The Averted Face

Ἀπέστρεψας δὲ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ ἐγενήθην τετραγμένος. Ἔως μὲν ὅτε, φησὶν, αἱ ἀκτῖνες τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς σου ἐπέλαμπόν μοι, ἐν εὐσταθεὶ καταστάσει καὶ ἀταράχῳ διῆγον· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπέστρεψάς σου τὸ πρόσωπον, τὸ ἐμπαθὲς καὶ τεθορυβημένον τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπηλέγχθη. Ἀποστρέφειν δὲ λέγεται τὸ ἑαυτοῦ πρόσωπον ὁ Θεὸς, ὅταν ἐν τοὶς τῶν περιστάσεων καιροὶς ἐκδότους ἀφίῃ τοὶς περισμοῖς, ἐπὶ τὸ γνωσθῆναι τὸ εὔτονον τοῦ ἀγωνιζομένου. Ἐὰν οὖν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν φρουρήσῃ τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν, δυνάμεθα τὴν ταραχὴν καὶ τὴν σύγχυσιν τῶν παθῶν διαφυγεῖν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀντίκειται τῷ μὲν θελήματι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ ἀποστροφὴ, τῷ δὲ κάλλει καὶ τῇ ὡραιότητι καὶ τῇ δυνάμει ἡ ταραχή· εἴη ἂν ἡ ταραχὴ αἶσχος καὶ ἀσθένεια ψυχῆς, ἐκ τῆς ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἀλλοτριώσεως ἐγινομένη. Εὐχώνεθα οὖν ἀεὶ επιλάμπειν ὑμῖν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα ἐν καταστήματι ὦμεν ἱεροπρεπεῖ καὶ πρᾶοι, καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ ἀτάραχοι ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὰ καλὰ ἑτοιμότητος. Ἡτοιμάσθην γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ οὐκ ἐταράχθην. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Εἰς Τον ΚΘ' Ψαλμον  Source: Migne PG 29 492

'You averted your face and I was troubled.' 1   For while, he says, the rays of your sight illuminate me, I am established in a stable and peaceful state, but after you have averted your face trouble and tumult seizes my soul. Thus it is said that God averts his face when one is abandoned and exposed in the time of trials, and so he would know strength for the struggle. If, then, that peace which surpasses all understanding 2 guards our soul, we are able to avoid the confusion of the tumults of passion. Since when we are opposed to the will of God there is the confusion of the beauty and glory of virtue, which confusion is the deformity and weakness of the soul coming from alienation of God. Let us pray then that the face of God shall always shine upon us, that in holy and religious state we be, meek and in all things peaceful, with a soul prepared for good things, for 'Prepared I am, he says, 'and I am not troubled.' 3 Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 29 1 Ps 29.6 2 Philipp 4.7 3 Ps 118.60