Pure prayer is remembrance of God and prophecy is witness to pure prayer, clearing away all that hinders the remembrance of God. Saints love to remember God but without turning there can be no seeing, in which case remembrance may, for a time, be extinguished. Prophecy reminds them that the extinction of their remembrance never extinguishes God’s remembrance of them, for God sees them and in his wisdom, he beholds them in the glory of his Name, wherein God remembers them. Clouds of forgetting may come and go but God’s own God-centred remembrance of God in his saints is his secret of secrets hidden within the heart, whereby he never forgets them. Prophecy partakes in wisdom’s delight in God’s secret Presence, sharing with angels the joy of unutterable glory. Wisdom’s love of glory is unveiled in the hidden heart of God’s presence, inspiring awareness to encircle it as unceasing prayer. Prayer remembers God, fulfilling prophecy’s secret longing with the completeness of the Spirit’s unceasing prayer. God’s presence in three persons is a secret, co-inherent encirclement in which we partake by grace, grace proceeding from the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit, deifying saints in the Spirit, through the Son, to the glory of the Father.
As remembrance of God, the Spirit’s prayer in the heart is unceasing, conspiring with prophecy to awaken hearts to God’s unbroken remembrance of God. Angels, aware that God’s awareness is wisdom and that God’s presence is glory, know that together wisdom and glory sustain the remembrance of God. They bear witness with wisdom to the glory of God’s presence, helping to complete in us the grace that simultaneously completes them. This holy conjunction deifies them as it deifies us, revealing that angels love to be heavenly companions of glorified saints. Angelic prophecy is to heavenly prayer what earthly prophecy is to unceasing spiritual prayer. The Name is revelatory among angels in heaven, then revelatory among glorified saints on earth, unveiling mysteries of communion both to angels in heaven and to saints on earth. The communion of saints embraces angels in heaven with saints on earth in one holy revelatory hallowing of the Holy Name. God is always present in his Name, as he is present in every heart, unveiling the all-embracing holiness of the remembrance of God.
Prophecy seals prayer and prayer seals prophecy, opening wisdom to the glory of the remembrance of God. Oceans of blessing hallow the invocation of the Name, unveiling humble openness to the uncreated light of glory. Wisdom mothers prophecy of prayer, nurturing prophecy that nourishes prayer and prayer that sustains prophecy. Wisdom’s generous presence permeates visible worlds with the invisible worlds of angels, aware of pure awareness as wisdom, aware of presence as the presence of glory. Prophets of prayer love the completeness of the remembrance of God, although prophecy may cease and prayer may fall silent for a time, but the remembrance of God is unceasing. God’s presence in person is ‘thrice-holy,’ being three uncreated ways deifying Presence unveils personhood to us, in us and as us. Everything from the perspective of wisdom is theophany, just as from the perspective of glory, everything is epiphany. It is the remembrance of God that preserves icons from degenerating into idols, theophany from descending into idolatry. Rigid rules of prayer fall away when prophecy frees prayer to be as natural as breathing. Silent remembrance knows everything originates in the wisdom of the Father and is transfigured through the wisdom of the Son, consummated in the completeness of the wisdom of the Spirit. Remembrance in stillness proceeds from the Father to abide in the Son, unveiling stillness to be the Spirit’s secret aspiration. The prophecy of prayer is wisdom’s joy, unveiling glory as presence and awareness as wisdom, communicating communion as the timely, timelessness of deifying remembrance.
Feast of St Melangell, Hermit of Pennant Melangell, c 590.