Understanding and the Way

Ψαλῶ καὶ συνήσω ἐν ὁδῷ ἀμώμῳ. Ψαλῶ σοι, φησὶν, ὦ Δέσποτα, καὶ δοξολογήσω σε διηνεκῶς· συνήσω δὲ καὶ ἐν ὁδῷ ἀμώμῳ. Τουτέστι, μετὰ συνέσεως καὶ σοφίας βαδιοῦμαι τὴν ὀρθὴν καὶ ἀδιάστροφον καὶ ἀμώμητον ὁδόν. Χρὴ γὰρ ἡμᾶς εἶναι συνετωτάους τοὺς ἐθέλοντας εὑαρεστεῖν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ σοφίας μεμεστωμένην ἔχειν τὴν καρδίαν· σοφίας δὲ οὐ τῆς ἐπιγείου καὶ κοσμικῆς, ἐκείνης δὲ μᾶλλον ἥν χαρίζεται Χριστός. Ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ πάντες εἰσὶν οἱ θησαυροὶ τῆς σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως ἀπόκρυφοι· καὶ αὐτὸς σοφοῖ τυφλοὺς, καὶ συνέσεως ἀπάσης ἐστὶ χορηγός. Καὶ τί δὴ τοῦτό ἐστιν; Ἔως μὲν γάρ ἐσμεν ἐν ῥύποις καὶ ἁμαρτίαις, οὐκ ἔχομεν ἑαυτοῖς κατοικοῦντα Χριστόν· ὅταν δὲ τοὺς τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπονιψώμεθα ῥύπους, καὶ καθαρίσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος, ἐπιτελέσωμεν δὲ καὶ ἁγιωσύνην ἐν φόβῳ Θεοῦ, τότε γὰρ παρ' ἡμῖν γίνεται, καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν αὐλίζεται, καὶ οἶκός ἐσμεν αὐτοῦ. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Εἰς Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμός Ρ'

I shall sing a Psalm and I shall understand on the immaculate way. 'I shall sing a psalm to you, O Lord,' he says, 'and I shall glorify you thoroughly, for indeed I shall understand on the immaculate way.' That is, with understanding and wisdom I shall walk on the right and flawless and immaculate way. For it is necessary that we be people of great understanding who wish to please God, and have the fullness of wisdom in the heart, and wisdom is not of the world and the age but rather it is what is given by Christ. For in Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden, 2 and He is the supplier of wisdom to the blind and every understanding.  And why is this? For while we are amid filth and sin we do not have Christ dwelling in us, but when we cleanse ourselves from the dirt of sin and we purge ourselves of the every defilement of flesh and spirit we shall attain to perfect sanctity in the fear of God, for then He is with us, in us abiding and we are His dwelling. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 100 1 Ps 100.2 2. Col 2.3