Seeking and Suffering

Ἐξεζήτησα τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἐπήκουσέ μου.   Ταῦτα, φησὶν ἀκουσάτωσαν οἱ πραείς, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν τᾡ καιρᾡ ἐκείνῳ τῷ χαλεπῷ, ὅτε πᾶς μὲν θυμὸς τῶν μνησικακούντων ἐκινεῖτο κατ' ἐμοῦ, πᾶσα δὲ χεὶρ ἐπ' ἐμὲ ὡπλιζετο, γυμνὸς δὲ ἐγὼ καὶ ἄοπλος ἔτοιμος εἰς πὰσαν αἰκίαν ἐξεκείμην τοῖς πολεμίοις, τότε οὐ συνεχύθην τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῷ φόβῳ, οὐκ  ἐξεκρούσθην ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐννοίας, οὐκ ἀπέγνων τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ σωτηρίας, ἀλλ' ἐξεζήτησα τὸν Κύριον. Οὐχὶ ἐζήτησα μόνον ἁπλῆν τινα καὶ χρονικὴν πρὸς τὸν Κύριον ἐλπίδα, ἀλλ' ἐξεζήτησα. Πλεῖον γάρ τι δηλοῖ παρὰ τὸ ζητῆσαι ἡ ἕμφασις τοῦ ἐκζητῆσαι, ὡς καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἕρευναν ἡ ἐξερεύνησις. Ἐξέλιπον γὰρ ἐξερευνῶντες ἐξερευνήσις. Πολλὴν οὖν τινα σκολὴν καὶ ἀταραξιαν ὁ λόγος παρίστησι διὰ τῆς ἐκζητήσεως. Καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλιψεών μου ἐῥῥύσατο με.  Πᾶσα ἡ τοῦ δικαίου ζωὴ τεθλιμμένη ἐστὶ, καὶ Στενὴ καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδός· καὶ, Πολλαὶ αἱ θλιψεις τῶν δικαίων. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολός φησιν, Ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι· καὶ, Ὅτι διὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων δεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσελθειν. Ῥυεται δὲ ἐκ θλίψεως τοὺς ἁγίους αὐτοῦ ὁ Θεὸς, οὐκ ἀδοκιμάστους αὐτοὺς καταλιμπάνων, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὑπομονὴν αὐτοῖς χαριζόμενος. Εἰ γὰρ Ἡ θλίψις ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται, ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ δοκιμήν· ὁ τὴν θλίψιν ἀφαιρούμενος τῆς δοκιμῆς ἑαουτὸν ἀπεστρέρησεν. Ὡς οὖν οὐδεὶς στεφανοῦται ἄνευ ἀνταγωνιστοῦ, οὕτως οὐδὲ δόκιμος ἀποφανθῆναι δύναται εἰ μὴ διὰ θλίψεων. Ἐκ πασῶν οὖν τῶν θλίψεων ἐῥῥύσατό με, οὐχὶ μὴ ἐῶν με θλίβεσθαι, ἀλλὰ σὺν τῷ πειρασμῷ καὶ τὴν ἔκβασιν, τοῦ δύνασθαι ὑπενεγκεῖν, χαριζόμενος. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Ψαλμός ΛΓ’

'I sought the Lord and he hearkened to me.' These things let the meek hear, that I in a difficult time when all the anger of the malicious was against me and every hand was armed against me, and I truly naked and unclad, expecting every outrage of the enemy, that not then was the mind confused by terror, nor was I called away from thought of God, nor did I despair of my salvation, but I sought out the Lord. I did not just seek a shallow and temporary safety in the hope of the Lord, but I sought him out. Indeed the word 'seek out' signals this emphasis more than 'seek', as with 'search out' and 'search'. And indeed 'The seekers fall away seeking.'  Many, then, by attachment to ease and tranquility do this by their seeking. 'And from every trouble he delivered me.' The life of the just is affliction, and 'Narrow and difficult is the way,' and 'Many are the tribulations of the just.' Thus the Apostle says, 'In everything afflicted,' and, 'Because through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of heaven.' God frees his saints from tribulation but he does not grant a brief period for approval but rather he bestows endurance. For if 'Tribulation works endurance, endurance is approval,' and so he who withdraws from tribulation deprives himself of approval. Thus it is that no one is crowned without adversities and that no one is approved who is able to be so unless by tribulation. 'From all my tribulations he delivered me.' Not that I throw myself into tribulation but that by the testing of what can be borne there is release. Saint Basil of Caeserea, Homilies on the Psalms, Psalm 33