The Patriarch of Romania: „Saint Gregory Palamas is the Teacher of the Permanent Prayer and Theologian of the Uncreated Light”

The miraculous healing of the paralytic in today’s Gospel text urges us to repentance and confessing the sins, the Patriarch of Romania told the faithful present, at the Patriarchal Cathedral, on 27 March 2016.

On the second Sunday of Lent, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel celebrated the Divine Liturgy and delivered the sermon.

While referring to the Bible text on the healing of the paralytic of Capernaum, His Beatitude said that this man had been suffering for a long time, but this sufferance did not make him rebel, but strengthened his faith because he joined the repentance for his sins with the sufferance caused by disease.

“We see here that Christ, our Lord, forgives the sins, heals this man, and gives him the freedom to move and dignity to integrate in the human community. This fatherly love of God showed towards the paralysed man through Jesus Christ, the Doctor and Father Confessor, is the essence of today’s Gospel text. Thus, the Gospel calls us to confess our sins, go to Christ, show Him our sins, diseases and helplessness, so that He should heal them and help us make a new beginning in our life. This Gospel is the Gospel of the Mystery of repentance united with the Mystery of healing, forgiving the sins and of disease”, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church underlined.

On the second Sunday of Lent, Saint Hierarch Gregory Palamas is celebrated in quite a special way. His Beatitude emphasised in his sermon the fact that Saint Gregory Palamas is the teacher of permanent prayer and theologian of the uncreated light.

“Saint Gregory Palamas said that the light or the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven is not created light, like the sunshine, but the uncreated, eternal, never-setting light. And this is the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven that Saints Peter, James and John saw during the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, on the Mount Tabor. And when God willed in history He enabled some people to foretaste this glory of the Kingdom of Heaven ever since their earthly life. When man prays a lot, repents, fasts, he is enlightened with the grace of God, with the uncreated, never-setting light which cannot be seen with human eyes, but with the eyes of faith ever since this life as a foretaste. And this light will be the glory and joy of the Kingdom of Heaven after the universal resurrection for those who believed in Christ and loved Him”, the Patriarch of Romania explained.

The liturgical answers at the Divine Liturgy were given by Te Deum Laudamus Choir.

Next Sunday, the Orthodox Church will be on the Third Sunday of Lent or the Sunday of the Holy Cross. 

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