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Quote 272
Venerable Symeon the New Theologian
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Quote 272 - Форум
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Quote 272
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| readeralexey | Дата: Суббота, 23.09.2023, 13:35 | Сообщение # 1 |
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| One must struggle and strive so as to become of Christ, lest he believe in Christ in vain, in which case Christ is of no benefit to him whatever. All his striving and all his struggle must be directed to acquiring the Spirit of Christ, and in this way to bring forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit: for in this consists the spiritual law and the blessed state.
Venerable Symeon the New Theologian
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| amasaltseva | Дата: Среда, 27.09.2023, 14:37 | Сообщение # 2 |
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| What is to believe in “vain”? According to venerable Symeon the New Theologian, it’s to believe without struggling to get the “fruits of the Holy Spirit”. I do love the idea, though it seems to be a great challenge to follow it for laity. How can we be directed to acquire the Spirit of Christ if sometimes we can’t even be called “true” Christians. Sad it is, but that what venerable Symeon is talking about is thought to be kind of a “next step” by me. We need to strive for it, however, what can be attained by all us sinners is a great question.
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Сообщение отредактировал amasaltseva - Четверг, 14.12.2023, 17:02 |
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| veronikachernykh15 | Дата: Четверг, 28.09.2023, 15:08 | Сообщение # 3 |
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| I don't quite agree with the quote above. Because if we follow the words of venerable Symeon the New Theologian, then life should consist only of actions that benefit our spirit. If it is possible to understand how monks can bear this feat, then to me it seems impossible to do so for laity.
What does it mean to acquire the Spirit? Is it denying all earthly pleasures? Of course we have fasts and commandments which we are trying to follow, but we have plenty of different choices during our lives, but nevertheless I doubt that this will give Christians the opportunity to get closer to Christ.
And the second question is, what does it mean to believe in Christ in vain? Can faith and love for Christ and for everything that God has revealed to us be in vain?
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Сообщение отредактировал veronikachernykh15 - Суббота, 23.12.2023, 00:27 |
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| tsvioletta17 | Дата: Четверг, 28.09.2023, 23:37 | Сообщение # 4 |
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| It seems to me that St. Simeon's quote states that we should not only live according to God's commandments, but act as Christ Himself did. A person can never become as pure and righteous, but everyone can and should strive for this spiritual purity. "Faith without works is dead" are some of the most important words, perhaps, that I have ever met. It is like loving a person only in words or in your head without doing any deeds. It's the same with God if no deeds back up the faith.
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Сообщение отредактировал tsvioletta17 - Четверг, 14.12.2023, 00:02 |
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| marichernaya911 | Дата: Четверг, 05.10.2023, 16:09 | Сообщение # 5 |
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| Actually, being Christian doesn't mean maintaining some moral laws, living according to some rules and traditions. All that is present in the life of every Christian, but that is only means of Christian life, which indeed acts deeply inside our hearts.
Being Christian means being Christocentric, so to say. Christ is a Person, so being Christian means learning to be like Christ in all our actions and reactions. It means living in His spirit, living by Him. And all laws and traditions we, Christians, have, helps us on this way of following Christ.
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Сообщение отредактировал marichernaya911 - Четверг, 14.12.2023, 22:17 |
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| sasavasl15 | Дата: Суббота, 09.12.2023, 19:05 | Сообщение # 6 |
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| In my life, I often turn to the image of Christ when I want to remind myself that I always have something to strive for. The image of Christ has always appeared in my head since early childhood and points to the right path. And there is a different image for each person, and that's fine. The main thing is that he leads us to God and goodness.
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| ulyana_kazakova | Дата: Воскресенье, 10.12.2023, 20:50 | Сообщение # 7 |
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| I absolutely agree with this quote. In the pursuit of worldly happiness, prosperity, success, we forget that worldly life is just a preparation for eternal life. We forget that good deeds contribute to the salvation of our souls. We should strive for spiritual purity, performing good deeds along our life path, showing our kindness towards all people, for I truly believe that "so faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead".
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| lolosipovanika | Дата: Среда, 20.12.2023, 13:33 | Сообщение # 8 |
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| I think, the question is: whether we believe for believing or believe to became closer to God and Paradise.
Sometimes we forget that not rituals and frequent actions in the church make us Christians, but true faith and praying, believing with understanding of our Christ's sacrifice. And a great example to what true faith really is, is the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, where Pharisee isn't more faithful, than the Publican just because of his standing and praying in the first row. The Pharisee was too much proud of himself as being faithful. We should be like the Publican, humble and ask God to have mercy on us, because we are sinners and cannot be ideal. I think, that's the point of Venerable Symeon's words.
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Сообщение отредактировал lolosipovanika - Суббота, 23.12.2023, 22:51 |
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| lisaswan001 | Дата: Среда, 20.12.2023, 13:41 | Сообщение # 9 |
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| The quote by Venerable Simeon the New Theologian emphasises the need to actively seek to obtain the Spirit of Christ. It suggests that mere faith, without effort to embody the virtues of Christ, can make faith ineffective. This is consistent with the idea of Christianity as a living faith, emphasising the importance of demonstrating faith through action and spiritual growth. In practical terms, it encourages intentional efforts to cultivate a life that reflects the values and virtues taught by Christ, thereby demonstrating the transformative power of faith in one's actions and behaviour. This quote carries profound implications for the practical expression of faith in daily life, emphasising the inseparable connection between faith and spiritual transformation.
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| salomiagudova | Дата: Пятница, 22.12.2023, 15:32 | Сообщение # 10 |
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| This is another quote somewhat difficult for understanding, at least for me. But if I understand it correctly, then I agree with Venerable Symeon the New Theologian. In my opinion, the main idea of this quote is that we should apply all our vigour to becoming better Christians and we should never stop striving to make ourselves better, even if we think that we are already good Christians. If we do not work on ourselves, if we do not strive to higher ideals, if we are content with who we are, then even if we believe in Christ, our faith is in vain because we do not act on it.
And in my opinion, this “struggle” does not have to be something larger than life. But you at least should not go with the flow, so to speak. You should make at least some effort. It can be going to church every Sunday or even every other Sunday. It can be not eating meat during fasts, or giving alms. So the point of this quote, as I see it, is that it is not enough just to believe in Christ, you must always strive to be a better Christian.
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Сообщение отредактировал salomiagudova - Среда, 27.12.2023, 13:53 |
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| alekssander-com29 | Дата: Пятница, 22.12.2023, 20:10 | Сообщение # 11 |
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| This quote by Venerable Symeon echoes the teaching that true belonging to Christ goes beyond superficial belief. It involves a profound spiritual transformation through the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ. The journey of faith is not passive; it requires intentional struggle and striving to be truly «of Christ».
The focus on acquiring the Spirit of Christ aligns with the scriptural concept of bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit. This transformative process leads to a life characterized by love, joy, peace, and other virtues outlined by the apostle Paul. It is through this acquisition of the Spirit that one fulfills the spiritual law.
As I see it, the words «to struggle and strive» from this quote are about fighting and overcoming our sins and passions in order to get closer to Christ and his Kingdom.
In conclusion, Venerable Symeon's teachings guide believers to move beyond a nominal belief in Christ and actively engage in the transformative process of acquiring the Spirit. From an Orthodox perspective, this involves a deep, personal communion with Christ, resulting in the manifestation of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
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