Images, however sacred

by Theophan the Recluse


Original Language Russian

Images, however sacred
they may be, retain
the attention outside,
whereas at the time of prayer
the attention must be within --
in the heart. The concentration
of attention in the heart --
this is the starting point of prayer.

-- from For Lovers of God Everywhere: Poems of the Christian Mystics, by Roger Housden

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Images, however sacred