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Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Reading together with Lossky - St. Simeon the New Theologian

Preobrazhenie Gospodne, Icon from XVth Century, Novgorod I took this hymn of St. Simeon the New Theologian from The Vision of God, by Vladimir Lossky - and this icon of the Transfiguration, from the XVth century, speaks with such power to us, because it speaks in our contemporary language, it uses the syntax of our modern art.

I have often seen the light, sometimes it has appeared to me within myself, when my soul possessed peace and silence, sometimes it has appeared only at a distance, and at times it was even hidden completely. Then I experienced great affliction, believing that I would never see it again. But from the moment when I began to shed tears, when I bore witness to a complete detachment from everything and to an absolute humility and obedience, the Light appeared once again, like the sun which dissipates the thickness of the clouds and reveals itself little by little, bringing joy. Therefore thou, Unspeakable, Invisible, Untouchable One, moving all things, revealing thyself and hiding thyself at every hour, thou hast disappeared and appeared before me day and night. Slowly thou hast dispelled the darkness which was in me, thou hast dissipated the cloud which covered me, thou hast opened my spiritual hearing, thou hast purified the pupil of the eye of my spirit. Finally having formed me according to thy will, thou hast revealed thyself to my shining soul, becoming invisible to me once more. And suddenly thou didst appear as another sun, O ineffable divine condescension.
I give thanks to thee for this that thou, the divine Being above all beings, hast deigned to make thyself one spirit with me, without confusion, without alteration.
I give thee thanks for having revealed thyself to me as the day without end, as the sun that never sets, O thou, who hast no place to hide thyself; for thou hast never hidden thyself from sight, never thou despised any one, but rather it is we who have hidden ourselves, unwilling to approach Thee.


(Icon and Orthodoxy)

(Sufi)

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