THEOSISGregory the Great
We acknowledge that we could never express ourselves in this manner when we exceed our frail nature and start questioning; this places us in a position of anxious anticipation, compelling us to cultivate reverence for the divine. In such a condition, our perspective undergoes a transformation, leading our minds to shift from a clueless pursuit to a recognition of our impotence, fostering a form of reverence that is beyond comprehension. Yet, this very transformation brings about distress, as the mind is so troubled that, as a consequence of original sin, it becomes so obscured that it fails to grasp what it encounters. Our own virtuous deeds cannot evade the lurking danger of sin unless they are continually fortified by sincere reverence.
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Thus, the righteous man rightly expresses, ‘I have feared all my works.’ It is as if he humbly acknowledges: ‘What I have done in the open, I can see, yet I remain ignorant of the entanglements I may have unknowingly faced.’ Frequently, our virtuous acts are rendered ineffective due to the encroachment of deceit; our good intentions are compromised by carnal desires. At times, these intentions wither away due to lack of action, as the initial zeal diminishes and love grows indifferent. Consequently, given that the treachery of sin penetrates even moments of virtue, what will ensure our steadfastness but a measured and unwavering reverence, even within virtuous acts? Yet, he states an idea that challenges comprehension: ‘I know that Thou wilt not forgive the backslider.’ If the sinner is not pardoned, who then shall escape eternal death, considering that none is without sin? Or is forgiveness granted to the repentant but not to the erring? When we grieve over our transgressions, we stop being sinners.