Holy Orthodoxy shares her wisdom with all, the Name of Holy Trinity alight and alive in her elders as uncreated light of glory crowning her saints. Awareness of presence regenerates presence of awareness as wisdom renews glory in the saints. Utterly simple as pure prayer of the heart, Orthodox Tradition offers profound symbols to communicate her hallowing communion. Symbolism frees silence to speak to the heart, free of all sectarian extremism. Desert wisdom is not sectarian but holds steady within the heart of Holy Orthodoxy, so that when Orthodox churches are under pressure from powers that be, the witness of desert wisdom is peace, giving glory to God in the midst. Power politics is an inevitable pressure on Holy Orthodoxy, so it is no surprise when fallen powers threaten to confuse and divide what in God is one. The witness of wisdom is God’s vision of God through God, giving glory to God in God, Holy Trinity in act as uncreated creative energy, wisdom in love with glory as a Song of Songs. Holy Orthodoxy has known many centuries of Patriarchy but has nurtured nourishing Hesychast wisdom at its heart, transmitting the wisdom of the Beloved Disciple and her Odes, veiled so that her transfiguring witness was unbroken, hidden yet revealed. At the heart of Orthodox Patriarchy is wisdom’s gentle gaze, awakening hearts to her luminous eye of wisdom, transfiguring patriarchal structures with uncreated wisdom beholding glory in the midst.
The mysteries of the Name remain wisdom’s greatest gift to the desert, kneading the dough of the bread of heaven, including the yeast of God seeing God in God, Holy Trinity. Holy Orthodoxy imparts this bread with the wine of presence at the Holy Eucharist, wisdom incarnate in the sacrament of communion, glory received and glory given. Christ in person is given and received when the Spirit opens wisdom to glory in the midst. The hallowed Name and the Holy Liturgy are one mystery, one reality, one deifying sacrament and mystery of oneness here in God as God. The triune mysteries of wisdom are never forgotten in the desert because it is here in the wilderness, where a holy city gathers, that Holy Orthodoxy is what she always was, hallowing wisdom revealing glory in God’s Name. Elders impart the glory prophets see, nurturing wisdom apostles behold, nourishing saints and embracing little ones so that imperious powers fall away. So when Orthodox Churches are caught up in the strains and stresses of divisive confusion, their witness holds true at centre because Holy Trinity holds true. There is nothing special about the ‘orthodox’ but wisdom holds true as glory in Holy Orthodoxy, bearing witness to Holy Trinity as revelatory Name, ‘I AM.’
The uncreated light of the Name transcends form but creates forms and icons that unveil glory. Pure prayer is formless yet transfigures form, renewing Holy Orthodoxy from within. Light from light sees light, God from God seeing God, Holy Trinity at work as glory deifying elders and saints. Uncreated light is infallible in its ever-present awareness of presence and ever-aware presence of awareness, because God’s knowledge of God is free from error. This means that at the heart of Holy Orthodoxy there is an invincible serenity, rooted in Great Peace that passes all understanding. It is not a passing feeling but an unshakable assurance, beyond faith in one’s faith, being God’s certainty of God shared with all who awaken to God here in the midst. Holy wisdom knows as she is wholly known, beyond every subjection to subjective uncertainty, able to subject every contrary opinion to rigorous discernment. Wisdom frees the heart of every constriction, every shallow certainty, every sort of narrow fundamentalism. Glory’s certainty of glory is God’s, rendering all human parodies redundant. Vain glory dissolves here where glory glorifies God. Vision of God is God’s, not mine, emptying me of ‘me’ and ‘mine,’ where God reveals God in God. Holy Trinity is dogma because it is experience, transcending every kind of scholastic dogmatism, every shallow or narrow emotionalism. Holy Orthodoxy stands steadfast because Holy Trinity opens wisdom to glory, unveiling glory to wisdom in the midst.