www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Grace: The Eastern Concept

Dear Rum Orthodox,

Yes, you are right, the Roman Catholic Church accepts the Palamite view, but not to the exclusion of others.

It also has now recognized St Gregory Palamas as a saint and venerates him as such.

John Meyendorff (+memory eternal!)indicated that there is much affinity between Thomism (the vision of God) and Palamism (participation in God's created energies) in fact, even though the differences are there and are real.

Divinization or Theosis is now something that both Churches can agree on totally, and there is movement of the West toward a greater appreciation for the theological precision of Palamas.

In addition, the Roman Catholic Church has now officially accepted and teaches the theology and practice of the Jesus Prayer, as we see in the Catholic Catechism promulgated by Pope John Paul II.

My experience has been that the more Roman Catholics see and experience the riches of the East, the more they want to.

Alex

[ 11-28-2001: Message edited by: Orthodox Catholic ]

ok, if OthoMan is correct in his interpretation of the Western view of Grace, then why was I taught that all of what he says is rubbish. I was taught what he defines as the Orthodox view. Mind you, I was raised in the Latin Church, and taught by many venerable priests who were ordained in the days when they had to memorize Summa Theologica. I am curious to know if there is more to both sides than Orthoman says.