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From
the book addressed to Autolycus
by Saint Theophilus of Antioch, bishop
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God
 f you say, “Show me
your God,” I will say to you, “Show me what kind of person you are, and I will
show you my God.” Show me then whether the eyes of your mind can see, and the
ears of your heart hear.
It is like this. Those who can see
with the eyes of their bodies are aware of what is happening in this life on
earth. They get to know things that are different from each other. They
distinguish light and darkness, black and white, ugliness and beauty, elegance
and inelegance, proportion and lack of proportion, excess and defect. The same
is true of the sounds we hear: high or low or pleasant. So it is with the ears
of our heart and the eyes of our mind in their capacity to hear or see
God.
God is seen by those who have
the capacity to see Him, provided that they keep the eyes of their mind open.
All have eyes, but some have eyes that are shrouded in darkness, unable to
see the light of the sun. Because the blind cannot see it, it does not follow
that the sun does not shine. The blind must trace the cause back to themselves
and their eyes. In the same way, you have eyes in your mind that are shrouded
in darkness because of your sins and evil deeds.
The souls of all persons should be
clean, like a mirror reflecting light. If there is rust on the mirror their
faces cannot be seen in it. In the same way, none of those who have sin within
them can see God.
But, if you will, you can be healed.
Hand yourself over to the doctor, and He will open the eyes of your mind
and heart. Who is to be the doctor? It is God, who
heals and gives life through His Word and wisdom.
Through His Word and wisdom He created the universe, for by His Word the
heavens were established, and by His Spirit all their array. His wisdom
is supreme. God by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding He arranged
the heavens, by His knowledge the depths broke forth and the clouds poured
out the dew.
If you understand this, and live
in purity and holiness and
justice, you may see God. But, before all,
faith and the fear of God
must take the first place in your heart, and then you will understand all
this. When you have laid aside mortality and been clothed in immortality,
then you will see God according to your merits. God raises up your flesh
to immortality along with your soul, and then, once made immortal, you will
see the immortal One, if you believe in Him
now.
—Saint Theophilus, bishop
Office of Readings,
Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent
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