Salvation and Prayer

Τινὲς τῷ θέρει ἐκ λιμένων ἀναχθένες ἐναυάγησαν, τινὲς δὲ ἐν χειμῶνι πλεύσαντες ἀκινδύνως ἐσώθησαν. Πόσοι δ' ἀθληταὶ ἀνενδοίαστον νίκην προσδοκήσαντες ἡττήθηαν; οἱ δε καὶ δευτερείων ἀπεγνωκότες τὰ πρωτεῖα ἐστεφανηφόρησαν; Μήτε οὖν καταφρονῶμεν, μήτε ἀπελπίζωμεν, ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἄπασι πράγμασι τῇ εὐχῇ κολληθῶμεν. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ Ι', Πτολεμαιῳ

Some relaxing in summer heat suffer shipwreck, some blown by winter's blasts are saved from danger. How many athletes promising to themselves undoubted victory have failed? How many despairing even of the lesser prizes have been crowned with the first? Therefore let us not be negligent, let us not be weak in mind, let us in all things cleave to prayer. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 10, To Ptolemaius

Innocence of Heart

Διεπορευόμην ἐν ἀκακίᾳ καρδίας μου.   Τί ἐστι τὸ Ἐν ἀκακιᾳ καρδίας μου; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀπονήρως καὶ ἀφιλοπραγμόνως, οὐ θορύβους ἀγαπῶν πραγμάτων κοσμικῶν καὶ περισπασμῶν εἰκαίων ἔχων δὲ μᾶλλον ἐν ἑμαυτῷ τὸν νοῦν εὐσταθῆ καὶ ἠρεμοῦντα, κατ' ἐκεῖνόν που πάντως τὸν ἀρχαῖον Ἰακὼβ, περὶ οὖ γέγραπται· Καὶ ἦν Ἰακὼβ ἄπλαστος ἀνὴρ οἰκῶν οἰκίαν. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Εἰς Τους Ψαλμους, Ψαλμός Ρ'

'I was walking in the innocence of my heart.' 1  Why is it said, 'In the innocence of my heart?' That is, apart from wickedness, apart from worldly interests, not loving the tumults of secular affairs and mindless distraction, but rather having in oneself a stable and tranquil mind, just like Jacob of old, of whom it is written, 'And Jacob was a simple man keeping his dwelling.' 2 Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 100 1 Ps 100.2 2 Gen 25.27

Heart and Mouth

Τὸ στόμα μου λαλήσει σοφίν, καὶ ἡ μελέτη τῆς καρδίας μου σύνεσιν.  Ἐπειδὴ, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον, Καρδίᾳ πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δε ὁμολογεῖτα εἰς σωτηρίαν, καὶ ἡ ἀμφοτέρων ἐν τούτοις ἐνέργεια ὑποβάλλει τὴν τελειότητα· διὰ τοῦτο ἀμφότερα ὁ λόγος ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ συνείληφε, τήν τε τοῦ στόματος ἐνέργειαν, καὶ τὴν τῆς καρδίας μελέτην. Ἐάν τε γὰρ μὴ ᾗ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ προαποκείμενον, πῶς προενέγκῃ τὸν θησαυρὸν διὰ τοῦ στόματος ὁ μὴ κεκτημένος ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ; ἐάν τε ἔχων τὰ τῆς καρδίας ἀγαθὰ μὴ δημοσιεύῃ τῷ λόγῳ, λεχθήσεται αὐτῷ· Σοφία κεκρυμμένη, καὶ θησαυρὸς ἀφανὴς, τίς ὠφελεια ἐν ἀμφοτέροις; Διόπερ εἰς μὲν τῶν ἑτέρων ὠφέλιμον τὸ στόμα μου λαλείτω σοφίαν, εἰς δὲ τὴν ἡμέτεραν αὐτῶν προκοπὴν ἡ καρδία μελετάτω σύνεσιν. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Εἰς Τον ΜΗ' Ψαλμον

'My mouth shall speak wisdom and the meditation of my heart prudence.' 1  Because according to the Apostle, 'With the heart believing unto righteousness, the mouth makes confession unto salvation.' 2 and in both of these acts is established perfection, because speech is fashioned at the same time by both, with the action of the mouth and the meditation of the heart. For if something good is not dwelling in the heart, how shall treasure be brought forth by the mouth when it does not hold it in a hidden place?  And if someone has good things in his heart and does not reveal them in speech, he is admonished: 'Wisdom hidden and treasure unseen, what use in either?' 3 Thus to the benefit of others may my mouth speak wisdom, that the meditation of the heart may profit. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 48 1 Ps 48. 4 2 Rom 10.10 3 Sirach 20.32

Hearing Prayer

Exaudi, Deus, orationem meam, intende precationi meae. A finibus terrae ad te clamavi, dum anxiaretur cor meum. Exaudiri precationem suam santus hic postulat, cujus est ea fiduica est, ut in orationem suam velit intendi, utrum sit, innocens, casta, et fidelis, et ex intimo conscientiae atque cordis metu profecta quia secudnum Paulum, et corde credendum, et ore confitendum sit ad salutem. Intendandae autem orationis hinc precatio est, quod dum corde anxio est, a terrae finibus clamaverit. Non hic extrema solitudinum aut contigua Oceani incolebat, qui a terrae finibus anxio corde clamabat. Sed sciens se in carne quidem quae terra est degentem, jam in fine carnis habitare, dum secundum Apostolum habitans in corpore peregrinatur a corpore dum vivens jam non sibi vivit; neque ipse vivit, sed vivit in eo Christus: congemiscens tamen in hoc suo habitaculo, supervestirique festinans, et ideo anixo corde a terrae finibus clamat, quia et necessitatem habeat in carne vivendi, et spem teneat a carnis vitiis desinendi. Sanctus Hilarius Pictaviensis,Tractatus super Psalmos, Tractatus in Psalmum LX

Hear, God, my prayer, attend to my petition. From the ends of the earth I cried out to you while my heart was anxious. 1 The holy man here asks that his petition be heard, of which there is this confidence, that to his prayer He will attend, if it be innocent, chaste, and faithful, and from the depths of the conscience, and sent forth from the fear of the heart, for according to Paul, 'With the heart believing unto righteousness, the mouth makes confession unto salvation.' 2 Attention to this prayer is thus prayed for, which while the heart was anxious he cried out from the ends of the earth. But in that we should not suppose the extremes of solitude or some dwelling beside the ocean of this one who cried out from the ends of the earth. But knowing himself to be in the flesh which is a thing of earth, he now dwells on the border of the flesh, that is, according to the Apostle, while dwelling in the body he wanders from the body, 3 and while living he does not live for himself, for he does not live but Christ lives in him. 4 However crying out in this his little dwelling, he is yet eager to put on the garment, therefore with anxious heart he cries from the ends of the earth because even though he has to live in the flesh, he holds to the hope that he will be released from the faults of the flesh. Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 60 1 Ps 60.1 2 Rom 10.10 3 2 Cor 5.8 4 Gal 2.20

The Chambers of Slanting Windows

Et fenestras obliquas in thalamis. In fenestris obliquis pars illa per quam lumen intrat angusta est, sed pars interior quae lumen suscipit lata, quia mentes contemplantium quamvis aliquid tenuitur de vero lumine videant, in semetipsis tamen magna amplitudine dilatantur. Quae videlicet et ipsa quae conspiciunt capere pauca vix possunt. Exiguum quippe valde est quod de aeternitate contemplantes vident, sed ex ipso exiguo laxatur sinus mentium in augmentum fervoris et amoris; et inde apud se amplae fiunt, unde ad se veritatis lumen quasi per angustias admittunt. Quae magnitudo contemplationis, quia concedi nonnisi amantibus potest, in thalamis obliquae fenestrae esse perhibentur. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Secundus, Homilia III

And slanting windows in the inner chambers. 1 The slanting windows are things  through which light enters narrowly, but the interior which receives the light is broad, for although contemplative minds see only something slender of the true light, yet in themselves it is greatly expanded. But certainly of that which they do see they can grasp but a little. For tiny indeed is that which they are able to perceive in contemplation concerning eternity, but from that littleness the interior of the mind expands in growth of fervour and love, and so in themselves the light of truth is increased although it has been admitted narrowly. Which is the greatness of contemplation, which is not given to any but lovers, dwelling in the inner chambers of slanting windows. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 2, from Homily 3 1 Ezek 40.16

Fount and Light

Ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς ἐν τῷ φωτί σου ὀψόμεθα φῶς. Ἐπεὶ παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς, αὑτη δέ ἐστιν ὁ εἰπὼν ̓Εγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν, εἰκότως καὶ τὸν χειμάρρουν τῆς τρυφῆς σου ἐρχόμενον ἀπὸ τῆς πηγῆς τῆς ζωῆς ποτιεῖς τοὺς μεθυσθέντας ἀπὸ πιότητος τοῦ οἰκου σου. Πηγὴ δὲ ζωῆς ὁ σωτὴρ τῷ μὴ ἐξωθεν ἔχειν ἀλλὰ παρέχειν αὐτὸν ἀπασι τοῖς ζῶσιν, οὐκ ἀνθρώποις μόνοις ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ὑπεραναβεβηκόσι κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ θείαν ζωήν, καθὸ καὶ πηγὴ σοφίας λέγεται· χείμαρρος δὲ τρυφῆς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα τῷ τρυφᾶν τοὺς πεπωκότας ἀπ' αὐτοῦ δεχομένους τὰ διάφορα αὐτοῦ χαρίσματα. ̓ Εν τῷ φωτί σου ὀψόμεθα φῶς·  Φῶς τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ ἀληθινὸν φῶς, τὸ  Απαύγασμα τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἀιδίου. Ἐν τούτῳ οὖν τῷ φωτὶ ὀψόμεθα φῶς, σὲ τὸ ἀίδιον φῶς περὶ ου εἴρηται ̔Ο θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν. συμβαλεῖς τούτῳ ̔Ο ἐμὲ ἑωρακὼς ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Ψαλμους, Ψαλμος ΛΕ'

For with you is the fount of life and in your light we see light. 1   Since with you is the fount of life, and this is He who says 'I am He  who is,' 2 and perhaps drinking from the delights pouring forth from the fount of life we shall be intoxicated by the richness of your house. 3 The fount of life is the Saviour, He who needs nothing from outside, but He supplies every living thing, not only men, but even things above, and so He is named the fount of wisdom. And the pouring forth of delights is the Holy Spirit, because those who have drunk  from Him receive various graces.   'In your light we see light.'   That is, the true light of God, the splendor of the eternal light. It is in this light that we see light, You, the eternal light, concerning whom it is said, 'God is light,' 4 and again, 'He who sees me, sees the Father.' 5 Didymus the Blind, Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 35 1 Ps 35.10 2 Ex 3.14 3 Ps 35.9 4 1 Jn 1.5 5 Jn 14.9

An Eternal Possession

Dabo tibi et semini tuo post te terram in qua habitas, omnem terram cultam in possessionem aeternam.  Quaestio est quomodo dixerit aeternam, cum Israelitis temporaliter data sit; utrum secundum hoc saeculum dicta sit aeterna, ut ab eo quod est αἰὼν graece, quod est saeculum significat, dictum sit: αἰώνιον, tamquam si latine dici posset saeculare ; an ex hoc aliquid secundum spiritalem promissionem hic intellegere cogamur, ut aeternum dictum sit, ideo quia hinc aeternum aliquid significatur; an potius locutionis est Scripturarum, ut aeternum appellent, cuius rei finis non constituitur; aut non ita fit ut deinceps non sit faciendum, quantum pertinet ad curam vel potestatem facientis; sicut ait Horatius: Serviet aeternum, qui parvo nesciet uti. Non enim potest in aeternum servire, cuius ipsa vita, qua servit, aeterna esse non potest. Quod testimonium non adhiberem, nisi locutionis esset. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Quaestionum in Heptateuchum, Liber I, Cap XXXI

'I give to you and your seed after you that land in which you dwell, all the cultivated earth as an eternal possession.' 1  The question is: how does it say 'eternal' when it was given to the Israelites but for a time? Can it be that this age is called an eternity and that which the Greek have as αἰὼν and our 'age' signifies may have been meant? As again the Greeks say αἰώνιον and we say 'for the age.' But this is something we are obliged to understand as a spiritual promise, that was spoken as eternal, because by it something eternal is signified, or rather it is a way of speaking in Scripture that things are called eternal of which the end is not established, or what is to happen may not be done, as much as it pertains to the care or the ability to do it, and so Horace says, 'He shall be a slave for eternity who does not know how to live on little.' And yet he is not able to be a slave in eternity whose life in which he is a slave is not eternal. So likewise that passage I would not admit, unless it is a way of speaking. Saint Augustine of Hippo, Questions on the Heptateuch, Book 1, Chap 31 1 Gen 17.8 2 Horace Epis 1.10. 41

Three Eternities

Sed sciendum est quod aeternam tribus modis in sancta Scriptura legi solet. Primo, quod vere et proprie aeternum dicitur, omni mutabilitate carens, sicut solus Deus est. Alter vero modus est, eum ea res aeterna dicitur, quae ipsa quidem per se aeterna non est, sed quod significat, aeternum est; veluti hoc quod Abrahae dicitur: Dabo tibi et semini tuo terram hanc in possessionem aeternam. Cum nec ipsa terra, nec ejus habitatores aeterni esse potuissent, sed terra viventium, quae per hanc terram significatur, aeterna est; et habitatores illius aeterni, de quibus dicitur: Beati mites, quoniam ipsi possidebunt terram. Tertius modus est, quando ea res aeterna appelantur, cui finis non constituitur, aut ita fit ut deinceps non sit facienda, quantum ad curam val ad potestatem facientis, aut dicentis pertinet, eo genere locutionis, quo quidam Poeta dicit: Serviet aeternum, quo parvo nesciet uti. Non enim potest aeternum servire, cujus ipsa vita aeterna esse non potest. Sed magis quaedam differentia est inter essentiam omnipotentis Dei, et volventia humanae vitae tempora. Legimus enim tria tempora esse, id est, praeteritum, praesens, et futurum; sed ita ut pene nihil nobis praesens sit, sed omnia praeterita et futura. Verbum enim dum dico priorem dum dixi syllabam, posterior futura fuit: et dum posteriorem dico, praeteriit prior. Deo vero nihil praeteritum et futurum, sed omnia praesentia sunt, qui servo suo Moysi ait: Ego sum qui sum. Et Dices filiis Isreal: qui est, misit me ad vos. Alcuinus, Epistola CLXII, Ad Carolum Magnum Source: Migne PL 100.421b-d

But it should known that eternity is spoken of in three ways in Scripture. The first, which is the true and proper eternity, lacking any change, is God alone. Another way is when something is spoken of as eternal which is not in itself eternal, that is, it signifies something which is eternal, as when it is said to Abraham, 'I shall give to you and your seed this land as an eternal possession.' 1 And yet neither the land nor its inhabitants were eternal, but it is the 'land of the living,' 2 that is signified by this land, that which is eternal, and the inhabitants of it are also eternal, concerning which it is said, 'Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth' 3 The third way is when things are called eternal of which the end is not established, or that perhaps might not come to be on account of care of power to do it, which is signified by the words of that way of speaking, as a certain poet says, 'He shall be a slave for eternity who does not know how to live on little.' 4 For he cannot be a slave in eternity who does not have a life that is eternal. But certainly there is a great difference between the being of the almighty God and the fleeting times of human life. For we read there are three times, that is, the past, the present and the future, but almost nothing to us is able to be present, but everything is past or future. For a mere word which I speak, before I have said a syllable, it is in the future and then that moment after I have spoken it is of the past. But to God nothing is past or future but all things are present, which He declared to his servant Moses when He said, 'I am He who is.' And say to the sons of Israel, 'He who is sent me to you.' 5 Alcuin of York, from Letter 162, To Charlemagne 1 Gen 18.8 2 Ps 26.13 3 Mt 5.4 4 Horace Epis 1.10.41 5 Exod 3.14

Days of Salvation

Ἀνατελεῖ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνη καὶ πλῆθος εἰρήνης. Κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἀκύλαν, Βλαστήσει ἐν ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ δίκαιος καὶ πλῆθος εἰρήνης· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Σύμμαχον Ἀνθήσει ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ δίκαιος. Ἡμέραι δὲ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν αἱ ἀπὸ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ μέχρι τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος νοηθήσονται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀκούομεν τὸ Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Δαυῗδ , καὶ, Ἐν ἡμέραις Ἰερονοὰμ, οὕτως εἴεν ἂν ἡμέραι τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν, πρὸς ὀλίγον φανέντες, θᾶττον ἀπεσβέσθησαν· δι' ὅ καὶ αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτῶν ἐξέλιπον· αἱ δὲ ἡμέραι τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ὁπόσαι τυγχάνουσι, φθάσας, ὁ λόγος ἐδήλωσεν εἰπών· Συμπαραμενεῖ τῷ ἡλίῳ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν τῆς σελήνης γενεὰς γενεῶν· οἷς ἀκολούθως καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς ἐπηγγέλλετο λέγων· Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι ἄχρι τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος· Οὕτω γὰρ ἥμελλε συμπαραμένειν τῷ ἡλίῳ. Οὐκοῦν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτοῦ, καθ'  ἂς συμπαραμενεῖ τῷ ἡλίῳ, καὶ ὁμοίως σελήνῃ τὰς τῶν ἐν σκότῳ φωτίσει ψυχὰς, ἀναλάμψει ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς δικαιοσύνη· Εὐσέβιος ὁ Καισάρειος, Ὑπομνηματα Ἐις Τους ψαλμους, ψαλμος ΟΑ'

'There will rise in those days His righteousness and a fullness of peace.' 1  Or according to Aquila's translation: 'His justice shall spring up in those days and an abundance of peace,' or according to Symmachus: 'His justice shall flourish in those days.' Here the days of our Saviour from his coming to the consummation of the world are to be understood. With which understanding we hear such passages as, 'In the days of David, and 'In the days of Jeroboam,' and in the same way the days of our Saviour are to be understood. But the former appeared for a a brief time and quickly passed away, their days perishing, but how many the days of our Saviour there are is declared in a line above the passage we have quoted with the words, 'He shall remain with the sun and before the moon from generation unto generation.' 2 And consequently He gave this promise to His disciples: 'I shall be with you until the consummation of the world,' 3 for with the sun He was to remain. So in those same days, in which He is with the sun, and in similar manner with the moon, the souls placed in darkness shall be illuminated, and His righteousness shall shine on the whole earth. Eusebius of Caesarea, from Commentary on the Psalms, from Psalm 71 1  Ps 71. 7 2 Ps 71. 5 3 Mt 28.20

Differing Days

Quintam Tychonius regulam ponit quam De temporibus appellat, qua regula plerumque inveniri vel conici possit latens in Scripturis sanctis quantitas temporum. Duobus autem modis vigere dicit hanc regulam, aut tropo synecdoche aut legitimis numeris. Tropus synecdoche aut a parte totum aut a toto partem facit intellegi, sicut unus Evangelista post dies octo factum dicit, quod alius post dies sex, quando in monte discipulis tantum tribus praesentibus facies Domini fulsit ut sol et vestimenta eius ut nix. Utrumque enim verum esse non posset, quod de numero dierum dictum est, nisi ille qui dixit post dies octo, intellegatur partem novissimam diei ex quo id Christus praedixit futurum, et partem primam diei quo id ostendit impletum, pro totis diebus duobus atque integris posuisse; is vero qui dixit: post dies sex, integros omnes et totos, sed solos medios computasse.  Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, De Doctrina Christiana, Liber III

The fifth rule Tychonius gives he names 'of times', by which one can frequently discover or conjecture quantities of time which are not declared in Scripture. And he says that this rule is applicable in two ways: either to the trope of synecdoche, or to legitimate numbers. The trope of synecdoche would have the part for the whole, or the whole for the part understood; as when one Evangelist says it was after eight days, 1 and another that it was after six days 2 that on the mount in the presence of the three disciples the face of the Lord shone like the sun and His garments were as white as snow. Now both of these statements cannot be true, unless we suppose that he who says 'after eight days,' should be understood as counting the latter part of the day on which Christ spoke of the future, and the first part of the day on which he showed its fulfillment as two whole days, while the writer who says 'after six days', reckoned only the whole unbroken days between. Saint Augustine of Hippo, On Christian Teaching, Book 3 1 Lk 9:28 2 Mt 17.1

Strengthening the Disciples

Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ἀληθῶς, εἰσίν τινες τῶν αὐτοῦ ἑστηκότων οἳ οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσιν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.  Οὔπω τὴν ἐξ ὕψους δύναμιν ἐσχηκότας τοὺς μαθητὰς εἰκὸς ἦν τάχα που καὶ ἀνθρωπίναις περιπεσεῖν ἀσθενείαις καί τι τοιοῦτον καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐννενοηκότας εἰπεῖν· Πῶς ἀρνήσεταί τις ἑαυτόν; ἢ πῶς ἀπολέσας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν εὑρήσει πάλιν αὐτήν; τί δὲ τοῖς τοῦτο παθοῦσι τὸ ἰσοστατοῦν ἔσται γέρας; ἢ καὶ ποίων ἔσται χαρισμάτων μέτοχος; ἵνα τοίνυν τῶν τοιούτων αὐτοὺς ἀποστήσῃ λογισμῶν καὶ οἷον μεταχαλκεύσῃ πρὸς εὐανδρίαν τῆς ἐσομένης αὐτοῖς εὐκλείας ἐπιθυμίαν ἐντεκών φησι· Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν· εἰσί τινες τῶν αὐτοῦ ἑστηκότων, οἳ οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ. βασιλείαν δὲ θεοῦ λέγει αὐτὴν τὴν θέαν τῆς δόξης, ἐν ᾗ καὶ αὐτὸς ὀφθήσεται κατ' ἐκεῖνο τοῦ καιροῦ, καθ' ὃν ἐπιλάμψει τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς· ἥξει γὰρ ἐν δόξῃ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς καὶ οὐκ ἔν γε μᾶλλον σμικροπρεπείᾳ τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς. πῶς οὖν ἄρα θεωροὺς ἐποιεῖτο τοῦ θαύματος τοὺς λαβόντας τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν; ἄνεισιν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τρεῖς ἀπ' αὐτῶν τοὺς ἀπολέκτους ἔχων. Εἶτα μεταπλάττεται πρὸς ἐξαίρετόν τινα καὶ θεοπρεπῆ λαμπρότητα ὥστε καὶ τὸν ἱματισμὸν αὐτοῦ τῇ τοῦ φωτὸς προσβολῇ διαλάμψαι καὶ οἷον ἀπαστράψαι δοκεῖν. Πλὴν Μωυσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας περιεστηκότες τὸν Ἰησοῦν προσελάλουν, φησίν, ἀλλήλοις τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτοῦ, ἣν ἔμελλε πληροῦν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, τουτέστι τῆς μετὰ σαρκὸς οἰκονομίας τὸ μυστήριον καὶ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος, τὸ ἐπί γέ φημι τῷ τιμίῳ σταυρῷ· δόξαν γὰρ αὐτὸ καλοῦσιν ἀεί. Καὶ γάρ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ὅτι ὁ διὰ Μωυσέως νόμος καὶ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν ὁ λόγος τὸ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον προανέδειξαν, ὁ μὲν ἐν τύποις καὶ σκιαῖς, μονονουχὶ καθάπερ ἐν πίνακι καταγράφων αὐτό, οἱ δὲ πολυτρόπως προηγορευκότες ὡς καὶ ὀφθήσεται κατὰ καιροὺς ἐν εἴδει τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς καὶ ὅτι τῆς πάντων ἕνεκα σωτηρίας καὶ ζωῆς οὐ παραιτήσεται τὸ παθεῖν τὸν ἐπὶ ξύλου θάνατον. Οὐκοῦν ἡ Μωυσέως καὶ Ἠλίου παράστασις καὶ τὸ προσλαλεῖν ἀλλήλοις αὐτοὺς οἰκονομία τις ἦν εὖ μάλα καταδεικνύουσα δορυφορούμενον μὲν ὑπὸ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ὡς καὶ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν δεσπότην, προκαταδειχθέντα δὲ παρ' αὐτῶν, δι' ὧν ἀλλήλοις συνῳδὰ προεκήρυξαν. Ἅγιος Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας, Ἐξὴγησις Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Λούκαν Εὐάγγελιον, Κεφ. Θ'

'Truly I say to you that some standing here will not taste death until they have seen the kingdom of God.' 1 As the disciples had not yet obtained virtue from on high, it was likely that they also stumbled in human weaknesses, and pondering in themselves the sayings they had heard may have said 'How does a man deny himself?' or 'How having lost himself does he find himself again?' And 'What reward will be worthy of those who suffer so? Or 'Of what gifts will they be made partakers?' To rescue them therefore from such unstable thoughts, and, so to speak, to forge them into fortitude by begetting in them a desire for the glory to come, He says, 'I say to you, there are some of those standing here who shall not taste death until they have seen the kingdom of God.'  And by the kingdom of God He means the sight of the glory in which He will appear at that time when he shines on those on earth, for He will come in the glory of God the Father, and not in low state as was to us. How, then, did He make those who had received the promise spectators of such a wonder? Going up the mountain He takes with Him three chosen ones, and He is transformed with so surpassing and godlike a brightness, that His garments shine with such light that it seems like  flashes of lightning. And then Moses and Elijah stood at the side of Jesus and spoke with one another about His departure, which He was about to fulfill at Jerusalem, that is, the mystery of the dispensation of the flesh and the passion of salvation, and indeed, I say, about the precious cross which will always be called glorious. For it is indeed true that the law of Moses and the word of the holy Prophets prefigured the mystery of Christ; the first by types and shadows, as in the painting of a picture, while the rest in many ways declared before the events that both in time He would appear in our likeness and for the sake of the salvation and life of all he would not refuse to suffer death on the tree. Therefore the standing of Moses and Elijah beside Him and their talking with one another was a sort of arrangement which well represented our Lord Jesus Christ as being guarded by the Law and the Prophets, and Him as master of the Law and Prophets, foreshown by them by those things which in agreement with one another they had proclaimed. Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 9 1 Lk 9.27

Hope and the Transfiguration

In qua transfiguratione illud quidem principaliter agebatur, ut de cordibus discipulorum crucis scandalum tolleretur; nec conturbaret eorum fidem voluntariae humilitas passionis, quibus revelata esset abscondita excellentia dignitatis. Sed non minore providentia spes sanctae Ecclesiae fundabatur, ut totum corpus Christi agnosceret quali esset commutatione donandum, et ejus sibi honoris consortium membra promitterent, qui in capite praefulsisset. De qua idem Dominus dixerat, eum ed adventus sui majestate loqueretur: Tunc justi fulgebunt sicut sol in regno Patris sui; protestante hoc ipsum beato Paulo apostolo, et dicente: Existimo enim quod non sunt condignae passiones hujus temporis ad futuram gloriam, quae revelabitur in nobis; et iterum: Mortui enim estis, et vita vesta abscondita est cum Christo in Deo. Cum enim Christus apparuerit vita vestra, tunc et vos apparebitis cum ipso in gloria. Sanctus Leo Magnus, Sermo LXXVIII

The Transfiguration was principally performed to remove the scandal of the cross from the hearts of the disciples, that their faith should not be troubled by the humiliation of His voluntary Passion by the revelation of the excellence of His hidden dignity. But with no less foresight was laid the foundation of the hope of the Holy Church, that the whole body of Christ might know the character of the change which would be given, and that the members might have confidence in a share in that honour which had shone forth in their Head. To which the Lord referred when He spoke of the majesty of His coming: 'Then will the righteous shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father,' 1 and the blessed Apostle Paul gives witness to the same thing, saying, 'For I judge that the sufferings of this time are not worthy of the future glory which will be revealed in us.' 2 And again, 'For you are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. For when Christ your life appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory.' 3 Pope Leo the Great, from Sermon 78  1 Mt 13:43  2 Rom 8:18  3 Col 3:3

High and Low Anointings

Εἴπε δὲ πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα· Ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ σε. Πορεύου εἰς εἰρήνην. Ἡ μὲν οὖν πλειοτέρα ψυχὴ, καλῶς λατρεύσασα τῳ Λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, παῥῥησίαν ἔχει ἐπ' αὐτὴν τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐλθεῖν· κεφαλὴ δὲ Χριστοῦ ὁ Θεός· ὥστε καταχέαι μύρον αὐτῆς, καὶ εὐωδίαν τῆ δόξῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ πεποιῆσθαι. Δοξάζεται δὲ ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τῆς εὐωδίας τοῦ βίου τῶν δικαίων. Ἡ δὲ ἀτελεστέρα γυνὴ καὶ ψυχὴ παρὰ τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰ τεπεινότερα στρέφεται, ἧς ἐγγυς ἐσμεν ἡμεις. Οὐδὲ γὰρ μετενοήσαμεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡμῶν. Ποῦ ἡμῶν τὰ δάκρυα; ποῦ ὁ κλαυθμός; ἵνα κἂν παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Ἰησοῦ ἐλθεῖν δυνηθῶμεν. Ἐπ' αὐτὴν γὰρ οὕπω δυνάμεθα φθάσαι τὴν κεφαλήν. Ἀγαπητὸν δὲ μετὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα φέρειν μετανοίας εὐωδίαν, ἵνα τις δυνηθείη δευτέρως εἴναι ἡ τοὺς πόδας ἀλείφουσα, ἀλλὰ μὴ τὴν κεφαλήν· τουτέστιν ἡ μὴ ἅπτομένη τῶν τελεωτέρων καὶ ὑψηλοτέρων ἀλλὰ τῶν ἄκρων καὶ τελευταίων. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Το Κατα Λουκαν Εὐαγγελιον, Κεφ Ζ'

And He said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you, go in peace.' 1 The soul which is closer to perfection, better serves the Word of God, and has faith even to the head, 'truly the head of Christ, God.' 2 so it may pour out its ointment and be made fragrant in the glory of God. And God is glorified through the fragrance of the life of the righteous. But the woman who was imperfect, and the soul, must circle around the feet and humble things, to which we are ourselves nearer. Where then are our tears? Where our cries? That at least we might be able to come to the feet of Jesus. We are not yet able to come to the head. But let one loving after sin bear the ointment of penitence, by which one can, in second place, anoint the feet, but not the head; that is, one has not yet reached perfection and the heights, but only things low and distant. Origen, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Luke, Chap 7, Fragment 1 Lk 7.48 2 1 Cor 11.3

Righteousness and Error

Justitia justi non liberabit eum in quacumque die peccaverit: et iniquitas iniqui non nocebit ei, quacumque die conversus fuerit.   Unumquemque judicat Deus sicut invenerit. Nec praeterita considerat, sed praesentia: si tamen vetera crimina, novella conversione mutentur. Septies cadit justus, et resurgit. Si cadit, quomodo justus, si justus quomodo cadit? Sed justi vocabulum non amittit, qui per poenitentiam semper resurgit. Et non solum septies, sed septuagies septies delinquenti, si convertatur ad poenitentiam, peccata donantur. Cui plus dimittitur, plus diligit. Meretrix lacrymis pedes Salvatoris lavat, et crine detergit: et in typum Ecclesiae de gentibus congregatae meretur audire: Dimittuntur tibi peccata tua Pharisaei justitia perit superbia, et publicani humilitas confessione salvatur. Sanctus Hieronymus, ex Epistula CXXII Ad Rusticum

'The righteousness of the righteous will not free him on the day that he sins and the wickedness of the wicked will not harm him on the day he is converted.' 1 The Lord judges every man as He finds him. He does not consider the past but the present. If there are old crimes, new conversion removes them. 'A righteous man falls seven times and rises.' 2 If he falls, how is he righteous? If righteous, how does he fall? He does not lose the name of righteous who always rises by penance. And not only seven times, but seventy times seven for the one who errs, if he turns to penance. 3 To whom much is forgiven, he loves the more. 4 The harlot washed the Saviour's feet with tears and wiped them with her hair, and this type of the Church gathered from the Gentiles was made worthy to hear, 'Your sins are forgiven.' 5 The righteousness of the Pharisee perished in pride, and the humility of the publican in confession gained salvation. 6 St Jerome, from Letter 122, To Rusticus 1 Ezek 33.2 2 Prov 24.16 3 Mt 18, 21-22 4 Lk 7.47 5 Luke 7:48 6 Lk 18.14

Love and Correction

Non omnis qui parcit, amicus est; nec omnis qui verberat, inimicus. Meliora sunt vulnera amici, quam voluntaria oscula inimici. Melius est cum severitate diligere, quam cum lenitate decipere. Utilius esurienti panis tollitur, si de cibo securus iustitiam neglegat, quam esurienti panis frangitur, ut iniustitiae seductus acquiescat. Et qui phreneticum ligat, et qui lethargicum excitat, ambobus molestus, ambos amat. Quis nos potest amplius amare, quam Deus? Et tamen nos non solum docere suaviter, verum etiam salubriter terrere non cessat. Fomentis lenibus quibus consolatur, saepe etiam mordacissimum medicamentum tribulationis adiungens, exercet fame Patriarchas etiam pios et religiosos, populum contumacem poenis gravioribus agitat, non aufert ab Apostolo stimulum carnis tertio rogatus, ut virtutem in infirmitate perficiat. Diligamus etiam inimicos nostros, quia hoc iustum est, et hoc praecipit Deus, ut simus filii Patris nostri qui in coelis est, qui facit solem suum oriri super bonos et malos, et pluit super iustos et iniustos. Sed sicut ista dona eius laudamus, ita etiam flagella eius in eos quos diligit, cogitemus. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensis, ex Epistula XCIII, Vincentio

Not every one who is merciful is a friend, nor is every one who strikes an enemy. Better the wounds of a friend than the offered kisses of an enemy. 1 Better it is to love with severity than to deceive with kindness. More good is done by taking away food from one who is hungry, if through care for food he is forgetful of righteousness, than by breaking bread with one who is hungry that he may be seduced to unrighteousness. He who binds the madman and he who rouses the indolent is vexatious to both, yet it is he who loves both. Who can love us more than God? And yet He not only give us sweet instruction but also troubles us with salutary fear, and this without end. To the soothing remedies by which He comforts He often adds the sharp medicine of tribulation; He troubles with famine even the pious and devout patriarchs, He vexes a rebellious people with heavier punishments, and He does not take away the goad in the flesh of the Apostle, though thrice entreated, that He may make strength perfect in weakness. 2 Let us indeed love our enemies, because this is right, and God commands it, that we may be sons of our Father who is in heaven, who makes His sun rise over the good and the wicked, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. 3 But as we give thanks for His gifts, so let us think on His correction of those whom He loves. Saint Augustine of Hippo, from Letter 93, To Vincentius 1 Prov 27:6 2 2 Cor 12:7-9  3 Mt 5:45