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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center

Saint Gregory Palamas

The Second Sunday of Great Lent commemorates the Holy Relics of the Saints and Saint Gregory Palamas.

This is my current understanding. I am researching this issue.

In 1971, the Holy Synod approved commemorating Gregory Palamas on the Second Sunday of Great Lent. The reason was that Gregory Palamas' theology is the basis for many prayers. Also, that Holy Synod wrote a Kontakion and a Troparion for Gregory Palamas.

This decision of the Holy Synod is mentioned in a footnote in a book published in 1992. The book was written in Arabic by the Liturigical Committee of the Patriarchate. A rough translation of the title is "The Holy Divine Liturgy".

According to His Grace Bishop Nicholas J. Samra, Auxiliary and Protosyncellos of the Eparchy of Newton and Rev. Fr. Peter Boutros, frpeter@stjohnofthedesert.com, Gregory Palamas is a Saint of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.

Some theologians consider Gregory Palamas to be a Church father because he developed accepted, strong theology in some areas.
Gregory Palamas was a great mystical theologian who wrote extensively about the Uncreated Light or Uncreated Energies of Holy God. Unlike the Divine Essence, the very Being of Holy God, which is not visible or accessible to human beings, the Divine Light or Divine Energies of Holy God, like grace, are visible and accessible to us. The great Byzantine mystical tradition of Hesychasm -- silent contemplation of God -- is built upon St Gregory's theology of the Uncreated Light.

In 1359, Gregory Palamas died.
One of Gregory Palamas' followers, Philotheus, Patriarch of Constantinople declared him a saint in the year 1368, established a feast day on 14 November, and ordered a special commemoration on the Second Sunday of Great Lent. Melkites did not officially honor Gregory Palamas on the Second Sunday of Great Lent until the Holy Synod made its decision in 1971. (My understanding is that for centuries some Melkites followed the Greek Orthodox pratice and honored Gregory Palamas on the Second Sunday of Great Lent.) Melkites do not commemorate Gregory Palamas on 14 November.

Kontakion, Troparion, Exapostilarion, and Vespers Sticheron or Doxastichon

VESPERS STICHON OF ST GREGORY PALAMAS (TONE 6)
Your lips are full of grace, O Holy Father Gregory. You have become a shepherd of the Church of Christ, teaching your spiritual flock to believe in the Trinity, consubstantial in one Godhead.

Pope John Paul II

Supposely, Pope John Paul II's recognized Gregory Palamas as a saint in the months following his assasination attempt in 1981.
In Father Dennis C. Smolarski, S.J.'s book, "How Not to Say Mass", His Holiness Ioannes Paulus II (PopeJohn Paul II) refered to Gregory Palamas as Saint Gregory Palamas when speaking before a group of Orthodox and Catholics. Father Smolarski S.J. states that this did action more to bring about reunion between Orthodox and Catholicsthan any theological discussion.

Also, His Holiness Ioannes Paulus II (PopeJohn Paul II) refered to Seraphim of Sarov as a saint in his book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope.
"Man achieves the fullness of prayer not when he expresses himself, but he lets God be most fullt present in prayer. The history of mystical prayer in the East and West attests to this: Saint Francis, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, Saint Iganatius of Loyola and , in the East, Saint Serafim of Sarov and many others." (page 18)

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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles) and Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000 and Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-givng Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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