Sublime

Saint Athanasius of Alexandria

And Gregory of Nazianzus, in the fourth century, had enunciated the principle by which Christological reflection had therefore to be governed: what had not been assumed had not been healed – which is to say, if any part of our humanity was absent from Christ, then that part of our humanity had never been saved.

Seraphim of Sarov, who lived at the turn of the 19th century, observed, “We condemn others only because we shun knowing ourselves.”

“I am thinking,” he replied, “of something odd from, I believe, Saint Augustine: ‘Place your expectations in Him to whom there is no succession!’”

God leads into the dark night those whom He desires to purify from all these imperfections so that He may bring them farther onward.

“glory”

“the light shines on inside of the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it” (1:5). Such is the Christian form of yin-yang, our own belief in paradox and mystery.

The title ‘Theologian’ is a very high honorific in Eastern Christian tradition, indicating a special knowledge of the mysteries of the Holy Spirit, and Symeon is one of only three persons to whom the distinction has been accorded (along with St John the Divine and St Gregory of Nazianzus).

3. No one rejoices more sincerely than a person with a good conscience (see 2 Cor 1:12).