HOLY AND GREAT SATURDAY (Part II)

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

HOLY AND GREAT SATURDAY (Part II)
By Saint Gregory Palamas

Believers should rejoice with hope, and since this life will have an end, should be prudent and glad as they wait with faith for the eternal blessedness of the life to come. They should patiently endure, with the understanding that comes from faith, the wretchedness to which this life has been justly condemned, and resist, by means of long-suffering, sin, its author and ally, and his underlings, to the point of shedding their own blood if need be (cf. Romans 8:16-18). Except for sin nothing in this life, even death itself, is really evil, even if it causes suffering.
15:43
When Saint Paul writes to the Philippians he expresses the aim of the renewal even more clearly, saying, "We look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body" [Pilippians 3:20-21). As Christ died in bodily weakness and dishonor, and rose in ;power and Divine Glory, so those who live like Christ are sown through death, to quote Saint Paul again, in weakness and dishonor, and are raised in power and glory (Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:43). They receive A GLORIFIED, INCORRUPTIBLE BODY LIKE CHRIST’S AFTER THE RESURRECTION WHEN HE BECAME THE FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD (Colossians 1:18) and the firstfruits of them that sleep (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:20). This bodily renewal is seen now through faith and hope rather than with our eyes, not being reality yet. The soul’s renewal, on the other hand, begins WITH HOLY BAPTISM THROUGH REMISSION OF SINS AND IS NOURISHED AND GROWS THROUGH RIGHTEOUSNESS IN FAITH. The soul IS CONTINUALLY RENEWED IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND THE VIRTUES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE ,AND WILL REACH PERFECTION IN THE FUTURE CONTEMPLATION OF GOD FACE TO FACE. Now, however, it sees through a glass, darkly (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:12).

Saint John, whom Christ loved especially, received both types of renewal, of body and soul, and says, "Now are we the sons of God". This is the starting point of adoption. However, "it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, we He shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). This is the perfection of the adoption of sons and renewal which God bestowed on us in Christ, and of which Saint John says in the Gospel that, "Christ gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13)…

"…Before the transgression, Adam shared in this divine illumination and brilliance. He was clothed in the true robe of glory and was not naked, nor was he ugly in his nakedness, but was truly unspeakably better adorned than those who wear diadems embellished with much gold and precious stones. When our human nature was stripped of this DIVINE ILLUMINATION and RADIANCE as a result of the ugly transgression, the Logos/Word of God had mercy on this nature and in His compassion TOOK IT UPON HIMSELF. On Mount Tabor he showed it clothed once more to His chosen Disciples (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-9; Luke 9:28-37; cf, 2 Peter 1:16-18), providing to all what we had once been and what those of us who believed in Him and attained to perfection in Him would be through Him in the age to come.

You will find that the earnestness of this perfection of those who live according to Christ IS OPENLY GIVEN HERE AND NOW TO GOD’S SAINTS. THEY REAP ALREADY, SO TO SPEAK, THE GOOD OF THE AGE TO COME. Moses foreshadowed this, because the children of Israel could not gaze upon the glory of his face (Exodus 34:30-35). Later, more clearly, the Lord Himself shone so brightly on the mountain in the Divine Light that even the chosen Disciples, who had received spiritual power from Him, could not stand and look at that radiance (Matthew 17:6; cf. Luke 9:34), Saint Stephen’s face was like the face of an Angel, according to the Holy Scripture (Acts 6:15), and he looked up from earth into the heights of heaven, where Christ sat on the right hand of the Majesty, and he saw the heavenly glory of God (Acts 7:55-56). It would take too long to recount and tell at length of the others who received here the earnest of the good things to come and were blessed to obtain this Divine Illumination and radiance.

May we too attain to this through the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, who for our sake was made man, suffered, was buried, rose from the dead, took our fallen human nature up to heaven, and honored it by sitting on the Father’s right hand. To our Lord Jesus Christ belongs glory, honor and worship, together with His Father without beginning and the All-Holy and Life-creating Spirit,now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

______
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George