Why This Matters:

- Catholicism teaches a God who is *intimately knowable, even in His mystery-who lifts us into direct communion* with His very Being.

-whereas The Orthodox Palamite view *locks God away* behind an eternal metaphysical veil. Theosis becomes interaction with what God does, but not union with who God is.

That's not the God of Moses, who said "I AM"*, or of Christ, who said *"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

> + "This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." - John 17:3

> *"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; THEN I SHALL KNOW FULLY, even as I am fully known."*

> - *1 Corinthians 13:12 (RSV-CE)*

### + What This Implies:

"Now... dimly": In this life, our knowledge of God is limited, mediated by faith, symbols, and grace.

"Then... face to face": In glory, we will behold God directly, not merely His effects or energies.

- *"I shall know fully": Paul isn't saying he'll become omniscient, but that his knowledge of God Himself* will be complete in its mode, appropriate to a creature united to God by grace.

This verse *flatly contradicts the Palamite idea that God's essence is forever unknowable even in eternity. Paul speaks of *a future state* where the veil is removed and the soul sees God Himself-face to face.

> As St. John says: *"We shall see Him as He is."* *1 John 3:2*

The difference between substance and actions consists precisely in that actions indeed is that which is known, while that which is known by means of it as existent is substance.
- Palamas, Gregory.

In God, existence and essence are one and the same.
- Aquinas, Thomas.

Luke 1:28 "And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you."

**The Greek kecharitomene (FULL OF GRACE) means full of grace . Its tense suggests a permanent state of being "highly favored," thus full of grace. THIS SHOWS HIGH RESPECT TO THE VIRGIN MARY . The Angel Gabriel venerated Her by Saying this . NOTE THAT ""VENERATION MEANS HIGH RESPECT .... IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE WORSHIP MARY😊... To any Protestant reading ...Please don't make such a Stupid assertion :)

Luke 1:42b "...and blessed is the fruit of your womb."

Jesus is Mary's fruit. Good fruit does not come from anything but a good tree (Mt. 7:17-18)! The all-holy Son of God could not be the fruit of any other tree than the Immaculate Virgin.

Luke 1:43 "And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

Kyrios is the Greek word used by the Jews in the Septuagint Bible (Greek translation) for Yhwh, the Divine Name of God. In her greeting of Mary, Elizabeth is saying: "How is it that the mother of my God should come to me." Against the heresies of the 4th and 5th centuries which tried to split the Person of Jesus into two, divine and human, denying one or the other, the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD proclaimed Mary Theotokos (God-bearer, i.e. mother of God). Jesus is a single Person, a Divine Person, the 2nd Person of the Most Holy Trinity. To be mother of the Person Jesus is to be mother of a Person who is God. Mary's title protects this truth against errors which emphasize or deny, either the divinity or humanity of the Lord.

Mary is Alive in Heaven.... Not dead . Since she is Alive in Heaven she can Pray for us just like People on Earth do . HENCE We ask Mary Our Mother to Pray for us to The Lord God Jesus..... Just as She did at The Wedding of Caana and Jesus Performed the Miracle by turning water into Wine.