Seeking a Capable Pilot

Ὅταν μὲν πρὸς τὰ πράγματα ἀποβλέψωμεν καὶ τὰς δυσκολίας κατίδωμεν, ὑφ̓ ὧν πᾶσα ἀγαθὴ ἐνέργεια οἷον ὑπό τινος δεσμοῦ ἐμποδιζομένη κατέχεται, εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν ἑαυτῶν ἐρχόμεθα παντελῆ: ὅταν δὲ πάλιν πρὸς τὴν σὴν ἀπίδωμεν σεμνοπρέπειαν, καὶ λογισώμεθα, ὅτι σὲ ἰατρὸν τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις ἀρρωστημάτων ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν ἐταμιεύσατο, ἀναλαμβάνομεν ἑαυτῶν τοὺς λογισμούς, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἀπόγνωσιν πτώματος πρὸς τὴν ἐλπίδα τῶν χρηστοτέρων διανιστάμεθα. Λέλυται πᾶσα Ἐκκλησία, ὡς οὐδὲ ἡ σὴ φρόνησις ἀγνοεῖ, καὶ ὁρᾷς πάντως τὰ ἑκασταχοῦ, οἷον ἀφ̓ ὑψηλῆς τινὸς σκοπιᾶς τῆς τοῦ νοῦ θεωρίας: ὅπως, καθάπερ ἐν πελάγει, πολλῶν ὁμοῦ συμπλεόντων, ὑπὸ τῆς βίας τοῦ κλύδωνος πάντες ὁμοῦ ἀλλήλοις προσρήγνυνται: καὶ γίνεται τὸ ναυάγιον, πῆ μὲν ἐκ τῆς ἔξωθεν αἰτίας βιαίως κινούσης τὴν θάλατταν, πῆ δὲ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἐμπλεόντων ταραχῆς ἀντιβαινόντων ἀλλήλοις καὶ διωθουμένων. ἀρκεῖ ἐπὶ τῆς εἰκόνος ἐᾶσαι τὸν λόγον, οὔτε τῆς σῆς σοφίας ἐπιτρεπούσης τι πλέον, οὔτε τῆς καταστάσεως ἐπιτρεπούσης ἡμῖν τὴν παρρησίαν. καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα τίς ἱκανὸς κυβερνήτης; τίς ἀξιόπιστος διαναστῆσαι τὸν Κύριον ἐπιτιμῆσαι τῷ ἀνέμῳ καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ; Ἅγιος Βασίλειος Καισαρείας, Ἐπιστολή Ἀθανασίῳ, ἐπισκόπῳ Ἀλεξανδρείας

When I look upon the affairs of the world and the difficulties by which, as if bound in feet fettering chains, every good work is hindered, I come to a state of utter despair. But when I turn toward your reverence, I consider that our Lord has appointed you to be physician of the diseases in the Churches, and recovering my thoughts, I rise from the pit of despair to hope of better things. The whole Church is undone, as will not have escaped your attention, you who see everything in all directions like some watchman looking from a high point, and it is as when at sea many ships sailing together are all smashed against one another by the violence of the waves, and there are shipwrecks, caused on hand from the sea being furiously agitated from without, and on the other from the excessive disorder of sailors hindering and crowding one another. The meaning of this image is sufficient, nor does your wisdom require more, nor does the present state of affairs allow me frank speech. What capable pilot can be found in such a situation? Who is so trustworthy that he might rouse the Lord to rebuke the wind and the sea? Saint Basil of Caesarea, Letter to Saint Athanasius