THEOSISGregory the Great
And from this, my heart quaked and was displaced. Job 37:1. 31. When fear grips the mind, it alienates the thoughts, causing turmoil; Latin translations often refer to this state as frenzy. The Psalmist expresses, I said in my distress, I am cast out of Thy presence; Psalms 30:23. In this context, fear can be described as tumultuousness. The term fear here signifies a condition of frenzy, where the mind loses its own grip due to fear. Thus, contemplating the light of the eternal realm leads to the rightly joined expression: And of this, my heart trembles. As if to convey that the heart has transcended its own limitations in a rapturous storm; and through the infusion of newfound hope, it breaks free from past preoccupations.
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32. It is aptly stated: and was displaced. The fleeting joys of this life serve as the foundation for the human heart. However, when our hearts are ignited by a divine yearning, a love for the eternal emerges. The heart is thus removed from its earthly seat as it gazes upon the eternal dwelling, turning away from temporal matters and aspiring to heavenly pursuits. Previously, it was unaware of eternal truths, ensnared by the allure of worldly pleasures, and consumed by love for these transient things. Yet once it recognizes the existence of everlasting realities, and has encountered the light from above, awakening to the admiration of the supreme, it elevates itself from lower concerns. Consequently, it now experiences joy solely in eternal matters, disregarding temporal distractions and seeking only that which endures. Therefore, it is rightly expressed: And from this, my heart trembled and was dislodged. For when a heart, once withered and surrendered to earthly distractions, suddenly transcends its limitations and aligns with the highest ideals, it forsakes its previous dwelling—the realm of lowly thoughts. Yet, if the heart remains dormant, entangled in earthly affections and lulled by their allure, cold and indifferent, it can only awaken to spiritual truths if stirred by the breath of divine grace, thus it must be added of it, it is revived to the understanding of spiritual realities. Hence, it follows: