THE MYSTERY OF THE WORD AND THE LIGHT OF TRUTH

Text and prayer in honor of Saint Gregory the Theologian composed by 
Priest Aleksandar RTOC

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.”
(John 1:1-2)
How, then, can one speak of Him who is ineffable? How can one write about Him who is beyond all conception? How can one diminishly behold That which is infinite? For whoever attempts to encompass the Ocean of Truth will find that his hands are small; whoever seeks to measure the depths of Wisdom will realize that the intellect of the created is weak. Yet, one thing is possible: to listen to those who have seen and heard, who have been brought in the deepest mystery before the face of God, who, though earthly, were illumined by the eternal.
There are those to whom the mysteries of Heaven were given not as knowledge but as vision. Their souls were like chosen branches bending under the wind of the Spirit, their minds like temples where the Uncreated Fire dwelled. They spoke not as men, but as those who touched the very light of Truth.
For not all who speak are wise, nor are all who write enlightened. But where the Spirit breathes, there is nothing human—only divine. There, words are not merely words but windows to that which is beyond words. There, the intellect serves not just for thought but becomes a vessel of revelation.
And now, as the mystery that surpasses all knowledge stands before us, open your ear, open your heart, and hear—not ordinary words, but the word of the Spirit, which flows from the soul of one who did not speak of himself, but to whom it was given to utter that which was revealed to him. For he who speaks does not testify of himself, but of That Light which shines beyond every sun, of That Truth which abides in the triune divinity, of That Love which knows no bounds.
And now, listen, for what you will hear is not an ordinary sound but an echo of Eternity.
Through the mists of history, when the earth still bore the scars of persecution and in the hearts of men the flame of faith burned brightly and unquenchably, a star shone forth in the likeness of a saint, a confessor, and a seer of God. In a time when heresies multiplied like weeds in the vineyard of the Lord, when deceptive words led many astray and cold rationality threatened to suffocate the mystery of Divinity, one man, moved by the Spirit, arose as a voice bearing witness to the ineffable light of the Triune Godhead.
From his youth, the hand of God led him through the battlefield of this world. He learned human wisdom, but no philosophy satisfied him, for his heart yearned for that which is beyond reason, for that mystery which words do not explain but which the Holy Spirit reveals. And if he learned with men, he understood with angels.
Even in the days of his early youth, he saw how the darkness of heresy sought to rule the Church, how there arose those who considered the Holy Spirit a mere creation and Christ the Lord only a perfect man.
He, to whom God had given a tongue like a two-edged sword, rose against this poisonous thought—not with the sword of the flesh, but with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
His word was like thunder that shattered the clouds of heretical deception.
In his speech, there was no human pride, but a quiet yet unshakable power of Truth. He spoke of the Holy Trinity not as an abstract concept but as the Living God whom his heart knew.
When he spoke of the Father, he did not speak as one who studies, but as one who stands before the throne of God and beholds the ineffable. When he wrote of the Son, he was not merely a defender of dogma, but a witness of the Incarnate Logos, who became man that we might become gods by grace. When he preached of the Holy Spirit, every word of his was like a drop of honey from the tree of life, for in the Spirit he lived, in the Spirit he wrote, and in the Spirit he bore witness.

Kings came and went, persecutions alternated with times of apparent peace, but in the Church of Christ, the battle continued.
Once he stood before the mighty ones of this world, and when they deprived him of his episcopal throne, he merely smiled and said: “They who take away our throne cannot take away our God.” He did not live for human glory, nor for power, but for the Light that does not fade and for the Love that is above all authority.
When heretics shot arrows at him, he responded with words stronger than swords. When they thought they could defeat him with cunning, he countered with humility. His victory was not earthly, for he did not seek triumph in a world that passes away. His triumph was in eternity, in ineffable light, in the very God whom he confessed.
In the end, when his time had come to depart, he left behind the cares of the world and withdrew into silence, yet his voice did not fall silent.
Even today, it resounds loudly through the ages, like a heavenly herald calling souls to rise above the dust of the earth and approach the Truth. For Truth is not in words, nor in philosophy, nor in the fleeting forms of the world, but in the One God, in the Essential Trinity, whom the angels worship and whom the saints ceaselessly praise.
He has departed, but he has not died, for the saints do not die. The light he carried within himself continues to shine, like a candle that the wind cannot extinguish, like a living flame burning in the hearts of those who love God. Even today, whoever desires to understand the mystery of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, let him open his heart and listen to the voice of the one who, through his life, his struggle, and his faith, became an unfading light of the Church.
O Triune God, glory to Thee, who art unto ages of ages! Amen.
On Saint Gregory the Theologian: Life, Work, and Spiritual Light
Saint Gregory the Theologian was born around 329 in the city of Arianzus, in the region of Cappadocia, in what is now Turkey. His father, Gregory the Elder, was originally a pagan but converted to Christianity in his later years and became the bishop of Nazianzus. His mother was Saint Nonna, a deeply devout woman who had a profound influence on his spiritual development.
From his youth, Gregory displayed an exceptional intellect and an inclination toward theology. He was educated in the most important centers of the ancient world: in Caesarea of Cappadocia, Caesarea of Palestine, Alexandria, and finally in Athens, where he spent a long time with Saint Basil the Great and the young Julian, who would later become Julian the Apostate, emperor and persecutor of Christians.
Even then, Gregory prophetically foresaw Julian’s apostasy, saying: “I have wrestled with this man before he took up arms against us.”
A Prayer to the Ineffable Light
O Source before every dawn,
O Light that burns yet is not consumed,
O Word before every word,
Declared in silence,
Unfathomable to the mind,
Revealed by the Spirit!
Open my eyes that do not see,
Eyes that look but do not know.
Loosen my tongue,
That I may not speak of myself,
But that within me may be heard the voice
That in silence became sound,
In darkness became flame,
In death became life.
O Father without beginning,
O Son, begotten of the Father before all ages,
O Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father,
O Trinity One, the Only God!
Saint Gregory the Theologian, pray to God for us!