Yet, unless you elevate your eyes through the Scriptures, you will not draw near enough to receive illumination from Him.
Thus, sing the following: if you wish to learn how to step securely upon the path, to prevent weariness in your ascent that could lead to stumbling and falling, pray with the words, “Let not my foot be shaken!” Psalm 120:3. What causes the feet to move; why was the foot of Him who was in Paradise shaken? But first, reflect on how the feet of one who was amongst the angels were shaken. When his feet faltered, he fell and turned from an angel into a devil; for he fell due to his pride. Therefore, pride is what causes the feet to stumble; it is pride alone that leads to a fall. Conversely, love compels them to walk, to grow, and to rise; pride leads them to their downfall. Hence, the psalmist, wishing to rise rather than fall, pleads with God to benefit from the trials of affliction, rather than succumb to the swelling of pride, saying: “Let not my feet be moved!” And God responds, “Let him who holds you back not sleep. Be vigilant, my beloved.” It is as if one thought is conveyed in two statements: the person, rising and singing the song of ascents, says, “Let not my foot be shaken.” And it appears as though God replies, “You say to me, 'Let not my foot be shaken'; remain awake, and your foot shall not falter.”
Choose Him who neither sleeps nor slumbers, and your foot shall stand firm. God never slumbers: if you seek a guardian who remains ever vigilant, choose God as your protector. You say, “Do not let my feet be shaken”; that is agreeable, but He also instructs you not to fall asleep yourself. Maybe you were about to seek men as your guardians and ask, “Who will not slumber? Which individual will remain alert?” The psalmist answers, “He that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” Psalm 120:4. Would you desire a keeper who does not sleep? Behold, He who protects Israel never slumbers, for Christ watches over Israel. Therefore, be Israel. What does Israel signify? It is interpreted as “Seeing God.” And how does one behold God? First through faith, then through vision. If you have not yet seen Him with your eyes, then see Him by faith.
Who among men does not slumber or sleep? If you look for such one among people, you will be misled; you will never find him. Therefore, do not put your hope in humanity, for every man sleeps and slumbers. When does he sleep? When he wears the flesh of weakness. When will he sleep? At the moment of death. Hence, do not rely on mankind. Mortal beings may slumber; they die in sleep.
And who, you may ask, will aid me, other than He who neither slumbers nor sleeps? Hear this: “The Lord Himself is your keeper” Psalm 120:5. Thus, it is not man who sleeps, but the Lord who preserves you. How does He guard you? “The Lord is your defense at your right hand.” There seems to be a deeper meaning here; otherwise, He would simply have declared, "The Lord will keep you," without any qualifiers regarding the right hand. For how long? Does God only protect our right hand and not our left? Did He not create us wholly? Did not He who fashioned our right hand also make our left? If it pleases Him to mention only the right, why did He state “your right hand” rather than just “the left”? This suggests a hidden understanding to be searched for, like knocking at a door to find it. He could have simply said, “The Lord will keep you,” or concluded with more than just referring to "the right hand."
How do you interpret the Gospel where it states, "Let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing"? Matthew 6:3. Understanding this will reveal what the right hand signifies and what the left signifies. Moreover, it will clarify that God created both hands. The left hand symbolizes our temporal possessions; the right hand represents all that the Lord promises, which is unchangeable and eternal. If He who grants eternal life also provides for our present existence with temporal goods, then He is the Creator of both our right and left hands.
Let us now turn to the verse, “The Lord is your defense at your right hand” Psalm 120:5. By "hand," the psalmist refers to power. How can this be proven? Because the power of God is also known as His hand. Of this, John mentions, "He gave them power to become sons of God" John 1:12. From whence have you received this power? "By those who believe in His Name," he asserts. Therefore, if you believe, you have been granted the very power to be among the sons of God. To belong among the sons of God is to dwell at His right hand. Thus, your faith serves as the hand of your right hand—the power bestowed upon you to become a son of God, is indeed the hand of your right hand.
May the Lord preserve you on the hand of your right hand Psalm 120:6. I affirm this, and I believe you have recognized it. For had you not gleaned understanding from the Scriptures, you would not have been able to articulate it with your voices. Since you understand what follows, the Lord preserves you on the arm of your right hand—in your faith—through which we have received power to be His sons and to sit at His right hand. Why does God protect us? Because of offenses. From where do offenses arise? Offenses must be feared from both sides, for there are two commandments on which all the Law and the Prophets depend: love for God and love for neighbor. Matthew 22:37-40. The Church is cherished for the sake of the neighbor, and God for His own sake. God is likened to the sun, while the Church is akin to the moon.
Anyone perhaps mistaken in their understanding of God—as not believing that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are of one essence—has been deceived by the cunning of heretics, especially the Arians. If one believes in the Son or the Holy Spirit less than in the Father, he has erred before God; he is scorched by the sun. Who would believe that the Church exists only in one area, rather than being dispersed throughout the world? Who would accept those who proclaim, "Here and there is Christ" Matthew 24:23, as you have only now heard when the Gospel was read? For He who paid such a great price has redeemed the entire world: it seems He is offended at His neighbor, and thus is burned by the moon. Therefore, anyone who is misled in the very essence of truth is scorched by the sun and burns continually, for he is mistaken in Wisdom itself.
Thus, God created the one sun that rises over both the good and the wicked alike; this sun is perceived by all. However, this sun is another—uncreated and eternal—through which all things were made; it is where the mind of Immutable Truth resides. Those who do not experience confusion in Wisdom itself are not scorched by the sun. Those who do not stumble in relation to the Church, the Flesh of the Lord, and what was created for us in time, are not burned by the moon. But every person, even if they believe in Christ, is misguided in some manner unless that which is requested here is fulfilled in them: “The Lord is your defense at the hand of your right hand.” He further states, “Lest the sun scorch you by day and the moon by night” Psalm 120:6. So, your defense is at your right hand, to prevent the sun from scorching you by day and the moon by night. Now, understand, brethren, this is said in a figurative manner. Indeed, when considering the visible sun, it burns during the day; does the moon really burn at night? What then causes the burn? It is sin. Listen to the Apostle's words: “Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I do not burn?” 2 Corinthians 11:29.
For the Lord will keep you from all evil Psalm 120:7. He will shield you from the afflictions of the sun, from the offenses of the moon, from all forms of evil. He will guard you, your protector on the arm of your right hand, who neither sleeps nor slumbers. And why does He do this? Because we are amidst temptation; the Lord shall keep you from all evil. The Lord will preserve your soul, your very being. The Lord will keep your comings and goings from this time forth and forevermore Psalm 120:8. It's not your physical body He preserves; martyrs may be burnt in their bodies, but the Lord will safeguard your soul, for martyrs did not forsake their souls. The persecutors hardened their hearts against Crispina, whose feast we celebrate today; they raged against this noble and wealthy woman. Yet, she stood firm, for the Lord was her defender at the arm of her right hand. He was her Guardian. Is there anyone in Africa, my brothers, who is unaware of her? For she was renowned, noble in lineage, wealthy, but these possessions were as her left hand, beneath her head. The enemy approached to strike her on the head, yet her left hand, resting under her head, deflected the blow. Her head was raised high, her right hand embraced her from above.
THEOSIS