Похвальное слово Пресвятой Богородице. Св. Прокла, патриарха Константинопольского

All festivals in honor of saints are wonderful, and are likened to the shining of stars. How the stars, having been established in the sky in a certain order, at a certain distance from one another, are recognized and illuminate the entire globe; the same star is visible among the Indians, it is not hidden from the Scythians, it shines over the earth and illuminates the sea, guiding swimmers; and although we do not know the names of all of them, due to the multitude, we are nevertheless amazed at their beauty and brilliance: so is every saint. Although the remains (of the saints) are enclosed in coffins; but their power is not limited to heaven. And that what has been said is true, you can be convinced from experience itself. Palestine hides the remains of Abraham, and his tabernacle argues with paradise: there God pronounced judgment on Adam; Here the patriarch was hospitably received. Joseph's bones fit into a single coffin; but his fight with the Egyptian woman amazes the ends of the universe. Moses' tomb is not known (Deut. 34:6); but even after death he is proclaimed by the rod that divided the Red Sea. We don’t know where Isaiah is buried, but the whole Church proclaims his prophecy: behold, the Virgin will conceive in her womb and give birth to a Son (Isaiah 7:14). Daniel is buried in Babylon; but his message is heard throughout all the earth: “Behold, the Son of man came upon the clouds of heaven” (Dan. 7:13). Ananias and the other (two) youths also died in Babylon; but the whole universe sings their song every day: bless all the works of the Lord the Lord (Dan. 3:57). Ezekiel was buried among the Persians; but he cries with the Cherubim: Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place (Ezek. 3:12). Thus, the devil did not receive any benefit from inflicting death on Adam in paradise: since through death God opened the door of hope to the righteous. All saints are honored in memory. But nothing equals glory with real triumph. Abel is remembered for sacrifice, Enoch is remembered for pleasing; Melchizedek is glorified as the image of Christ; Abraham is exalted for his faith; Isaac is praised as a type; Jacob is blessed for the struggle; Joseph is honored for his chastity; Job deserved to be surprised by his patience; Moses is famous as a lawgiver; Joshua is memorable as a military leader; Sampson is venerable as God's interlocutor; Elijah is to be praised as a zealot; Isaiah is worthy as a theologian; We honor Daniel as a seer; Ezekeel is worthy as a contemplator of the ineffable; David is called the father of the sacrament according to the flesh; Solomon is exalted as wise; but all this is nothing in comparison with the Mother of God Mary. They all saw (Christ) only in fortune telling, and She carried the Incarnate One in her womb. And what could hinder the ineffable economy of God the Word? Is it coarseness (of the flesh)? But this is a material accessory, and the Word (in itself) is alien to such coarseness. Is such humiliation extraordinary? But the Divinity is not limited. Is it conception? But He who created (the Virgin) was not defiled, just as He who was Incarnate and Born of Her; and even love for mankind brings the King even greater glory. Is it birth? But it did not diminish the Beginningless One. Is it incarnation? But the divine nature did not suffer change. Is it a mother according to the flesh? But (the One who was born) did not cease to be in Divinity without a mother. Nursery? But (the Son) did not leave the bosom of the Father. Is it a nativity scene? But the Trinity never left the throne. And so, there is nothing in the world that can compare with the Mother of God Mary. Human! Pass over all creation with your mind, and see if anything can compare or surpass the Holy Virgin Mother of God? Run across the earth, examine the sea, explore the air, delve into the heavens with your thoughts, test all the invisible forces, and tell me, is there another similar miracle in all creatures? The heavens will tell the glory of God (Ps. 18:2); Angels serve (God) with fear; Archangels bow in awe; The cherubim, unable (to see the glory), are horrified; The seraphim, flying around, do not approach, and tremblingly cry out: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the heavens and the earth are filled with His glory (Isa. 6:3); the waters could not bear the voice (Luke 8:24); the clouds served as a chariot for the coward of the resurrection; the sun, unable to bear the reproach (to the Creator), trembled; hell spewed out the dead in fear; the faiths of hell were crushed at one glance; the mountain that received the descent (of God) was lifted up (Ex. 19:13); the bush, not bearing the vision, caught fire; Jordan, fearful, turned back; the sea, fearing the rod, divided, obeying the Lord’s omen; Aaron's rod blossomed by the power of foreshadowing, breaking the law of nature; the fire in Babylon was ashamed of the face of the Trinity: count all the wonderful things, and marvel at the superiority of the Virgin. Whom every creature praises with fear and trembling, Him She inexplicably accepted into Her palace. Blessed through Her are all women: their race is no longer subject to oath, and even surpasses the angels in glory. Eva is healed; the Egyptian woman passes by in silence; Dalida was buried; Jezebel is forgotten; I no longer remember Herodias. Now the wives' faces excite surprise. Sarah is glorified as a field that brought forth nations; Rebecca is revered as the wise author of blessing; Leah is magnified as the mother of the ancestor (of the Lord) according to the flesh; Devorah boasts as a military leader, despite the weakness of her sex; Elizabeth is pleased as if she felt the play of the Forerunner in herself and was filled with grace; (he is pleased) and Mary, as a mother, and a servant, and a cloud, and a palace, and the ark of the Lord; mother: because she gave birth to Him who wanted to be born; servant: because in Her nature is confessed and grace proclaimed; cloud: because she conceived by the Holy Spirit, dispassionately born of Her; palace: because God the Word dwelt in Her as in a bridal chamber; ark: because she did not bear the law, but she had the Lawgiver in her womb. So, let us cry to Her: blessed are You among women; You alone healed Eve’s sadness; one wiped away the tears of a sobbing woman; one bore the price of the world's redemption; one received a treasure to keep, the most precious pearls: one received in the womb without lust and gave birth without illness; one gave birth to Immanuel, as He Himself desired. Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb, the fruit, but not the seed; color, but not passion; radiance, but not creation; co-throne, but not lesser; sun, not dust; worshiped, not created; the price of deliverance, not debt. Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb. But above all praise is the voice of the Prophet: “Behold, the Virgin will conceive in her womb,” he spoke about the miracle, but kept silent about the manner of execution. And she will give birth to a Son: he announced the birth (of the Virgin), but did not reveal the way. And they will call His name Immanuel: He prophesied the sacrament and thundered in the name (Immanuel); It is said: behold, God is with us (Isa. 7:14; fn. Matt. 1:23): He preached God to those who were being born and stopped the lips of the Jews. God is with us, and delusion is destroyed. God is with us, and circumcision has been abolished. God is with us, and the demons flee. God is with us, and the devil is put to shame. God is with us, and the font never ceases to cry. God is with us, and the kings are pious. God is with us, and churches are becoming more frequent. God is with us, and death has become a dream. God is with us, and the dead, triumphant in freedom, cry out: neither an angel nor an intercessor, but God Himself came and saved us (Isa. 63:9). To him be glory forever and ever. Amen 194. Curs. Compl. Patrolog, Migne, tom. LXV, col. 175–181; Wed Selected words of the holy fathers for the glory of the Most Holy. Mother of God. Moscow. 1886, pp. 9–18. 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