Orthodox theology... does not 'contemplate' God intellectually, but 'feels' Him empirically... 'dancing alone' (alone, from her 'deviated' half-brothers) in the Light of the uncreated energies of divine Grace!
The 2nd Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated by the Mother Church to Saint Gregory Palamas, the “Veteran theologian of the uncreated Light” as History has rightly called him. The uncreated energies of Divine Grace fall only within the ‘empirical’ theology of the Orthodox East which ‘feels’ God, touching Him “in the manner of nails”. They have never touched the soul of the West… which ‘ponders’ intellectually and ‘theologizes’ cerebrally! The East, ‘dancing alone’ [ 1 ] in the ‘clearing’ of divine revelation and empirical theology, gave birth to Orthodox Theology! And the “Theology of Uncreated Light”… became a 'noticeable difference' of truth, between the 'feeling of God' from humility… and the intellectual 'contemplation of God' from arrogance!
“My Virgin Mary, enlighten my darkness… enlighten my darkness…!” (Prayer of Saint Gregory Palamas, to the Queen of Angels)
The above, beautiful supplication to Panagia Theomanna, may be read as a… picturesque 'prayer' of a toddler. Like those that children refer to "Panagitsa" [ 2 ] frightened by a terrifying dream, when they happen to wake up groggily in the moonless night, with a (vague) sense of threat from the… 'terrible' darkness of their room!
It is, however, a spiritual 'cry' of extreme despair and conscious existential anguish... which he addressed -unceasingly- to the Most Holy Theotokos, a great figure of the Orthodox East: Saint Gregory Palamas! A particularly intelligent and gifted man, with supreme spiritual cultivation and cognitive erudition. With a special mental illumination from God, which enlightened him to 'see' within his heart all the pathogenicity of the human soul...! Living ascetically on the Holy Mountain of the Monks, and facing the darkness of passions... he asked God day and night, through the intercessions of the Virgin Mary, for the ineffable radiance of the Uncreated Light... so that his heart might dawn!
Saint Gregory Palamas (1296-1360 AD) was a descendant of a prominent family in Romania. He had noble and saintly parents who nurtured him with deep piety and faith in the Holy Triune God. His father - a high official in the imperial Senate of Andronikos Palaiologos, early 14th century - saw to it that his son was raised within the imperial environment of Constantinople, receiving a particularly high - broad and deep - theological, philosophical and legal education... which he utilized in high state positions, for a short time only.
The young Gregory comes to Athos, the Holy Mountain of the Monks, to become a monk at the age of about 25. As a Mount Athos monk, he excelled in asceticism and spiritual 'ascents' towards God... and became renowned for his humility, asceticism and his godly state. Thus, it was not long before he received from the God-Man Christ and the Virgin Mary, rich illumination and divine wisdom, on top of the exceptional human knowledge that he already possessed coming from the world. Hence, he soon emerged as a great light of the Church and the entire Oecumenism.
Living and practicing in a deserted area of Mount Athos, Saint Gregory (and even before God assigned him higher duties, as Abbot of the Athonite Monastery and later as Archbishop of Thessaloniki), constantly pondered in his mind and heart a persistent and painful request of prayerful anguish and despair: “My Virgin Mary, enlighten my darkness… enlighten my darkness…”! With the ceaseless repetition of this mournful supplication, he was granted by the God-man Christ and His Virgin Mother, the rich Grace of the Holy Spirit and abundant divine illumination, which elevated him to the status of “Theologian of the Uncreated Light”…!
Crying out incessantly with his mind (the mental energy of the soul), to the Virgin Mary, he felt within himself a divine overshadowing… and a heavenly dew of divine Grace upon his mind and heart. But this rich divine reward did not stop the lamentation of his soul, which continued to pour out incessant prayer. On the one hand, he 'saw' within himself the uncreated divine Light… while on the other hand, he felt his human spiritual poverty! Thus, he was driven to an even more intense and heartbreaking search for divine mercy… crying and shedding tears incessantly, seeking only “uncreated Illumination” in the darkness of his soul!
The intense desire for the 'vision' of the uncreated Light - the only Light that can illuminate the inner darkness of the mind and heart! - is a longing of our soul, insatiable and insatiable. When the soul 'tastes' - by the Grace of God - this all-encompassing 'vision' of the endless Light... the heart is paralyzed by the 'unbearable' sweetness of divine pleasure! And, the more intensely and continuously it enjoys this endless 'vision' of the intelligible and uncreated Light... the more it burns with an insatiable thirst... and suffers with an insatiable hunger... that only the uncreated Acts of Divine Love can satisfy...! [ 3 ]
In the face of the terrifying 'darkness of the soul' (which is only seen when human existence is illuminated by the uncreated Grace of the Holy Spirit) it is possible to fall into despair! This 'vision' in which we can participate is revelatory... but also dangerous! Only those who are 'grounded' with the uncreated Divine Grace can (without risking being offended...) face 'face' the conceivable darkness within themselves... and find the cure in the Illumination of the soul...! From us who are weak and vulnerable, God hides the darkness... so that we may not, by chance, 'reject' [ 4 ] by facing it unconditionally...!
Because our human nature is generally limited, in terms of the scope of what it desires… and what it can absorb, a disgusting satiety of every material pleasure quickly ensues! Our appeals to the infinite God and the saturation of the soul, however, are experienced in the opposite way: with insatiable greed that is never satiated, and with an insatiable thirst that is likewise never released in desire! And while one may already be bathing in the Light of Christ… one is unable to ‘see’ it in oneself. That is why he continues to cry inconsolably, repeating heartbreaking words of despair: "My Virgin Mary, enlighten my darkness... enlighten my darkness..." until the darkness of the mind and heart is illuminated within him, and the uncreated and unending Light of Christ envelops his soul!
In the Theopic experience of the Orthodox East, the concept of 'beholding' (participation) in the Divine Light refers to a high Theology: the "Theology of the Uncreated Light"! This, experientially, corresponds to... those unimaginable heights of spiritual 'extremity' of the Holy souls, who participate in all the supernatural acts of Divine Love. A secret, for most people, experience of 'theomethexis' which is known as the "state of Illumination" and the "state of Glorification or Theosis" These experiential 'states' correspond to a high degree of purity of heart and senses, i.e. psychosomatic sanctification which presupposes-implies a 'dyskinesia' up to and including complete 'immobility' towards every sin and passion...!
The “created and given” [ 5 ] light of the sensible sun, when it rises in the world, illuminates the face of the earth. However, in order to penetrate deeper… into caves and burrows of the earth… its rays must find a ‘crack’ to enter. If the rays of the “created and given” light do not find a crack to penetrate deeper… their penetrating power and their illuminating grace are unable to reach the innermost darkness… and illuminate the shadows there. In contrast to the “created and given” light… the uncreated and unchanging Light of the “Sun of Justice” can penetrate everywhere, illuminating every darkness, without needing a ‘crack’ to enter!
The divine Light shines in secret… primarily within man, and secondarily outside him. It is always offered as a divine gift… (i.e. it is not acquired by the will and struggle of man alone), and necessarily presupposes spiritual purity of mind… heart… and senses…! This purity (which is perfect only in the Saints and Righteous… but even if imperfect, in every truly repentant soul…) is necessary for the ‘mirror’ of souls purified by Repentance to function ‘reflectively’! Because this ‘mirror’, being spotless, can first ‘absorb’ into itself, and then ‘reflect’ outwardly this ineffable-secret radiance of the uncreated Energies of God…!
While the acquisition (participation) of the Holy Spirit constitutes the 'goal' of the life of every Christ-worshipper, the 'contemplation' of the uncreated Light cannot be the 'end in itself' of the spiritual life in Christ. The Saints take care of their spiritual life, desiring to please Christ. They do not aim at gifts - such as the 'contemplation' of the uncreated Light - but give importance exclusively to divine pleasure. They ask for Illumination... so that they can glimpse, within themselves, the darkness of the soul, and not in order to 'enjoy' the divine experience. They accept, however - without demanding - and enjoy with gratitude whatever the infinite divine Love sends them. And God's All-Loving Love never fails to endow them, in return, with all the Goods of divine Mercy.
This great chapter of our Orthodox Christian Faith, which concerns our possibility of participating in the uncreated energies of Divine Grace and the uncreated Light of Christ… if considered superficially and frivolously, is perceived as ‘indifferent’ to our existential needs. But, what could be more vital and necessary for our existence than our participation in the theopic glory…?! “I will be satisfied in the sight of Your glory” sings the Prophet David! Because, the only thing that can satisfy the ‘God-hungry’ human soul in history is participation in the uncreated energies of His Goodness…!
We, created people, receive from the uncreated God the ability to participate in His uncreated Grace… and through this participation to transcend our creatureliness charismatically! Our living God “participates and participates”… and our ability to ‘see’ Him… to ‘hear’ Him… to ‘smell’ Him… to ‘taste’ Him… to ‘touch’ Him - through His actions - is the ‘quintessence’ of our Orthodox Faith! For this saving truth… Saint Gregory the Theologically fought! Formulating his sacred writings, he vigorously defeated the heretical rantings of a ‘cerebral theology’ that does not express the living God and the living Divine Grace of the Orthodox East…!
The confrontation of the Orthodox 'empirical theology' of the East... which is Divine revelation, with the 'theological contemplation' of the West... which is a human (cerebral) process, gave rise to the necessity to clearly dissect the Orthodox truth, about the Uncreated and the Created. [ 6 ] With the writings of the high-flying eagle of Theology, Saint Gregory Palamas, the "Theology of the Uncreated Light" was formulated! And the Orthodox theology of the uncreated Divine Essence (which does NOT participate...) and the uncreated Divine Energies (which -from the empirical awareness of the East- do participate...) definitively defeated the theognostic inexperience of the West, which was represented by the sad arrogant Balaam of Calabria.
God lovingly offers Himself, towards 'experiential knowledge of God' (!), to every soul that desires Him insatiably. Christ, as the 'Living Infinite' (…) absorbs every thought & feeling of the soul that 'touches' Him, amazed by His infinite condescension… while from within it all earthly values disappear: desires for glory or power or wealth or pleasure… even this very life! All these are overlooked as 'trash'… and the only desire of the soul at this time is to remain alone with God Alone, unknown… unknown… poor… hidden… lost in the 'embrace' of the unfathomable Light…! A soul that is worthy of God to be 'bathed' in His uncreated Light... and to touch the deified flesh of Crucified Love, now 'dies' to this world... and already begins to live in the supramundane clearing.
Christ is not partial, so as to bestow His Divine Grace 'personally'. He grants to everyone, impartially, the opportunity to participate - under certain conditions - in this supreme gift of theo-theosis! Simply, we do not all intend to pay the 'price' of this gift. Every person who desires theo-theosis... pursues it with humility and unyielding struggle against Satan and sin, defying the labors and pains of this spiritual exercise...! By taking care - out of love for Christ - of cleansing oneself from the passions, with humility and purity of heart, one automatically receives help and support from God... to strive diligently and painstakingly, towards achieving the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8)!
REFERENCES-FOOTNOTES
[ 1 ] In search of a modest formulation, to humbly 'reduce' the sublime uniqueness of Orthodoxy, in terms of its empirical Theogony (that is, that it has no competitor - in the experience of God - among other Christian doctrines), I remembered the 'solitary dance' of Frank Schaeffer! This strong soul 'danced alone' for a long time, in the same loneliness of the absence of like-minded and like-minded brothers, the 'dance' of the Orthodox Faith, in the midst of adversities... in the face of which any other would have given up! He recorded that experience in a wonderful book with the title: "Dancing Alone" and subtitled "Searching for the Orthodox Faith in the Age of False Religions...", which achieved top sales and occupied a high position on popularity lists, in America and beyond. From this book (Dancing Alone) I was inspired by the title of my article.
Note: The Frank Schaeffer is an Orthodox American author, director, screenwriter and public speaker. He is also the publisher of many books-compilations of Orthodox spirituality, through which he became the occasion for the conversion to the Orthodox Spiritual Tradition of tens of thousands of Americans (and not only) to this day.
[ 2 ] In the Tradition of the Orthodox East… the Most Holy Manna of the God-Man Christ, and by Grace Mother of all believers, has a very special place in the heart of every Christ-worshipper! This greatest intimacy - of children to Manna - that Orthodox Christians feel for the Most Holy Theotokos, inspires them to address Her as… Mother of God, when they want to approach Her King Son! This spontaneous habit of the Orthodox faithful, to invoke God “through the Theotokos”, that is, to address Christ through His Mother, for the Orthodox is something absolutely natural and self-evident… while for the heterodox it is something absolutely unnatural and completely incomprehensible!
[ 3 ] “I will be satisfied in the sight of Your glory, O Lord!” (Psalm 16:15)
INTERPRETATION: I will satisfy my hunger for You, Lord, by simply beholding… Your infinite and inconceivable divine Glory!
[ 4 ] In order for man to spiritually experience the 'vision' (participation) of the uncreated Light of Christ, but also to withstand its blaze within the soul, special spiritual prerequisites of psychosomatic endurance are required, built by Divine Grace. Otherwise, the weak human 'vessel' cannot 'bear' such a strong 'electrical discharge'... without melting! And the uncreated Light of Christ may penetrate peacefully and silently into our soul, silencing every 'movement' of the flesh... but the preparation of existence that is required, in order to make the divine visitation possible, refers to a biblical description... of a 'thermo-nuclear' release:
“…Behold, a great and powerful wind, which rent mountains and brake in pieces rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake… but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire… but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a still wind… the Lord was angry!” (1 Kings 19:11-13).
INTERPRETATION: A Spirit of omnipotence precedes the coming of God… breaking up mountains and crushing rocks for God to pass through… but God Himself is not in this leveling procession! And after the leveling Spirit, a great earthquake follows that crushes everything… but again God Himself is not in the earthquake! And after the crushing earthquake, a torrent of fire follows that consumes everything in its path… but God Himself is not in the fire! And after the fire, a sweet voice follows, like a cool breath of a fine breeze… and within that is the all-perfect, all-good and all-powerful God!
[ 5 ] The Holy Fathers have called the light of the sensible sun 'created' (which has been created) and 'dual' (which disappears at its setting...) light... in contrast to the uncreated (uncreated) and unset (unevening) Light of the Intellectual "Sun of Righteousness" -Jesus Christ- which shines from eternity, already illuminates all creation, and will shine undiminished in eternity.
[ 6 ] Only God is uncreated (i.e. uncreated), while the entire world of His material and immaterial Creation is created, having been created by Him, the only uncreated, Creator God. The Uncreated has no beginning, nor decay, nor end… while the Created has both a beginning and decay and an end. The Uncreated is distinguished from the Created by the fact that it is by nature unchangeable, incorruptible and eternal. Furthermore, it is outside of space and time, which are created magnitudes, which this Uncreated Being created.
