The Mystagogy of St Maximos the Confessor
Talk by Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen), part 5

Class #5: 
The text for this series is "On the Ecclesiastical Mystagogy", by Jonathan J. Armstrong, SVS 
Press.
This class covers the remaining chapters (23) and (24), and a concluding summary, and is a fitting conclusion to St. Maximos' beautiful treatise. 
The Divine Liturgy is presented as both an allegory of the Spiritual life and as the instrument of the Holy Spirit to actualize this Spiritual life by grace in the faithful who attend: the first Entrance as leaving the sensible realm and entering into noetic realm; the readings as the path to natural contemplation; the Divine Hymns to divine and ardent desire toward toward God; the Holy Gospel to unity of mind in God and the attainment of spiritual discernment; the descent of the Bishop from his throne to the noetic vision of God the Word himself; the closing of the doors again to leaving the sensible realm and entering into knowledge of spiritual things at the entrance of the Holy Mysteries; to union with God through the Kiss of Peace; to confession of salvation with thanksgiving through the Symbol of Faith; and finally, through the Our Father, the One is Holy, and the partaking of the Holy Mysteries ... to mystical ascent to God, to adoption to sonship, to union with the Father mystically by grace, to fullness of potential (logoi) in God, to Theologia (knowledge of God as subject not object), to Theoria (Vision of the Holy Trinity), and to inter-penetration of God and the soul (Deification). Please reread these chapters and watch the video, as this humble summary is totally inadequate!

July 20, 2021
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