unforgettable villain is that her descent into antagonism was almost out of her control with all the psychological trauma she had endured leading her down a path where she teamed up with Ward It was a depressing arc for a tragic character WhatCulture is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab) ©Future Publishing Limited Quay House England and Wales company registration number 2008885 and laity from both Argentina and abroad attended the joyous occasion Metropolitan Joseph of Buenos Aires concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with the following hierarchs: Metropolitan Maximos of Ioannina Metropolitan Sergios of Santiago and All Chile (Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch) Bishop Kirilo of Buenos Aires and South-Central America (Serbian Patriarchate) Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos extended Archbishop Elpidophoros of America’s blessings and heartfelt declarations of worthiness to their beloved brother in Christ Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser vice-president of the Costis Palamas Foundation received the Jean Moréas international poetry award This institution is supported by the Poetry Office (Patras) During a ceremony held in the Archaeological Museum of Patras Deputy Regional Governor of Western Greece spoke about Professor Zoras’ contributions to the Greek letters and his research on Costis Palamas the awardee referred to the ongoing scholarly re-edition of our national poet’s Complete Works by the Costis Palamas Foundation Based on the poet’s manuscripts kept at the Foundation this massive project will span approximately fifty large volumes the first fourteen of which have already been released and primarily include Palamas’ poetry output The following volumes will contain the poet’s articles It is worth noting that Costis Palamas served as secretary general of the University of Athens for thirty years She is the first Romanian nun known in history when the Saint is celebrated by the Romanians from the Bulgarian and Serbian Timok Born at the beginning of the 14th century in the family of the first ruler of Wallachia being given a chosen education based on love for God and fellow people Theodora Basarab married Ivan Alexander (1331-1371) with whom she had three sons and a daughter: Michael Asen She raised her children by instilling in them a love of God and caring for those around them at a time when hesychasm was in full swing This period is considered by historians to be an era of cultural and spiritual renaissance for Bulgarians with Theodora Basarab being a very important factor who supported and encouraged the building of monastic settlements copying books necessary for worship and the development of monasticism Her zeal and devotion to God and to the Saints have been observed and recorded in writing by contemporaries Tsar Ivan Alexander decided to separate from Theodora Basarab Theodora Basarab humbled herself by withdrawing to a monastery to renounce the worries evils and tumult of this world and to serve with love and devotion to the Bridegroom Christ Theodora Basarab chose to stay in Bulgaria so as not to ruin the relations between the two neighbouring states to which she was so attached in spirit thus showing wisdom and love for the Romanian and Bulgarian people Since Tsar Ivan Alexander knew and appreciated St we are permitted to believe that the nun Theophano Basarab also knew him and became his disciple cultivation of stillness and the prayer of the heart the guidance that the great ascetic gave to those whom he instructed in the spiritual life The activity of the Venerable Theofano (Teofana) and her spiritual stature impressed the inhabitants of the cities through which she passed The inhabitants of the Bulgarian and Serbian Timok area still remember today in the collective memory the deeds and feats of the Venerable Theophano Basarab the Romanian tsarina that shone through faith and sacrifice in the Bulgarian land It is not known exactly when the Venerable Theophano Basarab reposed in the Lord According to the tradition passed down from generation to generation among the Romanians from the Bulgarian Timok she was buried in front of the altar of the church dug in the rock at Albotina Monastery The Venerable Theophanao was buried with great honour admonished and defended as a true mother who preached the love and mercy of God the inhabitants of the Bulgarian and Serbian Timok area celebrate her memory on October 28 each year On the chosen branch of the Basarab family for a long time she laboured in vigil and fasting Icon painted by iconographger Costel Olărean Source: basilica.ro © 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. This aerial view taken on September 8, 2023, shows the flooded village of Palamas, near the city of Karditsa, central Greece. (Photo by Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP) Palamas Karditsa, Greece: Firefighters backed by the army were rescuing hundreds of people Saturday in villages in central Greece blocked off by floods that have claimed at least 10 lives. "More than 2,850 people have been rescued since the beginning of the bad weather," fire department spokesman Yannis Artopios told broadcaster Mega on Saturday. "There are still many people in the villages around Karditsa, Palamas and toward Trikala. They are not missing, they are trapped," he said, adding that six people were officially missing. Several houses remain under water in the village of Palamas and rescue workers were trying to reach marooned people, an AFP journalist said. The situation also remains worrying near the city of Larissa, a few kilometres to the east. "We are having great difficulties with the Pinios river, next to the city of Larissa, which has overflowed and reached a height of 2.5 metres (eight feet) on the outskirts of Larissa," Artopios said. In the port city of Volos, the water supply has become a problem, since pumping stations and a large part of the supply network were damaged. The health ministry has warned that the water is not suitable for drinking. "Gastroenteritis cases have appeared and there is a risk of that increasing if people don't have enough water. Authorities need to distribute at least two litres of drinking water to everyone," Elena Riza, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Athens School of Medicine, told public broadcaster Ert. Traffic also remained challenging Saturday with the highway connecting Thessaloniki, the country's second largest city, and the capital Athens cut off in several places. The storm, named "Daniel", struck the central coastal region of Magnesia on Monday and Tuesday before hitting other towns such as Karditsa and Trikala further inland on Wednesday. Experts have described the event as "extreme in terms of the amount of water falling in a space of 24 hours". The heavy rains and flooding follow devastating fires in Greece this summer that killed at least 26 people. As the world warms, the atmosphere contains more water vapour which increases the risk of heavy precipitation in some parts of the world, notably in Asia, Western Europe and Latin America. Combined with other factors such as urbanisation and land-use planning, these more intense rainfall events contribute to flooding. Severe flooding in neighbouring Turkey and Bulgaria this week left 12 people dead. there weren’t any pregnancies that involved any of the crew members unlike the series that followed The Next Generation had Keiko’s pregnancy and Troi’s pregnancy that didn’t last very long Deep Space Nine had Keiko pregnant again before the baby was transferred to Major Kira a scene was written in TOS that would have introduced a pregnancy with one of the crew members Throughout seventy-nine episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series Carolyn Palamas (portrayed by Leslie Parrish) had a brief romantic interlude with Apollo and there is little reason to believe anything beyond a few kisses happened a scene that was ultimately deleted would have changed all of that McCoy shares the information with Captain Kirk and then asks “”What will the child be… man or God?” as the final lines of the scene According to Star Trek: The Original Series – The Roddenberry Vault NBC Broadcast Standards asked that the scene be removed it does beg the question: would the pregnancy have been written into the series Perhaps that’s why NBC wanted it to be removed Wouldn’t viewers have wanted to know more about Lt Star Trek: TOS never really followed through on situations that occurred in an episode (See The City on the Edge of Forever and Operation: Annihilate) and it would have been difficult to just ignore a crew member who was pregnant by a god © 2025 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Minute Media or its affiliates and related brands All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Deleted scene in Star Trek tells Peter Kirk’s future Icona attuale di san Gregorio Palamas da me posseduta Ne concedo l’immagine a Wikipedia ma ogni altro utilizzo dev’essere da me permesso Rivendico perciò la proprietà personale di quest’immagine 25 October 2011 (Gregorio_Palamas_-_(Proprietà_Pietro_Chiaranz).jpg) (CC BY-SA 3.0 [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en]) via Wikimedia CommonsIn the Byzantine churches today is the Sunday of Holy Gregory Palamas Archbishop of Thessaloniki in the fourteenth century Palamas is often seen as the guy who centered for the Byzantine churches the practice of hesychasm the stilling of the heart as the intellect (Greek nous) enters into the heart through the negative repetition of the Jesus Prayer to meet with G-d there what seems to mark a conventional conception of hesychasm is that it’s a negative tradition – you’re trying to say no to images that might appear in your mind no to any concepts of God that might get in the way of the heart actually piercing through the haze of the intellect to union with G-d no even to any good and positive thoughts that might come in to bring comfort and pleasure because this is all a distraction from mystical unity with the divine especially via the one Latin theologian whose influence I still can’t shake to this day Hans Urs von Balthasar (and after reading Manoussakis Balthasar ain’t going anywhere from me now) I confess that I myself, a teacher in the field of Asian American religions fall into this trap all the time in practice It’s because it’s so easy when conceiving of hesychasm as a negative tradition to get a little bit crazy with the negations and start deluding myself into thinking that my life just revolves around my mind It’s especially tempting since I work in academia to do this; my career and other intellectual activities that I have produced in many arenas the best place to look is what is said in the penitential guides for confessors It seems like the good confessors and spiritual directors these days are being trained to make their directees and penitent think about the body and I have nothing but good things to say about this because it keeps me grounded on the receiving end of their counsel which is the main feature of what academics actually say to each other when we really start talking Perhaps, then, what people like me need to do is to go beyond our imagination of what hesychasm is and what Palamas might have said about it to what Palamas actually says about it. For one, early on in his masterpiece The Triads he denies that hesychasm is only about negativity: ‘Let no one think that these great men are referring to here to the ascent through the negative way,’ he writes of the hesychastic masters Dionysius the Areopagite and Holy Maximus the Confessor who have gone before in the tradition ‘For the latter lies within the powers of whoever desires it; and it does not transform the soul so as to bestow on it the angelic dignity.’ In other words so that is not the point of a hesychastic stilling of the heart is the ‘purity of the passionate part of the soul’ so that the nous is united ‘through prayer to the grace of the Spirit; and through this grace the mind comes to enjoy the divine effulgence and acquires an angelic and godlike form’ (Triads I.iii.20) is what the Holy Apostle Paul called the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’ – it is the temple in which the nous goes into the heart to meet G-d Palamas even says that if the Holy Apostle Paul says that the body is ‘sold to sin,’ then ‘he who is sold is not a slave by nature.’ The point is not to forsake the body through hesychasm; it is to free it (Triads I.ii.1) This means that the body is of paramount importance to the hesychast: ‘This is exactly the tradition, and our spiritual Fathers have also handed it down to us, and rightly so’ – and the spiritual father Palamas is referring to is Holy John of the Ladder whom we will commemorate two weeks from now – ‘For if the hesychast does not circumscribe the mind in his body how can he make to enter himself the One who has clothed himself in the body and Who thus penetrates all organised matter For the external aspect and divisibility of matter is not compatible with the essence of the mind having acquired a form of life conformable to the union with Christ’ (Triads I.ii.6) my regular confessors and my academic mentors are completely correct to always divert me from a pure intellectual life through conversations about everyday life in the body the temple of the Holy Spirit that is the only site in which hesychastic practice can take place One Latin priest even asked me during the Great Fast: Are you getting enough protein reminding me that even if my church has told me to give up meat I have to make it up with beans and tofu in order to function properly as a human being any Byzantine priest worth their salt would probably say the same thing the discipline of the body through fasting but it cannot be a denial of the body either This is why it is often said that the hesychastic state is most clearly manifested when one is praying without ceasing while attending to many other physical tasks at the same time; the whole point of negation and the possession of the Holy Spirit is that my body can be free to move about in the world as a temple of the Holy Spirit And thus we in the temples of the Holy Spirit called our bodies sing penitentially in the words of the kondak hymn for the Second Sunday of the Great Fast in the fourth tone – the one that does not directly reference Palamas but is in keeping with spirit of bodily emphasis: The time for action is now revealed; the Judge is at the door offering tears of contrition with alms and crying aloud: Our sins are more numerous than the sands of the sea