Work
From the Life of St Gregory Palamas
Unceasing prayer as the calling of every Christian
A hagiographic excerpt included in the Philokalia for one argument it makes: that unceasing prayer is not reserved for monks but is the calling of every Christian. The excerpt directly challenges the assumption that the contemplative life requires monastic withdrawal.
By placing this text at the end of the collection, the editors made a deliberate statement: the tradition they have assembled is not only for monastics. The tradition agrees. This is the closing word.