The Following is the inspiration for the video that I published on Youtube called, “Theoria.” If you want to listen while you read, click HERE.
Theoria
The Promise is that we would live like Christ, in a permanent state of Union with Christ – Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Yet such a state is hard to achieve in this life, and fellowship with God of this type must be worked on, must be exercised. The term used by the Fathers to describe those moments of presence and the practice of his presence, of Union - hearing, seeing, knowing, believing - is Theoria.
Welcome to the meaning of worship.
Theoria means something like “divine fellowshipping,” “Christian Contemplation,” or more simply, “Contemplation.” The rendering can vary, but for the Christian mind, all three mean essentially the same thing. I call this book “an exercise in Theoria,” because for many years, over thousands of pages, I have contemplated many things with Christ.
I have been given over to madness of two different types. First, the nihilist, and now the madness of the Holy – the madness that comes when one becomes a fool for Christ. This book is my worship, and contains the story of my life; and, records those moments where he came to me, when he gave me life.
There are only a few places in this work where I attempted to capture his actual words to me, but even these attempts are just that - attempts…attempts at rendering the breath of that voice which comes running, striking like lightening, drawing like gravity, moving about me, speaking all at once, energizing everything, yet focused in being. In the end, his voice, and his real presence was my salvation, and is my sustenance; both body and soul.
Why was this the case?
The saying is trustworthy and true:
When one draws near to God, by any means, but especially through the sacred page, their true self is drawn forth as if from clay.
Theoria, then, Christian Contemplation, can be seen as an exercise in drawing near.
