Prayer as Infinite Creation

Instead of posting my own thoughts here, let me post some words of a man of prayer, who himself was a student of great men of prayer:

In their writings, St. Silouan and Fr. Sophrony continually emphasise the importance of such prayer of repentance through which man's renewal and salvation are acomplished. Prayer is sautary because it establishes the harmonious co-operation of man's will with God's will. Man's created energy surrenders to God's uncreated energy, and his merely human existence is totally tranformed by prayer, inasmuch as prayer is the expression of his repenetance. In the world around us, nothing helps us in the works of prayer and repentance. Inspiriation can only spring from man's consciousness of sin and the sense of his spritiaul poverty; both are perceived in the light of his relationship with God, which is founded on man's faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ.

A most unique way to approach prayer! Though perhaps it is worth noting that this theology is _not_ endorsing a pantheistic conception or an idea that man can somehow earn this. As it is written here, it is more of an understanding of how a creature approaches God, through humility since somehow God is this humility in love.

It seems my thoughts on this continue to be scattered, which I shall take as a sign that perhaps my time of reflecting on this draws nigh.

Cheers,
Jaremy

Season's and seasonality.

It has been a long time since my last posting to this blog. Perhaps it is sad that there were so many things which I left unsaid about my experiences in Israel. Times like that affect the soul in the deepest levels and indeed I can never return to the way I was before my travels to that country. In the time since I have travelled further, both in visiting new places and traveling to Russia and in myself becoming an Eastern Orthodox Christian such as found in Israel. Once the Orthodox confounded me and perhaps a little to quickly I had dismissed them as "nominal". Still there have been many changes since I was a much more naive young man visiting a country that I knew nothing about and having no special reason to visit there.

Hopefully I did not loose to much innocence there, but as all men must, in some level began to confront the world and my beliefs, thoughts, action and entire life. Who would trade such a time, both the good and the bad for anything? We all need to look forward and learn to live in the moment for God is called the "existing one". His unspoken name is praised continuously both in the Heavens and on Earth. May it be always so!

Perhaps I will take the time and try to recall as much as can to post some of my later experiences in Israel! I even have my own pictures which are still lacking in development (though the X-ray machines might not have helped them in that either). For example there was the wonderful trip we took to Petra. What an amazing time that was! Sleeping on a bus full of Israeli's and taking our alloted seats (classified as something "People", which apparently meant we didn't get seats but a nice spot to sit in the isle!). Well this is turning into another post itself. Perhaps I shall continue that story sometime.

Shall I continue with stories of my trips to Russia? Perhaps I shall write this for no one in particular, but as a way to remember what I have seen, for I am rather forgetful. Perhaps writing thoughts for a post enforces one to mold inchoate thoughts a little. It is easy to think and contemplate, but to form impressions into coherent, cogent thought is another matter entirely.

Cheers,
Jaremy