Virtue And Vision

Κύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν, καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς Κύριε, φησὶν, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν, ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ Kυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους, ἀπὸ γὰρ ἀδίκων ἀποστρέφει αὐτούς, οὕτως οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Kυρίου εἰς πίστιν, ἀπὸ γὰρ ἀπιστίας ἀποστρέφει αὐτούς. διὸ καλῶς λέλεκται ὑπὸ τοῦ νοοῦντος, τί λέγει ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ, τὸ Kύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν. Tὸ μὲν οὖν ἐνταῦθα γεγραμμένον ἐστίν· Kύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν. ἐπεὶ δὲ λόγον σοφὸν ἐὰν ἀκούσῃ ἐπιστήμων, αἰνέσει αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν προσθήσει, ὅρα πόσα ἐστὶν ποιῆσαι ἀπὸ τοῦ Kύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν. φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος· νυνὶ δὲ μένει τὰ τρία ταῦτα, πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη· μείζων δὲ τούτων ἡ ἀγάπη. ὡς ὀφθαλμοὶ Kυρίου εἰς πίστιν, ὀφθαλμοὶ Kυρίου εἰς ἐλπίδα, ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου εἰς ἀγάπην. ἐπεὶ δέ ἐστιν πνεῦμα δυνάμεως καὶ ἀπάπης καὶ σωφρονισμοῦ, ὀφθαλμοὶ Kυρίου εἰς ἀγάπην, οὕτως ὀφθαλμοὶ Kυρίου εἰς δύναμιν, οὕτως οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Kυρίου εἰς σωφρονισμόν, ὀφθαλμοὶ Kυρίου ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνην. Oὕτως ἐπὶ πάσας ἀρετὰς ὀφθαλμοὶ Kυρίου. εἰ οὖν βούλει καὶ σὺ τὰς ἀκτῖνας τῶν νοητῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τοῦ θεοῦ φθάνειν ἐπὶ σέ, ἀνάλαβε τὰς ἀρετάς. καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ Kύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν, οὕτως Kύριε, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς ἕκαστον ὡν ἐὰν κτήσῃ ἀγαθῶν. καὶ ἐὰν τηλικοῦτος ᾐς, ὡς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς Kυρίου ἐλλάμπειν σοι, ἐρεῖς· ἐσημειώθη ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, Kυριε. Ὠριγένης Ἰερεμίας, Ὁμολία Ϛ' Source: Migne PG 13.324a-b

O Lord, your eyes look to faith. 1 O Lord, he says, your eyes look to faith. As the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, 2 because He turns them from the iniquitous, so the eyes of the Lord look to faith, for He turns them from faithlessness. Certainly it is well said by him who knows why he says in prayer: 'O Lord, your eyes look to faith.' So it has been written here: 'O Lord, your eyes look to faith.' But because when a man of understanding hears a wise word, he shall praise it and add to it,3 see how much more may be made from this: 'O Lord your eyes look to faith.' Paul says, 'For now remains faith and hope and charity, these three, and the greatest of them is charity.' 4 So, then, as the eyes of the Lord look to faith, so the eyes of the Lord look to hope, so the eyes of the Lord look to charity. And when there is the spirit of fortitude and charity and temperance, so the eyes of the Lord look to fortitude, so the eyes of the Lord look to temperance, so the eyes of the Lord look to righteousness. So the eyes of the Lord look to every virtue. Therefore, if you wish for the touch of the rays of the spiritual eyes of the Lord, cultivate these virtues in yourself, and it shall be that, 'O Lord, your eyes look to faith,' just as, O Lord, your eyes look to every good thing which is possessed. And if you are like this, so that the eyes of the Lord shine upon you, you shall say, 'The light of your face is sealed upon us, O Lord.' 5 Origen, On Jeremiah, Sixth Homily 1 Jerem 5.3 2 Ps 33.16 3 Eccl 21.15 4 Cor 13.13