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Quote by Symeon the New Theologian

“Have you not come to fight against invisible foes? Did you not come here to take up the warfare against your passions? For what reason did you wish to be enlisted and take your place in the ranks of Christ’s soldiers? Was it to receive rations and pay on the same terms as they, and to sit at their table like those who on the stage eat their fill and get drunk? If that is what you think, woe to you on that day of judgment, when Christ comes “to repay every man for what he has done.”

Quote by Symeon the New Theologian

Work

Symeon the New Theologian: The Discourses

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Author

Symeon the New Theologian
Symeon the New Theologian

Symeon the New Theologian (949–1022) was a Byzantine Christian mystic, poet, and theologian. Known for his emphasis on direct personal experience of God, he is one of three saints in Eastern Orthodoxy honored as 'Theologian.' His works include hymns, sermons, and theological writings that profoundly influenced Christian mysticism. more

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“When we listen to ourselves with callous objectivity—trying to diagnose and eradicate our problems with effective solutions—this “listening” rarely works. Think of the people who treat you this way: those who can’t see beyond their labels and judgments of you. Those who only “listen” for long enough to decide which advice to give you. It feels horrible. This same attitude prevents us from hearing our inner conversations. When we feel like someone has an agenda, we resist. Trying to fix ourselves while pretending to love ourselves doesn’t work. We don’t heal through objectification. We heal through understanding. We need to feel appreciated by the people who help us—ourselves included.”

“I think my quarry is illusion. I war against magic. I believe that, though illusion often cheers and comforts, it ultimately and invariably weakens and constricts the spirit. But there is timing and judgment. Never take away anything if you have nothing better to offer. Beware of stripping a patient who can’t bear the chill of reality. And don’t exhaust yourself by jousting with religious magic: you’re no match for it. The thirst for religion is too strong, its roots too deep, its cultural reinforcement too powerful.”