The Great Lights

Et fecit Deus duo luminaria magna: luminare majus in principatum diei, et luminare minus in pincipatum noctis, et stella. Et posuit ea Deus in firmamento caeli, ut luceant super terram et potestatem habeant diei et noctis, et dividant inter medium lucis et inter medium tenebrarum. Et vidit quia bonum est: et factum est vespere et factum est mane dies quarta.   Sicut sol et luna magna luminaria dicta sunt esse in firmamento coeli; ita et in nobis Christus et Ecclesia. Sed quoniam etiam stellas in firmamento posuit Deus, videamus quae sunt etiam in nobis stellae, id est, in cordis nostri coelo. Moyses stella est in nobis, quae lucet et illuminat nos aetibus suis. Et Abraham, Isaac et Jacob et Isaias, et Jeremias, et Ezechiel, et David, et Daniel: et omnes quibus Scriptura sancta testimonium dedit, quia placuerint Deo. Sicut enim 'stella ab stella differt in claritate ita et a Christo atque Ecclesia illuminatur mentes nostrae. Ita tamen illuminamur, si non simus mentibus caeci. Nam sicut sol et luna corporalibus oculis caecos quamvis illustrent, illi tamen recipere lumen non possunt; ita et Christus lucem suam praestat mentibus nostris, sed ita demum nos illuminabit, si nequaquam caecitas mentis impediat. Quod etiam si accidat primo, oportet eos qui caeci sunt sequi Christum, dicentes et clamantes: Misere nobis, fili David,'  ut etiam visum ab ipso recipientes, possint deinceps et lucis ejus splendore radiari. Verum non aequaliter omnes qui vident illuminantur a Christo, sed singuli secundum eam mensuram illuminantur, qua vim luminis recipere valent. Et sicut non aequaliter oculi corporis nostri illuminantur a sole, sed quanto quis in loca altiora conscenderit, et ortum ejus editioris speculae intuitione fuerit contemplatus, tanto amplius et splendoris ejus vim percipiet et caloris: ita etiam mens nostra quanto altius et excelsius appropinquaverit Christo, ac se viciniorem splendori lucis ejus objecerit, tanto magnificentius et clarius ejus lumine radiabitur, sicut et ipse ait per prophetam; Approprinquate mihi et appropinquabo vobis dicit Dominus. Et iterum dicit, Deus approximans ego sum, et non Deus de longe' Non similiter tamen venimus ad eum omnes sed unusquisue secundum propriam suam virtutem. Aut enim cum turbis venimus ad eum, et per parabolas nos reficit, ad hoc tantummodo ne multis jejuniis deficiamus in via: aut certe semper et indesinenter ejus pedibus assidemus, vacantes ad hoc solum ut audiamus verbum ejus, nequaquam perturbati erga multum ministerium, sed optimam partem eligentes, quae non auferetur a nobis. Et utique qui sic accedunt ad eum, multo amplius ex ejus lumine consequuntur. Si vero sicut apostoli nusquam omnino moveamur ab eo, sed semper cum eo permaneamus in omnibus tribulationibus ejus, tunc nobis secreto ea, quae ad turbas locutus fuerat, exponit, atque dissolvit, et multo clarius illuminat nos. Si vero etiam talis quis fuerit, ut possit et in montem ascendere cum eo sicut Petrus et jacobus et Joannes, iste non solum Christi lumine, sed etiam Patris ipsius illuminabitur voce. Origenes, Homilia I In Genesim, Interprete Rufino Aquileiense

'And God made two great lights, the great light to rule the day and a lesser light to rule the night, and the stars. And God placed them in the firmament of Heaven that they shine on all the earth and that they have power over the day and the night, and they divided between the middle of the light and between the middle of the darkness. And He saw that it was good and there was an evening and a morning, the fourth day .' 1 Like the sun and moon  there are said to be great lights in the firmament of heaven, that is, in us Christ and the Church. But because God placed stars in heaven, we see that there are also stars in us, that is, in our heavenly heart. Moses is a star in us, which shines and illuminates us with his age. And Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and David and Daniel, and all of whom Scripture testifies as being holy, because they were pleasing to God. For as star and star differs in brightness, 2 so even by Christ and the Church our minds are illuminated. That is, we are illuminated if we are not blind in our minds. For as the sun and moon are to our corporeal eyes, that though they shine we may not able to see their light, so even Christ offers his light to our eyes, but we are only illuminated if we have no blindness of mind. And if that blindness should happen, first we should follow those blind men who followed Christ, crying out, ' Be merciful to us, son of David' 3 that receiving sight  from Him, we may then be able to be lit up by the splendour of his light. Certainly all are not equal who receive light from Christ, but each is illuminated according to his measure, that is, by the power of the light that he is able to receive. And as our corporeal eyes are not lit equally by the sun, but much more is he  who has risen to a higher place where he may contemplate His rising by thought on the mirror which shows Him, and there so much more shall a man perceive His splendour and heat to be. So even our minds the more they rise and are higher, having neared Christ, being closer as He throws down the splendour of his light, so much more magnificently and brightly are they lit up by His light, as even He says through the Prophet, Draw near to me and I shall draw near to you, says the Lord 4. And again He says, 'I am God who is near not a God who is far off.' 5 Not in identical fashion do we come to Him, but everyone comes according to his own virtue. For either we come with the crowds to Him, and by parables he refreshes us, lest by being little used to fasting we weary on the way. Or we sit at length near His feet, attending only to this: that we hear His word, not all disturbed by many distractions, but choosing the better part, which will not be taken from us. 6 And he who approaches Him in this way obtains much more of His light. Truly if we be as the Apostles and never move away from Him, but always remain with him in His troubles, then to us is expounded the mystery of what he has spoken to the crowd who have been dismissed. And yet with much more light He may illuminate us. And if indeed someone would have that, let him be able to climb up the mountain like Peter and James and John, 7 there not only to be illuminated by Christ, but even to be illuminated by the voice of the Father. Origen, First Homily on Genesis, Translated by Rufinus of Aquileia. 1 Gen 1.16 2 2 Cor 15.41 3 Mt 9.27  4 Zach 1.3  5 Jer 23.23  6 Lk 10. 39-42  7 Lk 9.28