Fallen, rise again; the Lord raises up

He has fallen, rise up. For those who have fallen mourn, and after having sinned they became insensitive, and having delivered themselves over to every sin.

In innocence, among men be crowned. Have you fallen among boys? Contend in the noble contest, and conquer in it. In the womb Jacob supplanted Esau; from childhood Daniel prophesied, and he examined the elders. Are you unable to become such? Become next an athlete, as the righteous one, who, even if he falls while wrestling or running, is not shaken, because the Lord steadies his hand. The word is doubtful: whether for his own, or for the one wrestling and already about to be shaken, in order that he may not at all come face forward, and become lying wholly on the ground. Verse 25. I became younger; and indeed I grew old; and I did not see a righteous one abandoned. But otherwise we know age according to the inner man: child, youth, elder. Therefore before Abraham the longer-lived ones of him are not called elders; but he himself first by virtue was made elder, and by having inactivated the inner man of himself the things of the infant. And hear Jeremiah: Do not say, that I am younger. Such a thing concerns me and also David: He says, I became like a child according to the inner man of me. But having changed from youthful character and instability, in which being made younger I was, I came into old age, having a life unfruitful and a gray mind. And thus proceeding, I did not see a righteous one abandoned. If you hear bodily, it is false. There are two kinds of abandonment: the bodily, which does not harm us at all; and the of the soul, which is destructive. As much therefore as we are enriched by righteous works, by so much more

We support ourselves to avoid being deserted until the end. Therefore, you are not one who has been abandoned, but one who has been left behind. For at the proper time, even the righteous are forsaken, as Job was, so that their righteousness may be made evident. In Psalm 42, verse 14, I cry out to God: My defender, why have you forgotten me? And why, while overwhelmed with grief, do I continue forward, in the act of subduing the foe? Verse 15 describes how, when my bones are broken, my adversaries taunt me daily, asking: Where is your God? Yet we do not all perceive how God extends compassion. Moreover, concerning His merciful actions, which often feel burdensome, we do not receive them with joy, nor do we regard them as true mercy. Hence we ask: Why have you forgotten me? But the one who has understood that all God brings upon us works for our good will not speak this way, recognizing that He is fostering repentance and benefit, actively bringing it about. Nevertheless, those who are coming to know God question why He has forsaken the one who is crushed and sorrowful in this manner. What is the reason for such abandonment? It does not appear to be random. On the contrary, the one who cries, 'Why have you forgotten me?' seems to act with assurance, as if having done nothing that would cause God to forget. Yet this question deeply distresses the righteous, especially when phrased as 'Where?' in relation to God, for it carries significant spatial implication. Indeed, the utmost folly lies in believing that God is confined to a location, since location arises from material extension, whereas the divine is immaterial and free of bulk. Furthermore, these expressions in the prayer align with the experience of the people in Babylon. For, as he states in 17.137, having attained Your providence and now being stripped bare, I remove my garments, not bringing my enemies upon me in blows, bonds, or the crushing of my bones.

They say, 'Where is your God?' attributing my suffering to weakness. More ethically, when our enemies, the demons, break our bones through sin—meaning they destroy the powers of the soul—they deliberately slander God as weak toward us, hoping to strip us of hope in him so they can seize us as captives and slaves. They do this continually, every day. What must we do? We must not fall into despair, but instead hope in God’s mercy, as we will be taught in what follows.

Psalm 51, verse 7: I was brought forth in iniquity—not only in the womb, but because I accepted the deeds of iniquity, including murder and the illicit acts of a bed I violently seized. Verse 8: I have loved truth. This is the understanding: You, Lord, being true and loving truth, desire to lead us into truth through earthly means, and you cleanse us from ancient sin. You will cleanse us until we are whiter than snow; yet this cleansing for us comes through hyssop, and the energy of the Holy Spirit is likened to hyssop—it warms and removes all the filth within us.