Homilies of St. Symeon the New Theologian. Part 2. - Moscow: Pravila very, 2001, pp. 28-42.

Homily Sixty-Two. 1. Theological third, that what is the Father is the same is the Son, and that what is the Son is the same is the Holy Spirit, and that these three are one Spirit, one honorable, one in essence, and one throne.

God, the ever-glorified and glorified, that is, the Father, the co-originating Son of the Father, and the Holy Spirit, co-existent and consubstantial with the Father and the Son, is one nature and glory, the Trinity of one essence, the one Godhead, the essence of equal honor and trihypostasis, the beginning of all that exists, and the all-encompassing power, the one-throned and one-glorious, the omnipotent Lordship and Kingdom.

And again, when in another place of the Gospel He says: "My Father is greater than me" (John 14:28), or: "For myself I do nothing" (John 8:28), He thereby shows that there is one person the Father and another the Son. When He also says, "I will pray My Father, and He will give you another Comforter" (John 14:16)... The Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father (John 15:26), thereby shows that the Holy Spirit, as another Comforter, is another person from the Father and the Son. But by the same words of the Lord, His grace enables us to understand all the unity of the triune and consubstantial Godhead and Kingdom, the triumph of eternal life and the indivisible unity of the three hypostases, so that where the Father is glorified, there is also the Son with the Holy Spirit; where the Son is named, there is also the Father with the Holy Spirit; and where the Holy Spirit is glorified, there is also the Father and the Son.

Being thus enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, that the three persons of the Most Holy Trinity are of one essence and equal in honor, that is, that their hypostases are inseparably and inseparably united in the Divine nature and the one essence for all of them, we, when we lift up our minds to God the Father, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, Who raptures us in sorrow through the Son, God the Word, and stretch out our hands and eyes to Him, we say: Our Father, Who art in heaven! And again, when we begin to offer prayers to the Only-begotten Son of the Father, Who by the grace of the Holy Spirit gives us knowledge and understanding, we say: Only-begotten to the Son, co-existent Word of God and Father, one Son from one Father, God from God, Beginningless from Beginningless, Eternal from Eternal, Eternal from Eternal, Light from Light, Life from Life, Unapproachable from Unapproachable, Incomprehensible from Incomprehensible, Ineffable from Ineffable, Unchangeable from Unchangeable, Unthinkable from Unthinkable, cleanse our sins! Likewise, when we call upon the Holy Spirit, we say: O Holy Soul, proceeding inexpressibly from the Father, and descending upon us faithful through the Son, the Spirit of life and knowledge, the Spirit of holiness and perfection, the Spirit of goodness, the most wise, the loving to mankind, the comforting, the most glorious, the nourishing and the drinking, the merciful, the enlightening, the strengthening, the divine Spirit of patience, the Giver of joy, gladness, chastity, wisdom, knowledge, meekness, kindness, carelessness for worldly things, the contemplation of heavenly blessings, the Spirit as the repulsor of sloth, negligence, absent-mindedness and deceit, the Spirit as the indicator of the Divine Mysteries, the betrothal of the heavenly kingdom, the source of prophecy, the crater of teaching, the door of repentance, the destroyer of sins, the Spirit of love, peace, faith, abstinence - come and dwell in us, and abide with us inseparably and inseparably, sanctify, renew and enlighten our hearts, as one in essence, equal in honor and co-throned with the Son and the Father, Who makes gods by grace those who receive Thee, who destroys all sin, and brings with Thy descent all virtue, not having from outside what Thou brings, but naturally being all good, and those whom Thou electest to Thy abode, making essentially the receptacles of all good.

Thus we offer a hymn to the three persons of the Holy Trinity, not as dividing into three gods the one Godhead, which is one God, indivisible, but as worshipping the Son and the Spirit together with the Father, the Father and the Spirit together with the Son, and the Father and the Son together with the Spirit. Glorifying these three persons, we philosophize that one is the nature of the one triune Godhead, consubstantial, equal in power, unwilled, co-existent, co-beginningal, unmerged and indivisible.

One and the same God is three in hypostases, and is one in the unity of essence and nature. Thus did our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the Only-begotten Son of the Father, reveal to us, that is, that this same Son with the Father and the Spirit are of one nature, and of one essence and co-throned, saying: I and the Father are one, and in another place showing that the Holy Spirit is not abolished from the same nature, when He said: "The Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father." For just as the same water proceeds from the fountain of water, so God the Spirit proceeds from God the Father. It is said: "The Spirit is God: and whosoever worshipeth Him, by the Spirit and in truth is worthy to worship" (John 4:24). Thus, if the Father is the Spirit, it is evident that the Son begotten of Him is the Spirit, which is why St. Paul says: "But the Lord is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:17). The Spirit is also the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and through the Son being given to us, the unworthy. We say: the Holy Spirit is sent and given, not in the sense that He Himself did not want it, but in the sense that the Holy Spirit, through the Son, one of the persons of the Holy Trinity, accomplishes, as His own will, that which is pleasing to the Father, for the Holy Trinity is indivisible in nature, essence and will, but in hypostases is called personally – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one God, and His name is the Trinity. He, being above every name, word, and word, surpasses the comprehension of all intellect, and is not something of all that is of Him, as having been essentially excluded from the circle of that.

But think, as the Holy Scriptures say, that the three are one. For it is good to say one and the same thing, because thinking and talking about one and the same thing delights him who knows how to find divine pleasure in it, and the divine word sanctifies his spiritual feelings. The Spirit is God the Father, as our Lord says. The Spirit is also the Son, as begotten of Him.

God is called triune – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, not so that you may think that there is any separation and inequality in the Holy Trinity, but in order to teach you by these names that there are three persons in God, or these three hypostases – and nothing more. And after you have come to know this, having been taught and enlightened how to reason about God, seek no more, and do not investigate anything higher than this, but, having accepted it with faith, stand firm in it, maintaining and confessing that everything else that is higher than this is utterly incomprehensible.

If you want to enter into meditation on what is proper to the Divine nature, that is, how God is, what is around God, what is of God and what is in God, listen to what I tell you. God is light, and infinite light, and that which is in God, is light, being one in the unity of nature and inseparably divided in persons. Dividing the inseparable, I will tell you about each of these persons separately. The Father is light, the Son is light, and the Holy Spirit is light; three - one light, simple (not divisible into parts. - Ed.), uncomplicated, timeless, contiguous, equal-honorable, equal-glorious.

All this and other things that one hears from the Prophets and Apostles about the ineffable and all-existent Divinity are essentially one beginningless Principle, worshipped in the unity of the Trinitarian light. Thus it behooves you to think. For there is one God in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, being the unapproachable and pre-eternal Light, which has many names and is called all that we have said, and is not only named, but also effectively produces in us, as those who have learned this have taught us by experience.

Wishing to show you other lights of God, besides those of which I have spoken, I say that His goodness is light, mercy is light, kindness is light, His kiss is light, kindness is light, rod and consolation are light. Though many similar things are said of us, yet we are spoken of as men, and of Him as of God. I will not be lazy to explain this to you by examples: God is called the Father - people are also called fathers; Christ is called the Son of God - we are also called sons of men; The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of God, and our souls are also called spirits. God is life - we also have life; God is love, and many sinners have love among themselves. So, what then? Of human love, can you say that it is God? Let it not be. And the peace that we have among ourselves, when we do not quarrel or quarrel over anything, can you call peace that surpasses understanding? Nohow. Likewise, if you do not speak a false word to someone, will you call it God's truth? Of course not. Human words are fluid and empty. The Word of God is living and active. In the same way, the truth of God is more than the mind and word of man, the immutable God, who is present and alive. Finally, this water, which we have, is not like this living water, and this bread, which we usually eat, is not like this animal bread. But, as we have said above, all this is light, and God is one light, and whoever partakes of this light, together with its communion, partakes of all the good things of which we have commemorated, is meek and humble, and ready for all good, because these goodnesses together with others are the light, and he who has received the light, Together with the light, he also has these qualities. Then God moves the soul in which He dwells to every good, and is for it every good, and the soul that has God as its inhabitant does not lack in any good, but is full and abounds always with all these ineffable blessings of God, rejoicing and abiding with the ranks of the heavenly powers. What blessings of God would all be vouchsafed to receive richly, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Homilies of St. Symeon the New Theologian. Part 2. - Moscow: Pravila very, 2001, pp. 43-52.

Homily Sixty-Three. 1. Of those who think that they have the Holy Spirit, without any complete consciousness and sense of His work, and of those who say that in the present times no man can behold the glory of the Holy Spirit. 2. That the saints do not have the slightest envy, when we also try in every possible way to become like them by excelling in virtues. How can we behold God? 4. Whoever has attained such a measure as to behold, as far as possible, God, learns in the present life to know what blessedness will be granted to the saints in the future life. 5. That the prophets and apostles proclaimed what they saw, being enlightened by the Holy Spirit, who was always with them. 6. Whoever transgresses or misinterprets his words sins against the Holy Spirit.