the freedom of rational beings | Martyria

Studia Theologica No. I (XV) / 2023 God’s Providence, or On the Sustaining and Governing of the World through Love His Eminence Varsanufie

Divine providence, understood as God’s all-encompassing love and care for creation, is examined in relation to the freedom of rational beings, to sin, suffering and the deification of humankind, drawing upon the works of Saint John of Damascus, Saint Maximus the Confessor, Saint Justin Popovich and Thomas Spidlik, culminating in the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist.

Colloquium No. I (XIII) / 2022 Interview with Protos. Clement Păunescu, Abbot of Slănic Monastery – Argeș Fr. Constantin Olariu

In a theological interview, an Orthodox abbot explores the fundamental role of prayer in the life of a Christian, beginning with the creation of man in the image of God and the Fall of Adam. Prayer is defined as the voluntary relinquishment of one’s own freedom to allow for divine intervention, whilst fasting, and the examples of Saint Gregory Palamas and Saint Joseph the Hesychast, illustrate the path to deification and salvation.