Is that saying self esteem is a sin?

People (and I'd venture to say God) don't give a rat's tail what I want out of life. It's up to me to go for it.

On the other hand, if the saint means self importance in the context of arrogance or selfishness, different matter.

I can relate to the title Recluse. Me staying home behind closed doors and not being bothered is not me being self-important. It's my idea of a good time.

Some people argue that it was this kind of talk that kept the masses chained in darkness for centuries, for the benefit of an elite few .

--virgil

Some people argue that it was this kind of talk that kept the masses chained in darkness for centuries, for the benefit of an elite few .

Those people enslaved Eastern Europe and a large part of Asia.  They also caused untold amount of human suffering and environmental damage for their godless ideology.

Cat self esteem is a modern false idol.  Look how many self help books are sold to bolster self esteem.  Look how are culture worships the individual.  What the Saint is referring to is enslavement to ego centrism.  The worship of I and always putting me first.  As for recluse the term is reserved for those who withdraw from daily distractions of the world to devout themselves more fully to prayer for all of creation. 

sojourner7:  I was raised with the belief there were very few true saints aside from the usual suspects, Paul, Peter, Matthew, etc.  But St. Theophan the Recluse?  New one on me, but I'll admit there are probably saints galore all around us. 

My opinion, if it matters, is that none of us would be writing anything here or anywhere else -- and neither would St. Theophan have written anything -- if we had no sense of self, or that we believed ourselves to be of no importance.  There.  I've said it.  I own an ego.  Super-ego, too, as evidenced by my "admission." 

I tend to agree with catpaw, again (!), that, at least in many cases, my idea of a good time is staying home behind closed doors and not being bothered by anyone.  Cacophony doesn't lead to serenity, somehow.  Off-topic there, I suppose.

Here is a link to a pod cast which discusses how traditional Orthodox Christian Spirituality with it's values of meekness and humility differ from the modern secularist worship of 'Me!"  Just follow the link and click on to Descending to Humility ancientfaith.com/podcasts/hearts_and_minds  

 Alicen we all have an ego.  It is a useful tool for making decisions for our life.  Unfortunately, most of us are enslaved to that tool.  Many lives have become just ceaseless attempts to satisfy a merciless, always hungry master.  You can see it the source of a lot of societies ills.  Consumerism and current economic collapse, dysfunctional sex and abortion, gangs and drugs, pollution and the environment.  Each can be traced to someones ego that is out of control.  If you want to make real change in the world.  You must first master yourself.  On the subject of  Saints.  God's work to perfect humanity didn't stop with the Apostles.  It only began there;)

There's nothing wrong with people being interested in themselves to the extent they continue to take care of themselves, make sure they are clean, their clothing is clean, they're free of bugs, they pick up trash that happens to blow into their yards, etc., etc.  I don't believe we are supposed to run around in sack-cloths and ashes, without a care as to upkeep of ourselves or our surroundings or our children and their welfare. 

There's a difference between humility and self-respect.  Self-respect and self-confidence have a lot to do with what other people may view as pure churlishness or arrogance.  Humility is not something due another human being, in my opinion.  An attitude of humility is due to God only, not other human beings. 

Way:  as to your preceding comment, the perfection of any humans will occur at the time souls are rejoined with their old bodies.  Which is an encyclopedia of study all by itself. 

Indeed humility is knowing who we are and loving and taking care of all the gifts that God gives us.  That includes our lives, our families, and the gifts of our neighbors. Of course some of these gifts might be really unwanted; such as a very troublesome child or annoying neighbor.  But the Saints say that even temptations are gifts that help us achieve real humility.  As I understand it perfection is a unending process.  It begins here in this life.  For those who choose and struggled to be with God in this life.  Then in the next we continue in perfection for eternity.  We never stop growing since only God is truly perfect,but we are called to be imitators of that perfection and so we shall proceed from "Glory to glory" as Saint Gregory the Theologian said.