The remedy for grief: fixing the mind on heavenly goods
Basil is concluding his homily by showing how the mind, trained on examples of earthly instability and on the Lord's measures, can keep grief within the bounds of moderation and thus fulfill the command to rejoice always.
And a ship that has often come safely through the sea, made swift voyages countless times, and carried a vast cargo for merchants, has been wiped out by a single blast of wind. Armies that had often defeated their enemies in battle, when their good fortune turned, became a pitiful sight and a pitiful story. Whole nations and islands that advanced to great power, raised many trophies on land and many on sea, and amassed great wealth from spoils, were either consumed by time or taken captive and exchanged freedom for slavery. In short, whatever you might name among the greatest and most unbearable evils, life has already anticipated you and holds the examples ready.
Just as we judge weights by the balance of the scale, and test the quality of gold by rubbing it against the stone, so if we bring our memory back to the measures set before us by the Lord, we will never fall outside the bounds of moderation. So whenever something unwelcome befalls you, first of all, because your mind has been prepared beforehand, do not suffer the disturbance; and then, by hope in the things to come, make the present things lighter. For just as those with weak eyes turn their gaze away from what is too bright and rest it on flowers and grass, so the soul must not continually look down upon what is grievous, nor cling to present distressing things, but must turn its eye around toward the contemplation of the things that are truly good.
In this way you will succeed in rejoicing always: if your life always looks toward God, and hope of the reward lightens the grievous things of life. Have you been dishonored? Then look toward the glory stored up for you in heaven through endurance. Have you suffered loss? Then fix your eyes on the heavenly wealth and the treasure you have laid up for yourself through good works. Have you been driven from your homeland? You have the heavenly Jerusalem as your homeland. Have you lost a child? You have angels, with whom you will dance around the throne of God, and you will rejoice with eternal rejoicing. By opposing the hoped-for good things to present distressing things in this way, you will keep your soul free from grief and untroubled—the very thing to which the Apostle's legislation summons us.
Do not let the bright things of human affairs produce immoderate exultation in your soul, nor let the grievous things humble its proud and lofty character with gloom and shrinking. For if you have not been educated beforehand about the things of life in this way, you will never live a waveless and untroubled life. But this will be easy for you to accomplish if you keep the command dwelling with you, the one that urges you to rejoice always: sending away the troublesome things of the flesh, gathering together the rejoicings of the soul, passing beyond the perception of present things, and stretching your mind toward the hope of eternal things—whose mere image is enough to fill the soul with rejoicing and to make the angelic exultation dwell in our hearts, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power forever. Amen.
Greek
Καὶ πλοῖον, πολλάκις ἐκ θαλάττης διασωθὲν, καὶ μυριάκις μὲν ταχυναυτῆσαν, μυρίον δὲ φόρτον τοῖς ἐμπορευομένοις διακομίσαν, μιᾷ προσβολῇ πνεύματος ἠφανίσθη. Στρατόπεδα δὲ κρατήσαντα μάχαις πολλάκις τῶν ἐναν τίων, περιτραπείσης αὐτοῖς τῆς εὐημερίας, ἐλεεινὸν θέαμα καὶ διήγημα γέγονεν. Ἔθνη δὲ ὅλα καὶ νῆσοι ἐπὶ μέγα δυνάμεως προελθοῦσαι, καὶ πολλὰ μὲν κατὰ γῆν, πολλὰ δὲ κατὰ θάλασσαν ἐγείρασαι τρόπαια, πολὺν δὲ πλοῦτον ἐκ λαφύρων ἀθροίσασαι, ἢ χρόνῳ καταναλώθησαν, ἢ αἰχμάλωτοι γενόμεναι, δουλείαν τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἠλλάξαντο. Καὶ ὅλως, ὅπερ ἂν εἴπῃς τῶν μεγίστων καὶ ἀφορήτων κακῶν, ἤδη προλαβὼν ὁ βίος ἔχει τὰ ὑποδείγματα. Ὥσπερ οὖν τὰ βάρη ταῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ ζυγοῦ ῥοπαῖς διακρίνομεν, καὶ τοῦ χρυσοῦ τὴν διαφορὰν τῇ λίθῳ προστρίβοντες δοκιμάζομεν· οὕτω πρὸς τὰ ἐκτεθέντα ἡμῖν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου μέτρα τὴν μνήμην ἐπαναφέροντες, οὐδαμοῦ ἂν τῶν ὅρων τῆς σωφροσύνης ἐκπέσοιμεν. Ἐπειδὰν οὖν σοί ποτε προσπέσῃ τῶν ἀβουλήτων τι, μάλιστα μὲν τῷ προευτρεπισμένῳ τῆς διανοίας τὴν ταραχὴν μὴ παθεῖν, ἔπειτα δὲ τῇ ἐλπίδι τῶν μελλόντων κουφότερα ποιεῖν τὰ παρόντα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ ἀσθενεῖς τὰ ὄμματα, τῶν ἄγαν λαμπρῶν τὰς ὄψεις ἀπάγοντες, ἐν ἄνθεσι καὶ πόαις προσαναπαύουσιν· οὕτω χρὴ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν μὴ συνεχῶς καταβλέπειν τὸ λυπηρὸν, μηδὲ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀνιαροῖς προσκεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν θεωρίαν τῶν ὄντως ἀγαθῶν περιάγειν αὐτῆς τὸ ὄμμα. Οὕτω κατορθωθήσεταί σοι τὸ πάντοτε χαίρειν· ἐὰν ὁ μὲν βίος σοι ἀεὶ πρὸς Θεὸν ἀποβλέπῃ, ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς τῆς ἀντιδόσεως κουφίζῃ τοῦ βίου τὰ λυπηρά. Ἠτιμάσθης; Ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν δόξαν, τὴν διὰ τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἀποκειμένην, ἀπόβλεψον. Ἐζημιώθης; Ἀλλ' ἐνατένισον τῷ πλούτῳ τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ καὶ τῷ θησαυρῷ, ὃν ἀπέθου σεαυτῷ διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων. Ἐξέπεσες τῆς πατρίδος; Ἀλλ' ἔχεις πατρίδα τὴν ἐπουράνιον Ἱερουσαλήμ. Τέκνον ἀπέβαλες; Ἀλλ' ἀγγέλους ἔχεις, μεθ' ὧν χορεύσεις περὶ τὸν θρόνον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ εὐφρανθήσῃ τὴν αἰώνιον εὐφροσύνην. Οὕτως ἀντιτιθεὶς τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀνιαροῖς τὰ προσδοκώμενα ἀγαθὰ, φυλάξεις σεαυτῷ τὸ ἄλυπον τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ ἀτάραχον, ἐφ' ὃ προκαλεῖται ἡμᾶς ἡ νομοθεσία τοῦ Ἀποστόλου. Μήτε τὰ φαιδρὰ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων περιχαρείας ἀμέτρους ἐμποιείτω σου τῇ ψυχῇ, μήτε τὰ λυπηρὰ κατηφείαις καὶ συστολαῖς τὸ γαῦρον αὐτῆς καὶ ὑψηλὸν ταπεινούτω. Μὴ γὰρ οὕτω προπεπαιδευμένος περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον, οὐδέ ποτε ἀκύμονα ζωὴν καὶ ἀτάραχον ζήσῃ. Τοῦτο δέ σοι ῥᾳδίως κατορθωθήσεται, ἐὰν ἔχῃς τὴν ἐντολὴν σύνοικον, τὴν πάντοτε χαίρειν σοι παραινοῦσαν· ἀποπεμπόμενος μὲν τὰ ὀχληρὰ τῆς σαρκὸς, συνάγων δὲ τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς εὐφροσύνας· καὶ τῶν μὲν παρόντων τὴν αἴσθησιν ὑπερβαίνων, πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῶν αἰωνίων ἀποτείνων τὴν ἔννοιαν, ὧν καὶ μόνη ἡ φαντασία ἐξαρκεῖ τὴν ψυχὴν εὐφροσύνης πληρῶσαι, καὶ τὸ ἀγγελικὸν ἀγαλλίαμα ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν ἐνοικίσαι· ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.