Thursday, December 30 : Symeon the New Theologian

Let us make haste, my brothers, let us make haste to cleave to God, the Creator of all things, before the end time. He came down to earth for the sake of us wretched ones, bent the heavens and hid himself from the angels, dwelt in the womb of the holy Virgin from whom he took flesh, without alteration, in an ineffable fashion, and came forth from it for the salvation of us all. Now, our salvation is nothing other than this: – not that we should speak from ourselves but it is the mouth of God that has made known the great light of the world to come – the Kingdom of heaven has come down on earth, or rather the sovereign King of beings on high and beings below has come, he wanted to become like us so that we might enter into a share of Kingdom of heaven, that at the same time we might have a share in his glory and be heirs of the eternal blessings that no one has ever seen. These blessings are none other – and this is my conviction, this is my firm faith – than the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: here is the source of blessings, the life of all that exists, here is inexpressible joy and the salvation of all those who receive something of his ineffable illumination and are aware of being in communion with him. Listen: the reason he is called Savior is because for all those to whom he is united he gains salvation. Now salvation means to be delivered from all ills and, at the same time, to find all blessings forever: life instead of death, light in place of darkness and, instead of the slavery of the passions and unworthy deeds, the complete freedom granted to all those who are united to Christ, Savior of all beings. Thus they will possess, without being able to lose it, all joy, all happiness, all blessedness (…) that that none can ever know or conceive or see if not sincerely and ardently attached to Christ.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team