Gregory of Nyssa, on Eccl 3:4

“A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.”

“Now is the time to weep while the time to laugh consists in hope because our present sadness is a mother who begets joy which is stored up for the future. Who does not squander his life in lamentation and sullenness? He returns to his senses and realizes what he had and then lost, that is, his original condition and that which is present. Both you and I were subject neither to death nor sickness because these pernicious elements had been banished from our lives. The sun, air and God's grace belong to everyone and share his common blessing. While God freely offered us a share in every good, he did not acknowledge the sickness of avarice; neither does the person with less have reason to hate the one who has more (for such was not the case). There are other examples too innumerable to list which require lengthy explanation. I mean the honor bestowed upon the angels, our confidence in God's presence, contemplation of transcendent blessings and the incorruptible beauty of [God's] blessed nature which adorns us and is manifested by the soul's beauty in its resplendent divine image.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.