THEOSISGregory the Great
Who directs the snow to fall upon the land and sends the winter rains along with the showers of His strength? The answer can be found in the words of Job. The Psalmist states, "Thou wilt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." In this context, snow signifies the purity brought to the souls of the faithful through the illumination of truth. Just as water freezes into snow, when this snow reaches the ground, it transforms back into water. Thus, the waters symbolize the minds of the preachers, who are elevated as they strive to contemplate divine matters. When their focus on heavenly pursuits deepens, they gain stability in their understanding.
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However, because they remain grounded through their love for their fellow believers, they descend from these high insights, preaching gently to the weak, akin to snow melting and quenching the thirsty hearts.
The snow falls to the earth when the exalted souls of the saints, firmly established in contemplation, choose to descend through humble preaching, motivated by their love for others. Just as snow blankets the land when it falls and nourishes it upon melting, the holiness of the saints shields the lives of those who stray, bringing forth the fruit of repentance while softening in humility to nourish the needy. Water ascends to the heavens before returning to the earth as rain, paralleling how the holy individuals are elevated by their virtuous actions, motivated by compassion and awareness of others' frailty. Thus, when the righteous, in their kindness towards sinners, return to earthly concerns, they embody the transformation of water that returns after being lifted above. For instance, Paul was like water while diligently studying the law, but upon receiving divine enlightenment, he became like snow, converting his previous limited understanding into the reality of divine wisdom. Nevertheless, with compassion for his brethren, he returned, like snow to the earth, ever mindful of his own unworthiness: "Who before was a blasphemer and a persecutor." His careful self-examination enables him to withstand the weaknesses of others. Like water returning from heaven to earth, he recollected his status as a sinner in the wake of profound revelations to guide others towards humility.
Significantly, that water, which solidifies into snow, is approaching the divine. He expresses, "If we go out of ourselves, it is for God," and adds, "If like ice we are calm, it is for your good." We must consider the hand that elevates us from the depths and brings us back down. The love of Christ encompasses us, lifting the minds of the saints toward celestial truths and gracefully guiding them to humbly descend for the upliftment of their brethren. Thus, it is fittingly stated: Who commands the snow to come down upon the earth, and he properly includes: and the rains of winter and the showers of His power.
The present life resembles a winter season where, despite our hopes soaring toward higher realities, we are still restrained by the chill of our mortal state. It is written: "For the corruptible body weighs down the soul, and this earthly temple suppresses the many-hearted mind." The winter rains indeed represent the sermons delivered by preachers. To this, Moses aptly declared, "Let my speech be expected like rain, and my words sink down like dew." This precipitation is certainly fitting for winter and diminishes in summer, for the celestial life remains cloaked from worldly perceptions, necessitating that dews fall upon us from the teachings of the holy. Yet, once the urgency of eternal judgment ignites, individuals cease to actively seek out the sermons of the preachers, turning instead inwardly, anticipating the judgment to discern holiness when action can no longer be taken, learning from the chastisement what they should have genuinely sought beforehand. Consequently, the prophet aptly proclaimed: "Gather them together as a flock for a sacrifice, and sanctify them in the same day of slaughter." In death, the rejected are sanctified, realizing the holiness they should have pursued when escape from deserved punishment was still possible.
In this light, since the sacred preaching, identified as the winter rains, ceases with the passing of this life, the departing soul that hastens towards the everlasting summer of joy hears appropriately the voice of the Bridegroom calling: "Arise, my beloved, my fair one, come forth! Behold, the winter is past; the rain has passed away, ceased." When winter concludes and the rain is no more, so too does the present life conclude, wherein the languor of corruptible flesh obscures us in ignorance, and all preaching comes to an end. In that time, we shall perceive clearly what once we only heard indirectly through the voices of the saints. Hence, the Lord commands the snow and rain in winter to descend upon the earth while guiding the hearts of the faithful to the work of preaching for the correction of sinners, inspired by the Holy Spirit. This leads us to rightly emphasize: and the showers of His power.
The showers of God's power signify the proclamation of His divine nature, whereas the showers of His weakness refer to the preaching of His human state, for Paul asserted: "The weakness of God is stronger than men." He also stated: "Though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God." Holy individuals likewise proclaim the humility of His human nature, saturating the hearts of listeners with an outpouring about the might of His divinity. Let us listen to the thunderous assertions of His power: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." We must also acknowledge the rains of His weakness: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." The affirmation of His capabilities resonates: "All things were created through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. That which was made in Him was life." Subsequently, we recognize the rain of His humility: "He came to His own, and His own received Him not." He commands the outpouring of His might upon the earth, as, through the teachings of the saints, He reveals both the frailty of His humanity and the extraordinary strength of His divinity. Yet as we hear of the power of our Creator, awe fills our hearts with the weight of His divine authority over us, prompting us to evaluate our deeds, recognizing where we have been worthy and, far too often, unworthy. Therefore, it is fitting to unite in acknowledgment.