Essence vs. Energies: Orthodox

[Ghosty]

Ghosty, can you be more clear with following?
But I will look for some means of going to heaven by a little way which is very short and very straight, a little way that is quite new.

St. Therese was talking about how she was raised on great stories of martyrs and miracle-workers, and of Saints who traveled far to bring the Word of God to unbelievers. She was very young and sick, and knew she would never get a chance for such things, so she planned to devote every little action she did to the Love of God. When she brushed her hair, she did it with Love for God. When she swept the floor, she did it with pure Love for God. This is what she meant by a “little way”, and the practice is still called “the little way” today.

However, I would think that would be benefical for Catholics to send monks to the monasteries to learn the Jesus prayer and the path for speaking with God. This way Union would be much easier if both Churches would have people speaking with God. Elder Ephraim from Florence Arizona monastery would know where to send people that want to speak with God. Same for Protestants.

This is what Catholic monks do, albeit not always with the Jesus Prayer (which is a Byzantine-specific tradition, after all). There are many monastic traditions in the Catholic Communion, some of them Byzantine with the Jesus Prayer, and many others with their own ancient customs of prayer to God. You speak as if Catholic monks do not go into the monastery to Commune directly with God, as if it is only the practice of Eastern Orthodox monastics; I can assure you that this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Peace and God bless!

 

[jimmy]

Of course there is no mingling of the natures. But, if the Orthodox are correct and our nature cannot behold God’s Essence (absolutely and without exception), then how could Jesus’ human nature behold His divine nature? How could the two natures be hypostatically united if one can’t look upon the other?

Because the human essence doesn’t ‘behold’ the divine essence. In Byzantine theology atleast, the hypostasis is understood as that which a nature exists within. The hypostasis (person) of the Word assumed the human nature within Himself and the divine energies penetrate the human nature.