The holy apostle, who serves as a true messenger of Christ, expresses this truth beautifully, inspiring our faith in Christ in profound ways. He declares: Because God, who commanded the light to 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 (2 Cor. 4:6). Thus, we learn where the light of Christ illuminates us. For He is the eternal light of our souls. The Father sent Him to our world to bestow His light upon us, enabling us to behold the eternal truths of heaven. Previously, we were shrouded in the darkness of this world. What can we say of Christ when even the apostle Peter said to the beggar at the temple, ‘Look at us!’ (Acts 3:4)? Upon Peter's gaze, the grace of faith filled him. His healing was rooted in sincere belief. The glory of the apostles was truly immense! When Zacchaeus learned that the Lord Jesus was near, he climbed a tree due to his short stature, eager to see Him above the crowd. In seeing Christ, he found illumination. Once he encountered Him, he transformed from taking to giving. As our psalm rightly asks: Why dost Thou turn away Thy face? Or perhaps these words echoed from a different perspective; the faithful awaiting Christ may have felt His coming was delayed. After all, He embodies the face of the Father, the image and glory of God (1 Cor. 11:7). If we do not interpret these words as a reference to the mystery of His incarnation, it is understandable that the saints might lament: Why dost Thou turn away Thy face? (Psalm 43:25). Even if, O Lord, You turn away from us, Your light, O Lord, is indelibly stamped upon us (Psalm 4:7). We carry this light in our hearts, shining within the depths of our souls. For if You were to turn from us, existence would cease. All creation looks to You for sustenance at the right time. When You grant provision, they receive; when You open Your hand, all are filled with good things. And when You hide Your face, confusion ensues; You withdraw their breath, and they perish, returning to dust. You send forth Your Spirit, and they are renewed; You shall renew the face of the earth (Psalm 103:27-30).
What kind of nourishment does God provide? It is the sustenance tasted by His only begotten Son, our Lord, in accordance with the will of the Father. He proclaimed, ‘My food is to do the will of My Father who is in heaven’ (John 4:34). This sustenance is redemptive for us, and everything God bestows is for our salvation. The Scriptures reference various parts of God's being—His hand represents the fullness of goodness; His face signifies spiritual light. Thus, we should constantly place our hope in Him, directing all our desires toward Him. We should not lose heart if we cannot perceive Him physically. Moses did not falter; God told him, ‘You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live’ (Exodus 33:20). He added: This is the place beside Me; stand on this rock; when My glory passes, I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I pass; then I will remove My hand, and you will see My back, but My face shall not be seen (Ex. 33:21-23). A man cannot behold the face of God. Yet there is a place where God reveals Himself according to one’s faith, a space found in God. If we take our stand upon the rock—that is, if we guard our souls and remain steadfast in faith—then even if we cannot see Him fully, we may perceive fragments of His light as we are able. Moses too did not witness the fullness of the Godhead, which resides in Christ in physical form. But he glimpsed Christ in part and comprehended His glory and the significance of His Passion, which opened the gates of heaven to us. Aquila translated this verse as, Why dost Thou hide Thy face? (Psalm 43:25). This aligns with Moses's plea: Show Thyself to me (Exodus 33:13), understood to mean: Do not conceal Thy face from me; rather, allow me to see it, for I yearn to witness it. The psalm continues: Why do you forget our poverty and our sorrow? (Psalm 43:25). What kind of poverty does the blessed prophet lament? He grieves that the Lord has overlooked it. True poverty exists only in the absence of God's provision—except perhaps that poverty where God watches over us and ultimately recompenses us—because if it is the poverty that opens the kingdom of heaven, the people in our psalm rightly feel that God has disregarded their lowly state: they mourn that their souls lie humbled to the dust, and their bodies cling to the earth. He who clings to the earth may be devoid of the Lord's blessing. Let us now discern the nature of this poverty. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). Thus, if this blessed poverty grants access to heaven, we must renounce our earthly wealth, shedding the abundance of worldly goods. We should emulate the actions of the Apostles, who laid the proceeds from their fields at the apostles' feet, choosing to support the needy. Our saints embraced this evangelical poverty long ago, which is why they lamented, Why do you forget our poverty? In a similar vein, the Apostle declared: Behold, we have left everything and followed you (Matthew 19:27). Such poverty is virtuous; it springs from a love of God and results from a righteous life. The saints in our psalm grieve not only that God has forgotten their poverty but also that He has overlooked their sorrow. Trials can also bear blessings when faced by the righteous. The righteous endure these not for their misdeeds, but because of their faith. These afflictions do not extinguish the righteous but instead offer them breathing space. The holy prophet has explicitly stated: In trouble, You have given me room (Psalm 4:2). And the Lord Jesus said: In distress, I called upon the Lord, and He answered me and provided me with spaciousness (Psalm 117:5). He granted the holy apostle Paul an expanse when his vision was taken from him, allowing him to recognize Christ as he had not before, making Paul a chosen vessel. To confirm that the Lord Jesus indeed provided Paul this room, let us recall the apostle's own words: Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide (2 Corinthians 6:11). Open your mouth and profess Christ, for in Him is fullness! Where there is fullness, there is abundance. Like a devoted teacher who desires his students to mirror his example, Paul urged us to create space: Make room in your hearts (2 Corinthians 6:13). When God bestows space upon a man in trials, his heart expands, an expansiveness immeasurable, like the sands of the sea. What does this expansiveness signify? We learn that Solomon sought wisdom from God, not riches, glory, or power, and in receiving wisdom, he acquired all that he had not sought. Thus, Scripture teaches that his heart was as vast as the immeasurable sands of the sea. How did he experience this vastness? Solomon instructs himself: Write upon the tablets of your heart (Proverbs 7:3). A wise person will not conceal wisdom or wait idly but will boldly proclaim it and spread his judgments with conviction. Simmachus translates this passage using the term ‘anguish’ in place of ‘affliction.’ Regardless of whether we face anguish or tribulation, we are called to remain in the Lord, sustaining our connection with Him. For if He guides us and supports us, we shall endure every trial steadfastly. Conversely, if we neglect the Lord, distancing ourselves from Him, we inadvertently empower our adversary.
THEOSIS