Our Church, as all Churches that use and follow the rituals of the Byzantine Church of Constantinople, approaches the period of preparation for Easter in a very intense manner. It is probably the most liturgically developed part of the Church year. For example, each week of the Great Fast presents us not only a particular theme but also with specific commemorations. The themes presented each week are connected to the Gospel passages which are read on the weekends – passages that were used to teach early converts about the faith.

We must remember that the Great Fast, once it was developed, was a time when persons who were becoming Christian were taught about the Good News that Jesus revealed. It was a time of learning and preparation for initiation into the Church. We do well, therefore, to think about the Gospel message each week and ask ourselves what the Church is attempting to teach us about our faith.

Each week of the Great Fast also has special commemorations, largely based on historical events. For example, on the very first weekend of the Great Fast we remembered the end of iconoclasm and the reestablishment of the veneration of icons. The commemoration of this event also has great meaning for us today as we engage in the use of icons to help us in prayer.

On the second week of the Great Fast we our Father among the Saints, St. Gregory Palamas. The condemnation of his enemies and the vindication of his teachings by the Church in the 14th   century was acclaimed as a second triumph of the true faith. I would hasten to note that the vindication of Gregory took place after the Great Schism and so we find that the Western Church does not always recognize him. He is, however, one of the preeminent Fathers of the Eastern Church.

I believe that one of the reasons why the Western Church has had difficulty dealing with the writings of Gregory is that they are very mystical. For example, Gregory addresses the question of how it is possible for humans to have knowledge of God Who is transcendent and unknowable, he drew a distinction between knowing God in his essence (in Greek, ουσία) and knowing God in his energies (in Greek, ενέργειαι), that is to know what God does, and who he is in relation to the creation and to mankind.