2025-03-16 Greek Orthodox Matins/Orthros Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil: St. Gregory Palamas

LIVE High Definition (HD) broadcast of the Greek Orthodox Matins (Morning Prayers)/Orthros and Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom commemorating Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas. Readings: Matins Gospel Reading: Luke 24:12-35 Epistle Reading: St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 1:10-14; 2:1-3 Gospel Reading: Mark 2:1-12 Today, we commemorate: Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas Sabine the Martyr of Egypt Christodulus, the Wonderworker of Patmos Aristovoulos, Apostle of the 70 Saint Gregory Palamas is a significant figure within the Greek Orthodox Church, primarily recognized for his pivotal role in the 14th-century theological debates concerning Hesychasm. His contributions are commemorated due to their profound impact on Orthodox doctrine. Theological Defense of Hesychasm: Palamas articulated the distinction between God's essence and God's energies. He posited that while God's essence is transcendent and inaccessible to human comprehension, His energies are immanent and can be experienced through spiritual practices, particularly Hesychasm. This distinction served to defend the validity of contemplative prayer and the possibility of direct, experiential communion with the divine. Doctrinal Significance: His theological formulations provided a robust defense against rationalist critiques that challenged the Orthodox understanding of divine grace and mystical experience. His victory in the Synods of Constantinople solidified his teachings as authoritative within Orthodox theology, reaffirming the Church's mystical tradition. His work effectively defended theosis, or divinization, a core concept within Eastern Orthodoxy. Liturgical Commemoration: The Church commemorates Saint Gregory Palamas on November 14th and on the Second Sunday of Great Lent, emphasizing the relevance of his teachings to the Lenten season's focus on spiritual purification and preparation. This placement reinforces the connection between his theology and the practical application of spiritual disciplines. The second Sunday of Lent is also called the Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas. The church remembers Saint Gregory Palamas because his defense of Hesychasm and clear explanation of the essence-energies distinction were vital in maintaining orthodox theological understanding. Our Eastern Orthodox service is conducted mainly in English and Greek, and LIVE is streamed from Saint Mark Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton, Florida. Subscribers to    / saintmark   are invited to participate in our online public Live Chat during the service. We encourage you to introduce yourself by giving your name and the city/state/country from where you are worshiping with us. Please Light a Candle & Say a Prayer at https://saintmarkboca.net/give You can follow the text of the Matins (Morning Prayers)/Orthros at: https://dcs.goarch.org/goa/dcs/p/s/20... You can follow the text of the Divine Liturgy at: https://dcs.goarch.org/goa/dcs/p/s/20... #GregoryPalamas, #OrthodoxChristianity, #DivineLiturgy, #Hesychasm, #EasternOrthodox, #LentenSeason, #Theosis, #OrthodoxTheology, #EssenceEnergies, #SpiritualPrayer, #GreatLent, #OrthodoxChristian, #OrthodoxFaith, #orthodoxlivestream, #SaintMarkBoca