Cry out: “Teach me, Lord, to love! This state of hate is hurting me. Teach me to love!” And then God will teach you every morning, and you should say: “What would I do if I loved people?”
Wow, thank you! That's quite an answer. And it also shows the spiritual and intellectual depth of Mother Siluana that she translated this in the way she did. I know she quotes Palamas, but the image of the feelings of the soul becoming the body of our prayer, perhaps that's her own? And if so, what an image! I think it does really help one get out of a stoic approach to prayer, which I think I've been stuck in for years, and I think I've been praying the Jesus prayer like a stoic; at least partially, until I read Mother Siluana.
I'm glad you resonate with what Mother Siluana says, Luke. I had the same issue of praying with a stoic approach and not engaging my feelings--the good, the bad, and the ugly--in prayer. Reading her words, I see how much deeper I can go by offering God everything I feel. This is difficult for me as a man raised in a Western culture who has been taught to repress or not express my feelings.
I think Mother Siluana experienced what Palamas wrote about in its depth, even seeing the uncreated light and attaining the prayer of the heart as some have said about her, and this was combined with the gift of translating it into modern, psychological language. I've only found Saint Sophrony and Archim. Zacharias to write in a similar way. So, I don't think she presents her own idea, but rather the very heart of our spiritual tradition expressed in a new way. Thank God for people like her!
I particularly relate to where she talks about our attempts to pray from an idealized position of piety. I grew up Pentecostal, which can be very emotionalistic, yet, I was not aware that I basically suppressed my actual emotions using a fake pious posturing, and often play emotions. Later I became more stoic, which was just another form of idealized piety.
I appreciate you saying that her thought was not original. That is a good point. I guess I was not trying to say that, but that her expression of it was, perhaps, quite refreshing and, and least as far as my limited experience goes, unique. But, certainly not novel or "innovative".
I can see how her writings help you given your background. It seems like both extremes would be a way of avoiding dealing with our more painful emotions and the wounds they hide (or reveal). How difficult it is to go into those depths, and glory to God for letting you see that.
I recently started reading Mother Siluana's book "God, Where is the Wound?" and I am finding it to be extraordinarily enlightening. I see that you, Grig Gheorghiu, are also the translator of this book. I have a couple of questions that you might be able to answer. First, what are the contents of the Romanian Philokalia Volumes 7 and 8 which she is told to read? The English version is organized differently as there are only 5 volumes. Second, she refers to the idea that the "feelings of the soul are the flesh of prayer", and references St. Gregory Palamas (and St. Basil of Poiana Marului). Do you know where St. Gregory discusses this? I don't ask this to question her, but because I'd like to find out more about it.
Hello Luke! I am very happy that you find the book useful. I looked up the table of contents for the Romanian Philokalia volumes 7 and 8 and here is what they contain:
Romanian Philokalia Vol 7
Nikephoros the Monk
Theoleptus of Philadelphia
St. Gregory of Sinai
St. Gregory Palamas
Romanian Philokalia Vol 8
Kallistos and Ignatius Xanthopoulos
Kallistos the Patriarch
Kallistos Angelikoudes
Kallistor Katafygiotis
St. Symeon the New Theologian
The life of St. Maximus Kavsokalyvites
St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite: The life of St. Gregory of Thessaloniki
The history of Hesychasm in Romania
The Romanian Philokalia volumes were selected and edited by Fr. Dumitru Staniloae, so they differ quite a bit from the English version.
Not sure yet about your second question, I'll need to do more research there.
Mother Siluana must have been referring to Palamas' Triads. Fr. Nikolaos Loudovikos answers your question and references the Triads in his article "Ecstasy as Descent: The Palamite and Maximian Bedrock of the Theology of Saint Sophrony" found in Analogia vol. 11 (2020), p. 80-81, especially in the second paragraph quoted below:
"The inheritor and leading representative of this spiritually fertile tradition, which
is what we call Hesychasm, is unquestionably St Gregory Palamas. We Orthodox
theologians have, unfortunately, barely realized that what Palamite theology was
mainly concerned with combatting was the Neo-Platonizing anthropology and epistemology described above. This wholly sacred and, at the same time, profoundly
anti-idealistic and, we would say, literally ‘materialistic’ nature of Hesychasm is
precisely that which makes it so deeply relevant today and so capable of answering
the most challenging questions that have arisen both in philosophy and human
sciences, including neuro-science.
"The main characteristics on this theme in the Palamite oeuvre are the following: first, complete acceptance of the passive part of the soul, that is, of the feelings and of desire, within the perspective of communion with God. The saints are not merely ‘gazers’ upon, but are also ‘participants’ in God, says Palamas, alluding here to the Macarian union of nous and heart: we do not merely think about God but we also love him and desire him, and so participate in him. Secondly, complete acceptance of the body. According to the Triads in Defense of Those Who Practice Sacred Hesychasm, the body possesses ‘ingrained spiritual inclinations’, that is, as a blessed creation of God it can be spiritualized together with the soul and can be ‘immortalized’ with it. Thirdly, as a consequence of this, union with God is a union through the heart, the nous and the body, simultaneously. Palamas, the hesychast Archbishop of Thessaloniki, says that our passions not only must not be lost, as, for example, the Stoics taught, but they should actually be transformed in the Holy Spirit, changing their orientation and objectives so that the whole of the real person can embrace the whole of the real God by grace."
Thank you !! Very healing this perspective ….. to ‘ transform ‘ our passions…. it sounds ‘doable ‘ with the Holy Spirit working within us …. co-creating with God .
Wow, thank you! That's quite an answer. And it also shows the spiritual and intellectual depth of Mother Siluana that she translated this in the way she did. I know she quotes Palamas, but the image of the feelings of the soul becoming the body of our prayer, perhaps that's her own? And if so, what an image! I think it does really help one get out of a stoic approach to prayer, which I think I've been stuck in for years, and I think I've been praying the Jesus prayer like a stoic; at least partially, until I read Mother Siluana.
I'm glad you resonate with what Mother Siluana says, Luke. I had the same issue of praying with a stoic approach and not engaging my feelings--the good, the bad, and the ugly--in prayer. Reading her words, I see how much deeper I can go by offering God everything I feel. This is difficult for me as a man raised in a Western culture who has been taught to repress or not express my feelings.
I think Mother Siluana experienced what Palamas wrote about in its depth, even seeing the uncreated light and attaining the prayer of the heart as some have said about her, and this was combined with the gift of translating it into modern, psychological language. I've only found Saint Sophrony and Archim. Zacharias to write in a similar way. So, I don't think she presents her own idea, but rather the very heart of our spiritual tradition expressed in a new way. Thank God for people like her!
I particularly relate to where she talks about our attempts to pray from an idealized position of piety. I grew up Pentecostal, which can be very emotionalistic, yet, I was not aware that I basically suppressed my actual emotions using a fake pious posturing, and often play emotions. Later I became more stoic, which was just another form of idealized piety.
I appreciate you saying that her thought was not original. That is a good point. I guess I was not trying to say that, but that her expression of it was, perhaps, quite refreshing and, and least as far as my limited experience goes, unique. But, certainly not novel or "innovative".
I can see how her writings help you given your background. It seems like both extremes would be a way of avoiding dealing with our more painful emotions and the wounds they hide (or reveal). How difficult it is to go into those depths, and glory to God for letting you see that.
Yes, she is very unique!
I recently started reading Mother Siluana's book "God, Where is the Wound?" and I am finding it to be extraordinarily enlightening. I see that you, Grig Gheorghiu, are also the translator of this book. I have a couple of questions that you might be able to answer. First, what are the contents of the Romanian Philokalia Volumes 7 and 8 which she is told to read? The English version is organized differently as there are only 5 volumes. Second, she refers to the idea that the "feelings of the soul are the flesh of prayer", and references St. Gregory Palamas (and St. Basil of Poiana Marului). Do you know where St. Gregory discusses this? I don't ask this to question her, but because I'd like to find out more about it.
Hello Luke! I am very happy that you find the book useful. I looked up the table of contents for the Romanian Philokalia volumes 7 and 8 and here is what they contain:
Romanian Philokalia Vol 7
Nikephoros the Monk
Theoleptus of Philadelphia
St. Gregory of Sinai
St. Gregory Palamas
Romanian Philokalia Vol 8
Kallistos and Ignatius Xanthopoulos
Kallistos the Patriarch
Kallistos Angelikoudes
Kallistor Katafygiotis
St. Symeon the New Theologian
The life of St. Maximus Kavsokalyvites
St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite: The life of St. Gregory of Thessaloniki
The history of Hesychasm in Romania
The Romanian Philokalia volumes were selected and edited by Fr. Dumitru Staniloae, so they differ quite a bit from the English version.
Not sure yet about your second question, I'll need to do more research there.
Thank you! That looks roughly like volumes 4 and 5 in the English version.
The second question perhaps should have been for Mother Siluana, but alas she has reposed. It seems like a very helpful insight.
Dear Luke,
Mother Siluana must have been referring to Palamas' Triads. Fr. Nikolaos Loudovikos answers your question and references the Triads in his article "Ecstasy as Descent: The Palamite and Maximian Bedrock of the Theology of Saint Sophrony" found in Analogia vol. 11 (2020), p. 80-81, especially in the second paragraph quoted below:
"The inheritor and leading representative of this spiritually fertile tradition, which
is what we call Hesychasm, is unquestionably St Gregory Palamas. We Orthodox
theologians have, unfortunately, barely realized that what Palamite theology was
mainly concerned with combatting was the Neo-Platonizing anthropology and epistemology described above. This wholly sacred and, at the same time, profoundly
anti-idealistic and, we would say, literally ‘materialistic’ nature of Hesychasm is
precisely that which makes it so deeply relevant today and so capable of answering
the most challenging questions that have arisen both in philosophy and human
sciences, including neuro-science.
"The main characteristics on this theme in the Palamite oeuvre are the following: first, complete acceptance of the passive part of the soul, that is, of the feelings and of desire, within the perspective of communion with God. The saints are not merely ‘gazers’ upon, but are also ‘participants’ in God, says Palamas, alluding here to the Macarian union of nous and heart: we do not merely think about God but we also love him and desire him, and so participate in him. Secondly, complete acceptance of the body. According to the Triads in Defense of Those Who Practice Sacred Hesychasm, the body possesses ‘ingrained spiritual inclinations’, that is, as a blessed creation of God it can be spiritualized together with the soul and can be ‘immortalized’ with it. Thirdly, as a consequence of this, union with God is a union through the heart, the nous and the body, simultaneously. Palamas, the hesychast Archbishop of Thessaloniki, says that our passions not only must not be lost, as, for example, the Stoics taught, but they should actually be transformed in the Holy Spirit, changing their orientation and objectives so that the whole of the real person can embrace the whole of the real God by grace."
Thank you !! Very healing this perspective ….. to ‘ transform ‘ our passions…. it sounds ‘doable ‘ with the Holy Spirit working within us …. co-creating with God .
The Orthodox Church is a healing faith !!
Thanks be to God for this wisdom!
So beautiful and practical!!!