saints
St. Symeon,
the new theologian
(11th century)
You, O Christ, are the Kingdom of Heaven; You, the land promised to the gentle; You, the grazing lands of paradise; You, the hall of the celestial banquet; You, the ineffable marriage chamber; You, the table set for all; You, the bread of life; You, the unheard of drink; You, both the urn for the water and the life-giving water; You, moreover, the inextinguishable lamp for each one of the saints; You, the garment and the crown and the one who distributes the crowns; You, the joy and rest; You, the delight and glory; You, the gaiety; You, the mirth; and your grace, grace of the Spirit of all sanctity, will shine like the sun in all the saints; and You, inaccessible sun, will shine in their midst and all will shine brightly, to the degree of their faith, their asceticism, their hope and their love, their purification and their illumination by your Spirit.
