Mary the Mother of God, the first volume in this series, Sermons by Saint Gregory Palamas, is a collection of some of the greatest homilies ever written on the Theotokos, including the most celebrated of all Palamas's writings, his sermon On the Entry of the Mother of God into the Holy of Holies. Sermons by Saint Gregory Palamas is the title of a new series, in which many of St. Gregory's extant homilies are arranged thematically, principally for the benefit of the layperson interested in the rich Biblical tradition of the Church Fathers. Mary the Mother of God, the first volume in this series, is a collection of some of the greatest homilies ever written on the Mother of our Lord, including the most celebrated of all St. Gregory's works, his sermon "On the Entry of the Mother of God into the Holy of Holies". --From the Publisher . . . and contemporaries, she separated herself from the assembled company and went forward to the High Priest, absolutely alone and full of joy. Turning her gracious and gentle gaze upon him, she affirmed with whatever gestures she could, and with childish murmurings, her wholehearted devotion to God. How can these events fail to inspire amazement? The three-year-old puts herself into the hands of him who can direct her course in accordance with higher providence. She makes her own wise choice between nature and its Creator, and gives higher esteem to what is better. She chooses God instead of her mother and father s embrace and prefers God s Temple and its High Priest to being cosseted at home. Reckoning all these things worthless, but valuing God and everything pertaining to Him above all else, she ran gladly towards His Temple. Surely it was of her that David the Prophet said to God, "Justice and judgment are the preparation of thy throne" (Ps. 89:14 Lxx), and "Righteousness and judgment are the achievement of his throne" (Ps. 97:2 Lxx). For she is styled the living throne of God, and in fact this honour belongs solely to her (because the word "throne" in the singular is not actually used of the bodiless, heavenly orders). It is through her rather than by means of those angelic Thrones that the foundation of great justice and ineffable righteousness came about and was revealed. So even before her birth the Virgin s discerning judgment was extolled, and now, before she had grown up, she publicly demonstrated its steadfastness. Whereas Moses tongue, although slow in other respects, nevertheless clearly proclaimed its own lack of discretion in his youth (Exod. 4:10), preserving traces of that flame, which is used, as the saying goes, for the testing of our mind s discernment, and the brightness of which is preferred to the radiance of gold. As for the other things we hear about him, to a certain extent they are good signs of his soul s future valour, but even these tokens are scarcely worthy of admiration compared to the events we are presently considering. For how could a kingly crown adorned with gold leaf and bright gems (cf. Exod. 28:36 29:6) appeal to a child s mentality as much as her mother s warm and loving embrace . . . --Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Sermons by Saint Gregory Palamas is the title of a new series, in which many of St. Gregory's extant homilies are arranged thematically, principally for the benefit of the layperson interested in the rich Biblical tradition of the Church Fathers. Mary the Mother of God, the first volume in this series, is a collection of some of the greatest homilies ever written on the Mother of our Lord, including the most celebrated of all St. Gregory's works, his sermon "On the Entry of the Mother of God into the Holy of Holies". --From the Publisher Sermons by Saint Gregory Palamas is the title of a new series, in which many of St. Gregory's extant homilies are arranged thematically, principally for the benefit of the layperson interested in the rich Biblical tradition of the Church Fathers. Mary the Mother of God, the first volume in this series, is a collection of some of the greatest homilies ever written on the Mother of our Lord, including the most celebrated of all St. Gregory's works, his sermon "On the Entry of the Mother of God into the Holy of Holies". St. Gregory Palamas (1296- 1359) is one of the most important Orthodox theologians of all ages. The most significant event in St. Gregory's life was his defence of the Hesychasts, those who practised the Prayer of the Heart in stillness; for in so doing Palamas defended the very essence of the Christian Faith: that the human person has been created for the purpose of direct and unmediated union with God, even from this present life. . . . and contemporaries, she separated herself from the assembled company and went forward to the High Priest, absolutely alone and full of joy. Turning her gracious and gentle gaze upon him, she affirmed with whatever gestures she could, and with childish murmurings, her wholehearted devotion to God. How can these events fail t