Co-glorification

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Co-suffering martyrs bear witness to mysteries of co-glorification in Christ, according to the Apostle Paul (Rom 8: 16-17).  Just as illumination sees in a mirror what glorification beholds face to face, so formal prayers give way to unceasing prayer in the Holy Spirit when spiritual prayer mirrors love that does not give way to anything, except perhaps more love (1 Cor 13: 8-11).  Wisdom prays in the Holy Spirit, revealing mysteries that eyes cannot see and ears cannot hear, unveiling hidden wisdom that hearts cannot conceive, purifying and illumining saints (1 Cor 2: 9-11).  Prophets of the Old Covenant transmitted glorification to apostles through New Covenant prophecy, such as the Book of Revelation, awakening unceasing prayer, maturing co-suffering with co-glorification.  Not all martyrs die a literal death, as red martyrs do, because white martyrs live to die to death, overcoming death by death, anticipating the resurrecting reign of the Name through unceasing prayer. The Spirit baptises with fire, igniting glorification with unquenched flame, inspiring grace-filled prophecy and prayer.

Co-glorification suffers persecution of many kinds, but draws upon different gifts of the Spirit, charismata, to heal the wounds.  The suffering communion of charismatic prophecy and unceasing prayer does not always die out, despite persecution, but continues to communicate counter-cultural glorification through illumination, renewing co-glorification.  Healthy co-glorification is not tempted to substitute episcopal rule and regulation for living prophecy because originally bishops were prophets, as Saint Ignatius clearly knew.  The Eucharist gathered together those who turn right round into God to see the glory of the age to come, so was not originally an ecclesiastical institution rivalling the reign of the hallowing Name.  The uncreated Cross of love’s saving wisdom was always already one with Eucharistic remembrance, anamnesis, but the original oneness of remembrance was a pregnant mystery, hidden with Christ in God, until its moment of rebirth comes.

Co-glorification nourished the gracious dispensations of Abraham and the patriarchs, of Melchizedek’s order of priests, of Moses and the prophets, later handed on, through Christ, to the Apostles, and from them to elders and saints.  Whilst glorification flourished, heresies were cured before they arose, healing falls from grace with proleptic grace, renewing the tradition of desert stillness with uncreated fire.  When ethnocentric mentalities later usurped ecclesial glorification, powerful heresies began to intervene, eventually stifling wisdom and extinguishing glorification.  Whichever of three ‘Romes’ predominated, Rome itself, Byzantium, or Moscow, endemic ‘ethnolatry’ spawned fatal ethnocentric heresies of virulent kinds, subverting Orthodox glorification from within.  Deifying co-glorification, however, has never been totally extinguished, but continues to renew unceasing prayer with prophecy, so that whenever glorification suffers death and resurrection, it is born again from heart to heart by fire.