Fr. Aimilianos of Simonopetra talks about Hesychasm as the way of approaching God without being consumed by the divine fire.
Full transcript: https://otelders.org/theology-and-spirituality/orthodox-hesychasm-fr-aimilianos-of-simonopetra/
Fr. Aimilianos:
Hesychasm is the candle, it is the light that guides us!
And we know where the light is, there is God.
We cannot stand before God face to face! Who will solve this problem? Who will solve it?
God must find another way. And what does He do actually? Here… God answered. And the solution He taught us to this day: the Hesychasm! The Palamism! Our Church itself who arranged our connection with God. Our church who wants to secure us the inner peace…
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Therefore, Hesychasm is the way of our deification.
But when does Hesychasm begin? Doesn’t it start with St. Gregory Palamas? Certainly not!
Didn’t you hear what God said to Cain? “Be still (isihason)” (Genesis 4:7, Septuagint), He told him. Only in the stillness (hesychia) of the heart and of the surrounding world one can have joy and God, one can have communion with Heaven.
Hesychasm is a monastic movement, ascetic, as we know. It is a life and an experience of monasticism and of our Church.
Hesychasm has developed, in particular, in the Holy Mountain. And it crystallized into a definitive form, we can say, in the 14th century, with St. Gregory Palamas.
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St. Gregory didn’t bring a new teaching about Hesychasm, but he has handed it to us as he received it, in a perfect form, adding his own world, his own experiences, his own divine revelations.
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Thus, Hesychasm is the candle, it is the light that guides us! And we know where the light is, there is God. We don’t see God, but we know that there is God, and we walk unharmed, firm and with faith!
Thank you for translating. These words are spiritual Gold !
Thats why I felt joy in Simonos Petras when I visited.
Amen and amen!
"Be still, and know that I am God", Psalm 46:10. However, Christ is the Light; no method of approaching God can be effective without Christ. So we have to guard against evil spirits (disguised as angels of light) and prelast (self-delusion).
doxa si theos.
I could listen to Fr. Aimilianos for hours! As ZiG said, thank you for the translation!
This is amazing. I am typing with tears in my eyes, and feel relief from my anxiety due to the influence of this holy elder. I see that as Saint Seraphim related in the conversation with Motovilov, that hesychasm began in the Old Testament, and continued through the New Testament. Its Light is Christ, and through Him, through His Church, we can approach the Father of Lights.
Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me a sinner ❤️🥰☝️👑✨✨
This is why I joined Orthodoxy as a westerner, it is the truth and the light of mankind
Thank you, thank you, thank you. 'Only in the stillness (hesychia) of the heart and of the surrounding world, one can have Joy in God, one can have Communion with Heaven'. Thank you. Immense Beauty in these words and this Teaching. Glory to God !!!! 'Thus Hesychasm, is the candle, it is the Light that guides us! Glory, Glory to God in The Highest for His mercy on us. Amen.
What an extraordinary privilege the Lord has bestowed upon us! Glory be to our merciful and loving God forever! 🙏
is the Heart Prayer synonymous with Hesychasm?
Is there a clear boundary between [1] simple prayer of the heart, following the instructions to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to "close the door" (Matthew 6:6 – in the sense of withdrawing inwardly) – and [2] the Hesychasm of the saints, mystics etc? Can/should the first [1] be practiced by all Christians? or should it also be avoided by non-monks? Is it possible to practice [1] without extrapolating to [2]? should we, then, be careful not to follow all the advices of the saints, Filokalia, etc., since we are not prepared to?
Just when you think he's going to say "Jesus", he says "hesychasm" and "Palamism". Speaks for itself.
I watch these excerpts daily with much gratitude.
Krishna is WITHIN
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