Peter's Sifting

Εἶπε δὲ Κύριος· Σίμων, Σίμων, ἰδοὺ ὁ Σατανᾶς ἐξῃτήσατο ὑμᾶς, τοῦ σινιάσαι ὡς τὸν σῖτον.  Ἀναγκαῖον οἴμαι καὶ ἐπωφελὲς μαθεῖν τίς ἧν ἡ πρόφασις, ἡ παρενεγκοῦσα εἰς τοῦτο τοῦ Σωτῆρος τοὺς λόγους. Διορθωσάμενος δὲ αὐτοὺς ὁ Χριστὸς δι' ὦν ἐπετίμνσε τῷ τῆς φιλοδοξίας πάθει, καὶ ἑαυτὸν εἰς ὑπόδειγμα δέδωκε, τρίτον τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐπικούρημα προσκεκόμικε, διὰ τῶν προκειμένων ἀναγνωσμάτων· διδάσκει γὰρ ὅτι μέτρια φρονεῖν ἡμᾶς ἀναγκαῖον, οὐδεν μὲν ὄντας τό γε ἧκον εἰς τὴν ἀνθρώπου φύσιν, καὶ εἰς τὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας διανοίας εὐόλισθον, στηριζομένους δὲ καὶ ὄντας ὅπερ ἐσμεν, δι' αὐτόν τε καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ χαρίσμασι σεμνύνεσθαι δεῖ. Κἄν εἴ τις οὕτως διατεθῇ, ποῖον εὑρήσει τόπον ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ ὑπερκεῖσθαι τινων ἐθέλειν; Ταύτῃτοι τοὺς μὲν ἑτέρους ἀφίησι μαθητὰς, ἐπ' αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν κορυφαῖον ἔρχεται· καὶ φησιν ὅτι 'Πολλάκις ἠθελησεν ὁ Σατανᾶς σινιάσαι καὶ ὑμᾶς ὡς τὸν σῖτον,' ἀντὶ τοῦ δοκιμάσαι καὶ πειράσαι· ἔθος γὰρ τῷ Σατανᾷ, τοῖς εὐδοκιμοῦσιν ἐπιπηδᾷν· οὕτως ἐζήτησε τὸν Ἰωβ, ἀλλ' ἡττᾶτο τῆς ἐκείνου τληπαθείας. Πλὴν πλεονεκτεῖ τὴν ἀνθρώπου φύσιν, ἀσθενὴς γὰρ αὒτη, δεινὸς δὲ καὶ ἀπηνὴς ἐκεῖνος· ὡς γάρ φησι περὶ αὐτοῦ τὸ Γράμμα τὸ ἱερὸν, ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ πέπηγεν ὥσπερ λίθος, ἔστηκε δὲ ὥσπερ ἄκμων ἀνήλατος. Πλὴν τοῖς τῶν ἁγίων ὑπενήνεκται ποσὶ, Χριστοῦ καὶ τοῦτο κατωρθωκότος. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λούκαν Εὐάγγελιον, Κεφα. ΚΒ'

The Lord said to him, 'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan would sift you like wheat.' 1 I think it is both necessary and beneficial for us to learn what the reason was which led to these words of our Saviour. To correct the disciples who had been arguing about which one of them was the greatest, Christ, giving himself as pattern, offers them a third assistance, as we read in the lessons before us, that we must think humbly of ourselves, that we are nothing in our nature as men and our minds are unsteady, and we are strengthened and what we are only through Him and of Him, by grace magnified. And if this is so what place in us shall we find for proud thoughts? He therefore passes over the other disciples and comes to their head, and says, 'Satan has often wished to sift you like wheat', that is, to search and test you, for it is Satan's habit to assail distinguished men. So he sought out Job, but was worsted by his endurance. Even so, he targets human nature, for it is weak, while he is fearfully harsh, for as Sacred Scripture says concerning him, 'His heart is made like stone: and he stands like an anvil that cannot be beaten out.' 2 Yet he is placed under the feet of the saints by Christ's victory.  Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 22 1 Lk 22.31  2 Job 41.15