This, therefore, is the shaking of the head that has been made among the people; or, as Aquila and Symmachus said, among the nations; for all nations have moved their head, in order to interpret the Law spiritually. Let no one think that they can be saved according to the letter of the Law; for the letter of the Law brings a curse: the Spirit brings a blessing. No one can be justified by the works of the Law; for all who are under the letter are under a curse. Therefore, let all flee from the curse of the Law, and let them take refuge in the grace of blessing; so that they may have the blessing in heavenly things, in Christ Jesus, who died for us, so that faith may pass on to the Gentiles: who, though he was a man before the Synagogue, did not abandon it, and he redeemed us; for he did not abandon it, so that the remnant may be saved: he redeemed us by choosing the peoples of the nations. Therefore, this election of the Gentiles is the salvation of the Jews; for the remnant was saved not by their own works, but by the election of grace. Therefore, it is the grace of Christ that both redeemed us and revived the remains. However, a commotion of the head was made among the Gentiles: but from this commotion, the Jews bore the grace of significant change, and their remains were saved.
(Verse 16.) It follows: All day my modesty is against me: and the shame of my face covered me. What is it that sometimes in the person of one, sometimes in the person of many, this psalm is said here? For from the beginning it began with many, as it is: O God, we have heard with our ears, and the rest that follow (Above, verse 2 et seq.). Then he says: You are my king, and my God. Again: In you we will vanquish our enemies. And afterwards: For I do not hope in my bow; and: In God we will be praised all day; and: All day long my shame is against me. What does this change, which is frequently repeated in the psalms, mean; as it says in Psalm 108: Do not keep silent, O God of my praise, for the mouth of the sinner and the mouth of the deceitful one are open against me. Does this apply to one person or to many? They have spoken against me with a deceitful tongue. ...and they have set hatred in place of my love (Ibid., 3 and 5). Then of one: Appoint him a sinner (Ibid., 6). This seems in the 108th Psalm to be referring one thing to the Jewish people, another to the traitor Judas. When spoken in the plural, it refers to the people; when spoken in the singular, it refers to Judas. Likewise, we can say that when spoken in the plural, it refers to the saints; when spoken in the singular, it refers to our Lord Jesus Christ; because it can be understood as speaking for many in the Prophet, and speaking for himself. And therefore he said: My shame is against me; which is called 'ἐντροπή;' But 'ἐντροπή' is when someone wants to instill shame in someone, so that they may change their purpose, as it is written: 'Come down from the cross, and we will believe in you: He trusts in God, let God deliver him now' (Matthew 27:42-43). But he beautifully says: All day; because the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ brought light to the world. Therefore, the Day of the Incarnation is the same of which the Lord says: 'Walk while you have the light' (John 12:35); and: 'Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day' (John 8:56). Therefore, this bashfulness contains confusion within itself. Hence also Symmachus says: All day long, he says, my confusion is against me. But what is the confusion of Christ, if not the cross; on which he hung naked? And rightly so, all day long; for from the moment he was affixed to the cross, darkness occurred until the ninth hour, and after the ninth hour, light shone until evening. This day is the first of three. However, the chorus of the saints can speak both in the plural about themselves, and singularly; for the chorus has the nature of a single person, but it consists of multiple individuals; just as it is written: This people honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me (Isaiah 29:13).
But what is the confusion that covered the Lord Jesus, when sins cause confusion; for they are the ones that cover the sinner: but if he does not commit sin, does this mean that he does not commit sin? But just as there is a confusion that leads to sin, so there is a confusion that abolishes sin; such is the confusion of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which sins are cleansed. There is also every good confusion that you endure for the sake of Christ's name, and it is exceedingly glorious; for example, if in persecution the law is that a Christian be beaten, lose dignity, be deprived of privilege, and be led into chains. This confusion, though it does not have privilege, has the glory of a pious confession. And it is also the confusion of Christ, as he himself says: Whoever is ashamed of me before men, I will also be ashamed of him before my Father who is in heaven (Matthew X, 33). Therefore, a good confusion. However, for many, this confusion of Christ is bitter; that is, for those who do not believe, it is unpleasant, but for those who believe, it is joyful.
(Verse 17.) So if you want, understand the confusion of Christ in his cross, which seemed to be a confusion to the Jews who insulted him; as if Christ would be ashamed in the work in which he was working for public salvation; or even this confusion, which seemed to be thrown at him, by the voice of the reproachful and reviling person; by the face of the enemy and persecutor. For he was ashamed that his chosen people had fallen in this way, and he was confounded in them before the Father, whose end had come; for the Father was present to the Son, from whom the Son can never be separated. And therefore the Father was listening to him saying to the Jews: Behold, your house will be left deserted to you (Matth. XXIII, 38).
But there are those who even boast in their confusion; just like those of whom the Apostle says: Their glory is in their shame (Philippians 3:19); their glory is contrary to the glory of Christ, who embraced the cross and did not shy away from shame. We should not fear this confusion, nor avoid it out of fear or disdain; lest it bring sin upon us, which can bring the grace of life. For there is also glory in confusion, like when you encounter many pagans or philosophers, and they throw the cross of Christ at you, and you cannot respond with words, and no one hears the words of salvation you are declaring, that is confusion; but it comes from the voice of reproach and opposition, from the face of the enemy and persecutor. And therefore do not respond foolishly to his foolishness: be like a mute and silent man, and as if not hearing the words of those who insult and slander; not because you are unable to respond, but because you should not respond. For there is a time for everything: a time to be silent, and a time to speak. It is necessary to be silent when you do not find a ready listener: it is necessary to speak when the Lord grants the tongue of instruction; so that your speech may have an effect on the emotions of those who hear. But how can he listen to you who speaks against you, because he does not want to hear your beneficial speech? Or how can he acquiesce to you, who is a persecutor and wants to seek revenge on you? Or, as Aquila and Symmachus said, how can he avenge and punish you, because it seems that the inheritance of Christ has been transferred to the Gentiles? Therefore, this confusion is far from the confusion and disgrace of the sinner. For the conscience of that person is enlightened, who has not forgotten his God; their conscience is confused, whose mind is clouded and disturbed by the memory of their sins.
(Verses 18, 19, 20.) And therefore, being well aware, they say: All these things have come upon us, and we have not forgotten you, and we have not acted unjustly in your covenant. And our hearts have not turned back, and you have turned our paths from your way. The last verse seems to not agree with the previous ones. For how have those who have been overtaken by no forgetfulness of divinity, no consciousness of injustice, and no negligence turned aside? But if you consider that the righteous person barely escapes, you will understand without a doubt that even they sometimes falter in their footsteps, and the author of their downfall seems to be God; for the righteous themselves often suffer temptations, so that they may be tested and trained by them. But who is so strong that they are not moved at all by temptation, unless the Lord, their helper, comes to their aid? Even the prophet David himself was troubled, for he said in his abundance: I shall not be moved forever. (Psalm 29:7). But who is that person whom neither the place of affliction, nor the corruption of the earth can move? When the divine sentence has not exempted anyone who is immune from the exercise and fatigue of this earth, to whom it was said: Cursed is the ground in all your works . . . thorns and thistles it shall bring forth (Gen. III, 7, 18). Indeed, Paul himself, a chosen vessel of the Lord, absolved from the curse of the old sentence by the passion of the Lord Jesus, nonetheless deeply lamented being led captive under the law of sin, and found no one except Christ from whom he could be set free: when the law of his body and the shadow of death oppressed him.
We have stated the idea: but it is necessary for us to consider more explicitly which place is the source of affliction. Whether it is this world, which is placed in evil: or truly our flesh, in which our soul is humbled, while it descends into the fellowship of this flesh: or the adversities with which we are exercised, being constituted in this body, in which we groan burdened; which we do not want to be stripped of, but clothed with? For it is a heavy labor while we wait for this mortal (body) to be swallowed up by life, from which we must strip ourselves; for it is stripped with less labor than it is swallowed up. See to it that this variety does not strip itself, and expect to be absorbed by life. Grace strips, penitence absorbs: sublimity strips the mind, diligence absorbs. How, then, can you doubt that this place of affliction exists, when the body is a place of death, in which even the shadow of death covers us? And therefore, we must always turn to that light, which is the word of God; so that we may know how to direct the paths of our souls and the footsteps of our inner mind, so that the light of our souls may dispel the bodily darkness.
However, the beautiful interpretation of Aquila teaches us how we should understand the place of affliction when he says: For you have humbled us in the place of the sirens. So that it is not the flesh that is at fault, or nature, but those things that have made the flesh corruptible. Finally, the divine Scripture made mention of the sirens a second time (Isaiah XIII, 21) and a third time (Micah I, 9), and the history of the Gentiles reports that they were certain maidens who, with the sweetness of their own voices, the enchantments of their singing, and the desire to be heard, enticed sailors sailing toward the shore: and it is said that the ancient tradition handed down to posterity that they used to make shipwreck in a rocky place when they followed the allurements of the voice (Homer, Odyssey). But the interpretation of these things is this: the pleasure of the voice, and a certain flattery. And so, the pleasure of the world delights us with a certain carnal flattery in order to deceive. Therefore, there was no fault in that place, but the sweet sound that made the roughness of the shore not be avoided: likewise, there is no fault in the flesh; but those things by which the flesh is tempted and tossed. Finally, the sea, if the storm is absent, is calm: if the tempest rages, it is dangerous.
And the opinion of the seventy men seems to agree with these sentiments, as they say that it is written: 'For you have humbled us'. The testimonies of this interpretation are to be sought from divine Scriptures. For it is written in Deuteronomy: 'If you go forth to battle against your enemies, and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands, and you take their spoils, and in the spoil you see a good-looking woman, and you desire her and will lie with her' (Deut. XXI, 10 and 11). And below: If you do not want her afterwards, you shall dismiss her free... because you have humiliated her (Ibid., 14). Therefore, you see that she has been humiliated not by her own nature, but by the one who has taken away her integrity of modesty. Humiliation, therefore, is the work by which this flesh, become the body of sin, is both the place and cause of affliction. Again elsewhere: If a virgin is betrothed to a man and another man finds her sleeping with her in the city, both of them shall be brought to the gate of their city and stoned to death: and the young woman shall die because she did not cry out in the city or call for help. And the man, he says, because he has humiliated the woman of his neighbor (Deut. XXII, 23 and 24). And here is the same reason for this discourse, that it may be said that she was humiliated by her corruptor. You also have a third testimony about this matter, and more if you seek. However, listen to the same book: If anyone finds a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her by force, and is found, the one who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty denarii, and she shall be his wife, because he has humiliated her. He shall not be able to divorce her all his life, because he has humiliated her (Ibid., 28, and 29). The same argument is repeated so that you understand that it is not the condition of the flesh that seems to humble us, but rather guilt.
However, we cannot deny that the flesh is humbled and weakened in its very nature, by its very allurements, and by its own fragility which is exposed to error. Although it was not deceived by a mediocre serpent, it had, nevertheless, a considerable grace before sin was found in it: Adam was in the sight of God, he flourished in paradise, he shone with heavenly grace, and he spoke with God. Have you ever read about him being humbled before, except after the transgression had humbled him? The heritage of which defect he transmitted to us; so that, being placed in this body, we do not want to wander away from the body, and to be present to God. And therefore we humble our soul which strives to lift itself up to God: but this corruptible body weighs down the soul, and earthly dwellings prevail, so that the devoted mind frequently leans towards the world, and cannot subject itself to God, because the wisdom of the flesh is ignorant of the submission of itself, which involves our desire.
Saying these things about us, what can we say about the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ? Who certainly took on the truth of this flesh and therefore humbled himself even to death, death on a cross (Phil. 2:8). Pay careful attention and consider each thing. See that he willingly took on this form of our body and the servitude of your obedience, being made in the likeness of men: not in the likeness of flesh, but in the likeness of sinful men; for every man is under sin. Therefore, he was found in the likeness of a man; as it is written of him: And he is a man, and who will know him (Jerem. XVII, 9)? Man according to the flesh, but beyond man according to his work. As a man, he humbled himself (Phil. II, 8); because God came to them who had been humbled, to set them free. Therefore, he humbled himself for us. Therefore, his body is not a body of death; indeed, it is a body of life: nor his flesh, a shadow of death; indeed, it is the brightness of glory: nor in him is there a place of affliction; indeed, in that body there is grace and consolation for all. He humbled himself so that you may learn what humility is. Finally, listen to him saying: Learn from me because I am gentle and humble in heart (Matthew 11:29). He humbled himself so that you may be exalted; for whoever humbles himself will be exalted. But not all who are humble will be exalted; for many are humbled by their own wrongdoing to their downfall. The Lord humbled himself even to death; so that he may be exalted from the gates of death.
Behold, see the grace of Christ, see His blessings. After Christ came, this flesh, which was the shadow of death, began to shine through the grace of the Lord and have its own light; hence it is said: The lamp of your body is your eye (Matthew 6:22). But see of which eye it is said; not the outer one, but the inner one: If your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light (ibid.) Indeed, the eye is internal, which illuminates the whole body of a person. The eye is also internal, which removes blindness from the whole body; for it is written: But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be in darkness (Ibid., 23). You see in one person where darkness is born, where light arises. Therefore, you are to yourself either darkness or light. Darkness is the corruption, the darkness of sins; light is innocence. Therefore, you are to yourself either the author of injustice or of grace: divine operation does not err. The light is within you; because your infancy is innocent. The mind of man is pure before the slippery adolescence, and the error of youth. Therefore, you have made darkness for yourself instead of light. Ultimately, the same eye, that is, the sense of man, is dark in the sinner, bright in the innocent.
And let us not overlook what Symmachus says: You have afflicted us in a deserted place. Therefore we are afflicted because at times we are deprived of heavenly protection, and this region is under a curse, or on the slippery slope of secular matters. Moreover, our Lord Jesus Christ had not yet blessed his land; and therefore they labored, not directing the gaze of their spiritual eyes towards the light of his mercy. And then because the pleasure and delight of the world frequently creep in (Hom., Odys., M). Where we must not bind ourselves and be bound by the chains of that man, nor close our ears with wax: but turn away whenever someone thinks that something contrary or adverse to our benefit is to be criticized; lest in that conversation the shadow of death covers us: and if something of that sort is put forth, nevertheless we must insert the word of God, which illuminates the eyes of our mind with the brilliance of debate.
(Verses 21, 22.) It follows: If we have forgotten the name of our God, and if we have stretched out our hands to foreign gods. Will not God require these things? The eagle will investigate them, he said. Will Symmachus find them? For he knows the secrets of the heart. For your sake we are being put to death all day long: we are reckoned as sheep for slaughter. What does it mean when it says: God will require it? As if God does not require it, he is ignorant: and thus God will require your forgetfulness which has crept in, in order to remove every trace of it. And so Aquila said: He will investigate these things. For certainly one who knows the hidden secrets of the heart, how does he seek, to whom even the things that are internal are manifest? Indeed, before God the conscience of each person reveals itself, and the thought of a person either condemns or clears them. Finally, Aquila said the visions of the heart because he sees our heart, and every thought of our heart is readily available to God, and the image of our thoughts shines before Him. Aquila said it well: In you we die, because to die in Christ is both difficult and glorious; and in him dies the one who is crowned with a sacred passion for his name. But why are you surprised that this verse, which seeks God, reveals the secrets of the heart; when elsewhere you read that God is the searcher of hearts? Why are you also surprised if the majesty of the divine substance cannot be explained by our words, as the Apostle says: Do not judge before the time, until the Lord comes who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts; and then praise will come to each person from God? We often read the darkness of the heart in the place of crime; in fact, almost everywhere. Therefore, see to it that those things are not hidden darkness, which are the hidden things of the heart; and for this reason they have received the name of darkness, because they are not detected by others, but they remain concealed. And for this reason, it is said that the Lord on the day of judgment will bring to light the hidden things of darkness; because the heart of each person will be revealed, which was hidden before: indeed known only to Christ, who, knowing the grace of His judgment, says: There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed (Matthew 10:26).
However, there are many things that we suppress out of modesty and keep silently in ourselves in order to fulfill the heavenly commandment, so that we do not seem to boast about things that are ours and begin to lose the fruit of them by making them known. However, there are secrets of wisdom that the apostle Paul heard when he was caught up in paradise. And because it was not permissible for a man to speak of them, he kept them to himself. Not because he envied others the use or favor of them, but because it was not lawful for a man to speak, perhaps it would not have been beneficial for a man to hear. These things the Lord will enlighten at the time when the time for enlightening these secrets arrives. See also in the Gospel, where it is said: 'There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be made known' (Ibid.). However, this supports the higher interpretation, that both refer to good things; for it is written: 'The Lord knows those who are his' (2 Timothy 2:19). Therefore, he knows his own, and he knows those who know God; but he is unaware of those who are ignorant of God; for the one who is ignorant will himself be ignorant. Therefore, the Lord recognizes those things that are good: those things that are full of divine knowledge, those things that are hidden wisdom, the Lord knows them. But he detests those things that are full of wickedness and sin.
Finally, if you consider the character of those individuals whom no forgetfulness of divine worship separated, who stretched out their hands to a foreign god and refused to open their souls, you will understand that in their hidden works there were no crimes, but rather things that belonged to innocence. For they were afflicted by death for the sake of the worship of God, and all day long they were engaged in death, just as Paul also was engaged, who says: 'I die daily by your glory' (1 Corinthians 15:31). And truly, Paul died daily according to the flesh, in fastings, in shipwrecks, in various dangers, in miseries: but he did not completely die. His outer man died, but his inner man was renewed: and therefore he did not fail, even though he was pressed by so many dangers; because although his outer man was corrupted, his inner man was renewed day by day; because the faith and grace of each person illuminates his day's work. Where Paul the Apostle did not know night; because the one who is renewed is always in the light. Do you not see in the light, the one who contains the love of Christ within himself? And therefore, being secure in sacrifice, he does not shy away from hardship: neither any persecution, nor hunger, nor sword can separate him from Christ the Lord, whom the bonds of divine love bind.
(Verse 23.) Meanwhile, however, the human mind is disturbed even in good works and is shaken by temptations. Yet it is also the way of the righteous to ask for help when they see themselves being tempted; just as the apostles did in the Gospel (Matthew 8:25) when Jesus was sleeping in the boat, fearing the stormy waves, they woke up the Lord Jesus to drive away their fear. Don't the holy apostles seem to have said these verses to you: Arise, why do You sleep, Lord? Arise, and do not repel until the end. Certainly, although in appearance the letter may seem different, the meaning agrees. And truly, even though our Lord Jesus Christ was arranged in a body, he did not sleep in such a way that he was unaware of the storm of the sea and the rising tempest of the winds, as the knowledge of it exceeded the depth of sleep. He slept in body, but was watchful in his power. And that arrangement was such that the Son of God, the Word of God, ascended into the boat; his disciples also ascended together: whom he did not allow to be remiss and negligent, as if secure from the presence and favor of the Lord, he composed himself in the sleep of the body. Therefore, in that dream-like appearance, by sleeping on this earth, He was showing the Word of God to His apostles. Yet His power and providence were awake, which stirred up a storm in the sea, so that the ship was nearly engulfed by the rising waves: by this, the disciples, troubled by the storm, would be able to determine whether they were being supported by a helpful plan or whether they were exceeding the remedy. But for those for whom Jesus was not sleeping, faith was awake: and therefore, when they arose, they awakened the Lord Jesus, saying: Lord, save us, we are perishing (Matthew 8:25).
See if also that differs from the Gospel, which we read about Jonah (Jonah, 1:5), who was sleeping in the belly of the ship and snoring: in which a figure of the sacred passion preceded. For just as Jonah was sleeping in the ship and snoring, feeling secure as if he did not fear being caught; so our Lord Jesus Christ, who fulfilled that figure with the sacrament of his death, slept in the ship during the time of the Gospel: and just as he was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights; so the Son of Man was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights in the passion of his own body. When he had awakened himself from death, and had relaxed the sleep of his body, in order to rise again for the salvation of all, he visited his Disciples. This is therefore the true Jonah, who offered his soul as redemption for us. Therefore he was lifted up and sent into the sea, so that he might be received and devoured by the whale, in whose belly he might empty his bowels. Concerning this whale it is said, listen to Job saying: 'Who, he says, can deliver the great whale captive?' (Job 3). Who is this? Surely you know, when you have read that our Lord Jesus Christ led captivity captive; for having defeated the adversary and enemy, we who were captives have begun to possess freedom through Christ (Ephesians 4:8).
Finally, the very speech of Saint Jonah teaches that the mysteries of the Lord's Passion are to be understood, when he says: 'I cried out to my Lord in my distress, and he heard me from the belly of Sheol (Jonah 2:3).' Do you see that he said Sheol, not the sea? For the Lord descended not into the sea, but into Sheol, so that those who were in the depths might be released from eternal bondage. Indeed, many of them also rose from the dead. Now, what were the rivers that surrounded Jonah, or from which abyss did Jonah say: 'The depths closed in around me, seaweed was wrapped around my head; I sank down to the very roots of the mountains, I went down to the land whose bars closed behind me forever (Ibid., 6-7)'? Certainly this does not fit with Jonah's story, and it is appropriate. But the Son of God descended into the cracks of the mountains, when he descended into the tomb; for Joseph himself, as the Gospel teaches (Matthew 27:60), placed him in his new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock, and rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb. Finally, in another book it says: He placed him, it says, in a hewn tomb, in which no one had yet been placed (John 19:41).
But who is there, who with a voice of praise and confession has offered a sacrifice to the Lord; except the Prince of all priests, who both made vows for all and fulfilled them? For he alone had the power of accomplishing what he had intended. For as Jonah was sent into the sea, and the sea was calmed by his presence; so our Lord Jesus Christ came into this world, to reconcile the world, and to bring peace to all things, whether earthly or heavenly. Therefore, he redeemed all mankind by his adventure; and he incited them to the worship of God through his deeds, when he raised the dead, healed the sick, and instilled the fear of God in human hearts. He is the one who sacrificed a saving sacrifice to the Lord for us, and offered worthy offerings of our conversion to God; he is the one who slept and woke up.
Therefore, care must be taken not to sleep among sinners; for he seems to sleep to those among whom he does not rise, and whom he repels to the end. But who is it who is repelled, unless he who is a wanderer from the Lord, because he does not wander from the body? For how can those who are in the flesh please God? And therefore, let us not be in the flesh, but in spirit: let us cleave to the Lord Jesus, who in the eighty-eighth psalm says that he was repelled for us. But you have cast off and rejected, you have been angry with your anointed one. You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust. You have broken through all his walls and reduced his strongholds to ruins. All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors. You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice. You have turned back the edge of his sword and have not supported him in battle. You have put an end to his splendor and cast his throne to the ground. You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame. How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all humanity! Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave? Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?
(Verse 24.) It follows: Why do you turn your face away? We think that God turns his face away from us when we are in any afflictions; so that darkness is poured out on our feelings, by which we are hindered from drinking in the brightness of truth with our eyes. For if God attends to our nature, and deigns to visit our mind, let us be certain that no thing can cast a shadow over us. For if the face of a man shines more than the other parts of the body, and whoever we look at, we either recognize an unknown person or recognize a known person, whom our sight does not allow to be hidden; how much more does the face of God, whom he gazes upon, illuminate! About which as his other things are; and also this is a notable saying of the holy Apostle, who is truly the interpreter of Christ, so that he may infuse him into our minds with a more fitting meaning and language; where he says: For God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (II Cor. IV, 6). Therefore, where Christ is shining in us, we have heard. For He is the eternal radiance of souls, which the Father sent to the earth so that, illuminated by His countenance, we may be able to gaze upon eternal and heavenly things, who previously were held in earthly darkness. Why should I speak about Christ when even the Apostle Peter said to that man born crippled from his mother's womb, 'Look at us' (Acts 3:4); and he looked at Peter and was illuminated by the grace of faith? For he would not have received the remedy of health, unless he had faithfully believed. Therefore, when there was such glory in the apostles, Zacchaeus, hearing that the Lord Jesus was passing by, climbed up into a tree; because he was small and unable to see him in the crowd. He saw Christ, and found light. He saw him, and returned what he had previously taken from others. Therefore, they rightly say: Why do you turn your face away?
Or perhaps for this reason it is said that his advent kept delaying, because he was making the desire for Christ grow. For he himself is the face of the Father, who is the image and glory of God. Certainly, if we do not receive this sacrament of his incarnation, they rightly use that saying, the saints saying: 'Why do you turn your face away?' that is: 'Even if you turn away, Lord, your face from us, the light of your face is still sealed in us, Lord.' We hold it in our hearts, and it shines with intimate affection; for no one can stand, if you turn your face away. For all things wait upon you to give them food in due season. You give it to them, and they gather it: when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. But if you turn away your face, they shall be troubled: you will take away their breath, and they shall fail, and shall return to their dust. You will send forth your spirit, and they shall be created: and you shall renew the face of the earth (Psalm 103, 27 et seq.). Do you recognize the food that God provides for mankind? He himself is the food which our Lord, the only-begotten Son, feasts upon according to the will of the Father; as he himself says: 'My food is to do the will of my Father, who is in heaven.' (John 4:34). This food is beneficial to us, and all things of God are beneficial.
You hear certain members of God, recognize their virtues. For his hand, indeed, is the fullness of goodness: his face is the enlightenment of the mind. And therefore let us always hope in him, direct our prayers and all our endeavors towards him: let us not despair, even if we cannot see him corporally; for Moses did not despair, to whom it was said: You cannot see my face; for man shall not see my face and live. And he added: Behold, there is a place with me, you shall stand on the rock: and when my glory passes by, I will put you in a cave of the rock, and cover you with my hand, until I pass by; and I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back parts: but you shall not be able to see my face. Therefore, the face of God does not appear to be from man. Yet there is a place where God shows himself through faith to man. This place is with God, and therefore if we stand on the rock, that is, in the conscience of this flesh, and in the firmness of faith; although we cannot see the fullness of it, we will draw as much as we can, like remnants of its light. For even Moses did not see the entire fullness of his divinity, which dwells bodily in Christ: but he saw the latter things of Christ, he saw his splendor as a man, he saw the glory of his passion, through which he opened the heavenly kingdom to us.
However, Eagle: Why do you hide your face, he set; but also the others, which seems to agree with the words of Moses, who says: Show yourself to me (Exodus XXXIII, 13), as if he were saying: Do not hide your face from me, but rather show it to one who desires to see.