Беседа на всеблаженное Успение Всенепорочной Госпожи нашей Богородицы и Приснодевы Марии. Святого Григория Паламы, ариепископа Фессалоникийского

My present word to your love is caused by both love and necessity. I speak not only because, because of my love for you, I wish that the saving word would reach your God-loving ears and thus nourish your souls; but also because it is very necessary for me, together with praises in the church, to expound the greatness of the Ever-Virgin and Mother of God. And just as desire, being purely contrary to the ordinary, motivates and inclines, so inevitable necessity forces; although the word cannot comprehend that which is above all words, just as the eye cannot gaze intently at the sun. And since it is unusual to talk about what is higher than words, love for the Mother of God should be sanctified primarily through hymns. If the death of the venerable is honorable (Ps. 115:6), and the memory of the righteous with praise (Prov. 10:7): then how much more is the memory of the Most Holy of Holies, through Whom is all sanctification of the saints, the memory of the Ever-Virgin and Mother of God, which (memory) it is fitting for us to create with the greatest blessings? We are now celebrating and performing the holy Dormition or Repose, through which she who was diminished for a short time before the angels, surpassed without comparison the angels and archangels, and the supermundane Powers existing above them, by Her closeness to God, and by the wonderful deeds destined from eternity and accomplished over Her. For for Her sake there were prophecies of the inspired prophets, miracles that predicted the great miracle of the universe - this Ever-Virgin and the Mother of God; the establishment of the Spirit, which variously prefigured future reality; the promise of the birth of the One who has to give birth without seed to the One born from God the Father from eternity... The King of all longed for the mysterious beauty of the Ever-Virgin, as David predicted, and the incarnate Power of the Most High entered into Her, not through darkness and fire, as it did to the God-inspired Moses, and not through storms and clouds, as it showed Its presence to the prophet Elijah; and directly, without any veil, the Power of the Most High overshadowed the all-pure and virgin womb. And since the overshadowing usually gives birth to its own image and imparts its own appearance to the overshadowed, then what was formed from both - the Power of the Most High and the virgin womb was the incarnate Word of God. Thus, indescribably, the Word of God, clothed in flesh, came into Her, and appeared on earth and lived with men (Bar. 3:38), deifying our nature and giving us, in accordance with the Divine Apostle, then, in the Lord, the angels desire to dwell (1 Pet. 1:12), and in this is the wonderful glorification and most honorable glory of this Ever-Virgin, Who Every mind and word, even angelic ones, are subdued. And what word can explain what happened after the ineffable birth? For, having contributed and sympathized from above with the exhaustion of the Word of God produced through Her, She is glorified together with Him, exalted according to its worth, adding greatness to wonderful greatness. But even after the ascension to heaven of the Incarnate One from Her, She, according to the greatness delivered to Her from Him, surpassing mind and word, seemed to compete with Him with diverse deeds and prayers, as well as care for the whole world, encouragement of preachers in all corners of the earth; and in general, for everyone She was the only support and consolation, contributing in every possible way to the gospel of the Gospel and, clearly demonstrating in Herself a life full of struggle and dominion over the mind and word. Therefore, of course, Her death is also life-giving, translating into heavenly and immortal life; and her remembrance is a joyful holiday and worldwide celebration. The God-bearing spirit of the Ever-Virgin was received by the hands of Her Son; A little later, their related body was transferred to the eternal and heavenly abode. All this is fair and quite proper. In fact, many have been honored throughout the ages with Divine favor, glory and power, just as David says: I was greatly honored by Your friends, O God, who greatly established their dominion. I will count them, and they will multiply more than the sand (Ps. 139:17, 18). Many daughters, according to Solomon, acquired wealth, and created many powers (Proverbs 31:30): This Most Holy Virgin prospered and exalted herself above everyone and everything: She alone, standing between God and the human race, created God the son of man, and made people the sons of God; She made the earth heaven and deified the human race; She, the One of all, above all nature, appeared as the Matter of God by nature, and through an unspeakable birth she became the queen of every being in the world and the most worldly creature, and, thus rising above those subordinate to Her through Herself and becoming Herself a participant in the highest election through the Divine Spirit, She is the highest of the exalted and the most blessed queen of the blessed race. Now, having a decent heavenly dwelling, as if Herself was the corresponding palace, into which she has now moved from the earth, she appeared at the right hand of the Almighty in vestments of gilded garments, speckled (Ps. 44:10), according to the saying about Her by the Psalmist Prophet. Under the gilded robe, understand Her magnificent body, adorned with many different virtues: for She, alone now, together with the Son in the God-glorified body, has a heavenly abode: since the earth, the tomb and death did not have the power to hold to the end the life-giving and God-receiving body, the best dwelling of heaven and heaven. And truly, if the soul that had the grace of God dwelling (in it), leaving earthly things, ascends to heaven, as has become clear from many examples, and we believe this: then how could a body not be ascended from earth to heaven, not only having received into itself this Only Begotten and Eternal Son of God, an inexhaustible source of grace, but also giving birth and revealing Him? How would Perstia become, having undergone corruption, She Who, while still three years old, and not yet having the Most Heavenly One in Herself, and not yet giving birth to the incarnate, dwelt in the Holy of Holies? Therefore, the body that gave birth naturally is glorified with godly glory (together with) the one born and is resurrected, according to the prophetic song, together with Christ, who was previously resurrected for three days, in the ark of His holiness. There was also proof of Her resurrection from the dead for the apostles - the shroud and funeral clothes, the only ones left in the tomb and the only ones found in it by those who came for inspection: just as it was earlier regarding Her Son and the Lord. But there was no need for Her to remain on earth for some time, like Her Son and God; and therefore She was lifted straight from the grave to a heavenly dwelling, from where She shines with a luminous and most Divine brilliance, illuminating from there every earthly property, and for this she is worshiped, praised and glorified by all the faithful. Even what is said at the beginning, that She was humiliated for a short time before the angels (we mean tasting death), - and this should serve to increase the greatness of the Mother of God in everything. Therefore, it is fair that everything unites and contributes to the current triumph. So, it was necessary that She who contains the One who fulfills everything and exists above all, should herself achieve everything and become above all with Her virtues and the height of her dignity. And therefore, what has helped all the best individuals to become the best from the beginning, and what only angels and men have been blessed by God (each individually) - She combines all this in Herself, and only one thing exceeds everything unspeakably: the acquisition of immortality after death, and dwelling in heaven in the flesh together with the Son and God, and from that time on, the abundant outpouring from there of abundant grace to all who worship Her. She even gives us the boldness to resort to Her, Who is the vessel of so many blessings: She generously distributes benefits and never stops this useful giving and generous help for us. Looking at this source and treasury of all good, someone will say that the Virgin does for the sake of virtue and for the sake of those who live virtuously what the sun does for the sensory light and those living under it. But if he transfers his mental gaze to the Sun, which shone pre-essentially to people from this Virgin - to the Sun, Which by nature and in abundance has everything that was given to Her by grace, then the Virgin immediately appears as heaven: for She, by the grace of God, through all her good deeds, acquired an inheritance so precious of those blessed under heaven and above heaven - as much as the sky is more than the sun, and the sun more brilliant than the sky. What word can describe Your divine beauty, Mother of God the Virgin? After all, it is not possible to express all of Yours in reasoning and words: since everything surpasses the mind and the word. However, it is necessary to chant if You kindly allow. For You are the receptacle of all grace-filled gifts and the fullness of all righteousness, the reflection and animated image of all goodness and all goodness, as the only One who was entirely awarded the gifts of the Spirit, especially as the One who had dwelled in the womb of Him, in Whom is the treasury of all these, and became a wonderful abode for Him; and therefore now, having passed through death into immortality, and righteously reposed from earth to heaven, as if into heavenly abodes, You became His concubine for eternal time, and there, without leaving concern for Your property, and with incessant prayers to Him, propitiating Him to everyone. The Mother of God is so close to all those close to God, and she receives such great honors compared to everyone else (I mean not only the earthly ones, but even all the angelic clergy). Isaiah wrote about their ranks even earlier: And the seraphim stood around Him (Is. 6:2). And about Her again - David: The Queen appears at Your right hand (Ps. 44:10). Do you see any difference in the future? From this difference you can also understand the difference in rank according to dignity: for the seraphim are around God, and near Him Himself there is only one Queen, Who is praised and glorified by God Himself, as if announcing Her to the powers surrounding Him (angelic) and saying, as it is said in the Song of Songs: Thou art My neighbor of good (Song. 6:3) of the most brilliant light, the sweetest of the Divine Paradise and the most beautiful of the whole world, visible and invisible. But She, in justice, became not only nearby, but also at the right hand: for where Christ sat in heaven, there now She stood, having ascended from earth to heaven, not only because She desired it, and was mutually desired more than anyone else, and according to the most natural laws, but also because She is His true throne. Isaiah also saw this throne among that cherubic face and called it high and exalted (Is. 6:1), showing (by this) the exaltation of the Mother of God above the heavenly Powers. Therefore, the prophet represents these angels praising God from Her and saying: Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place (Ezek. 3:12). Jacob the Patriarch, contemplating the same thing, said: How terrible is this place: this is not, but the house of God, and these are the gates of heaven (Gen. 28:17). And David again, uniting in himself a multitude of saved ones, as if using certain strings or various sounds coordinated by this Ever-Virgin from various generations into one consonance, sings to the song about Her, saying: I will remember Your name in every generation and generation: for this reason people will confess to You forever and ever and ever (Ps. 45:18). Do you see that all creation glorifies this Virgin Mother, and not for a certain time, but forever and ever? From this we can understand that She will not cease throughout the entire century to do good to all creation: I am not talking about our creation only, but also about the most incorporeal and supernatural ranks: for the fact that they, together with us through Her alone, partake and touch God, the inviolable Being, this was clearly shown by Isaiah: he saw that the seraphim did not directly take coal from the altar, but took it with the help of a tong, with which he touched the prophetic lips, giving cleansing (Isa. 6:6). This vision of the tick was identical with the great sight that Moses beheld - with a bush engulfed in fire and not burned (Ex. 3:2). Who does not know that this bush and that mite is the Virgin Mother, who unfadedly received the fire of the Divine, since here too the Archangel ministered to the conception, who through Her introduced to the human race the Sin-Bearer of the world and cleansed us through this ineffable communion? And therefore She, the One, is only the mediator between created and uncreated nature; and no one will come to God unless he is illuminated through Her, as through a truly divine lamp, since God is in the midst of Her, and is not moved (Ps. 45:6). If reward occurs according to the measure of love for God, and the one who loves the Son will be loved by Him and by the Father Himself, and will become the dwelling place of both, mysteriously indwelling and abiding in him, in accordance with the promise of the Lord (John 14:21), then who will love Him more than the Mother, who not only gave birth to His Only Begotten, but also gave birth unartifically, so that She might be doubly the object of love United (with Her) and Communicated? Who would be loved more than the Mother by the Only Begotten and, moreover, by the One who was born from Her, ineffably in the last times and eternally from the One Father, no matter how the honor due to Her according to the law was increased according to the appropriate position from Him who came to fulfill the law? So, how through Her alone He who came to us on earth appeared and lived with men (Var. 3:38), being invisible before Her, so in subsequent times He is every source of Divine enlightenment and the complete revelation of the Divine mysteries and the complete embodiment of spiritual gifts, being, however, inconceivable for everyone except Her. She herself, the first of all to receive the most excellent fullness of the one who fills everything in everything, delivers the contained one to everyone, giving to everyone as much as possible accordingly and in proportion to the purity of each, so that she is both the repository and the owner of the wealth of the Divine. If this is the eternal law in heaven, that through the lesser among the greater they enter into communion with those who have greater power, then, of course, the greatest, incomparably, influence has the Virgin Mother, through Whom everyone, no matter who participates, communes with God; and She will be recognized as the container of the Incontainable by all who only know God, and all who only sing of God will sing Her with God. She herself is the culprit of everything that happened before Her and the representative of everything that happened after Her and the mediator of eternal blessings. She is the subject of prophetic prophecies, the leader of the apostles, the affirmation of martyrs, the foundation of teachers. She is the glory of earthly beings, the joy of heavenly beings and the praise of all creation. She is the beginning, source and root of indescribable blessings, She is the head and accomplishment of every holy thing. Oh, Virgin Divine and now heavenly! How can I tell everything about You? How can I glorify You, Treasury of Glory? Through You the vision of the mind is enlightened, through You the spirit is enlightened by the influx of the Holy Spirit: since You have become a repository and a vessel of gifts; however, not in such a way that you hold it within yourself, but in such a way that you fulfill everything with the gifts of grace. For the Owner of inexhaustible treasures provides them to You for distribution: otherwise, why would He create bliss that is hidden and ungenerate? Therefore, O Lady, give abundantly to all Your people and to this property of Yours from Your mercy and Your gifts. Grant deliverance from the calamities that hold us back: you see how many and great, external and internal, we are oppressed. By your power transform everything for the better; Give Your help and healing to our suffering, giving our souls and bodies generous grace for everything we need. And if we could not contain it, make us worthy of containing it and give us so much that we, saved and strengthened by Your grace, glorify the eternal Word incarnate from You for our sake, with His beginningless Father and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and to endless ages. Amen 181. See Curs. Compl. Patrolog. Migne, Tom. CLI, col. 459–474; compare handwritten Moscow Synod, library. (69–LXX), l. l. 135–139. You might be interested in: