Hesychasm was a big surprise. Here was wisdom, turning the light of awareness around to behold the presence of glory at the heart of awareness. Here was turning, metanoia, uniting heaven and earth, whilst seeing, theoria, united uncreated light with uncreated glory. The practice of turning the light of awareness around was here still sustaining the practice of seeing to purify… Read more »
In all three synoptic gospels, Jesus speaks of the sin against the Holy Spirit and says any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven except blasphemy against the Spirit (Mt 12: 31-32; Lk 12:10; Mk 3:29). In an age of spiritual confusion and divisive fundamentalism, it is inevitable that spiritual narcissism demonises everything except one’s own egocentric or ethnocentric religion, sect or… Read more »
Encountering Saint Sophrony the Hesychast, in 1965. at the age of twenty, was catalytic for a theological student who knew very little about the Orthodox Patristic Tradition. Recommended to see him by Father Gilbert Shaw, who loved him dearly, the directness of his wisdom of God-centred personhood was both overwhelming and reassuring, and gave clear direction to a lifetime of spiritual… Read more »