Поучение на праздник Рождества пресвятой Богородицы и Приснодевы Марии. Из древнего сборника (XVII в.) – «Статир»

Now the barren bears fruit, and the mature gives birth. Joachim and Anna are filled with joy and freed from the sadness and shame of childlessness. For fifty years they suffered the reproach of barrenness, but now they proclaim joy to the whole universe. Joachim triumphs and joyfully calls heaven and earth to joy. “Rejoice,” he says, “today you are with me, and Adam, my forefather, and all the patriarchs and prophets. She has appeared, whom you predicted to be the throne and the chamber and the city of the Great King, the closed door (Ezek. 44:2), the mountain that cannot be insected (Dan. 2:34), the ladder of heaven (Gen. 28:12), the rod of Aaron (Num. 17:8), the village of God, the seat of the All-King. God gave me the One Who promised you; you wanted, and I received. And now I rejoice and am glad that the Lord has visited my old age; I will now depart from this temporary life without sorrow. Now I see the Virgin - a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes; but I know and understand that She will be the Matter of God. For the time has already arrived, destined before the ages and hidden from all generations. God promised our fathers to reveal an unheard-of mystery, to show the light of His glory - to send into the world His beloved Son, born from eternity with an ever-present radiance, incomprehensible even to all the powers of heaven. Now He wants to carry out His saving vision. For this reason he gave me glorious fruit, joyful for the whole universe.” Now Anna also rejoices and is indescribably happy. Her barrenness has been resolved, her withered breasts exude streams of milk. She holds in her arms the One who will carry the One who holds all creation with her hand - to feed the Nourisher of the Nourisher of all creatures, who fills the seas and rivers and sends springs in the middle of the mountains. So now Anna rejoices on her bed and says: “Today the Lord has taken away my reproach, visited me with a heavenly visitation and given me the fruit of His righteousness. Who will tell the children of Israel that Hannah is breastfeeding her child? Rejoice with me, Eve, my foremother. By your disobedience you closed paradise and gave birth to your children in illness. And now, having given birth, I rejoice and nourish the Mother of the Deliverer, Who will resolve your oath, open the gates of paradise and crush the head of the tempting serpent. Rejoice with me, my foremother, and rejoice: for the salvation of the whole world has come near and yours, foremother, has been renewed; We will no longer inherit an earthly paradise, but we will receive the kingdom of heaven.” All this and similar things were said by Joachim and Anna when the blessed Mary was born to them, the bright dawn, revealing the unsetting Sun, illuminating all the ends of the world - not sensually, but spiritually - illuminating the heavenly armies and giving them the light of wisdom. Joachim and Anna hosted a great feast, invited the priests and scribes and elders of Israel; and they blessed the blessed Maiden and prayed like this: “God of our fathers! bless this Young Lady and give Her a distinguished name throughout all generations of generations”; and all those who were at the same time said: “Amen.” Thinking about this, I dare to raise my voice; I put aside the thought of my unworthiness, I destroy the wall of shyness, I am not ashamed that my mind hid and hid from fear. I also want to talk about the wondrous and glorious deeds of my God. Now the King of Glory has prepared for Himself a chamber into which He deigned to move in—the Most Pure Mother, from Whom He desired to be born in the flesh and, being the Eternal God, became man in order to renew all human nature—to raise the fallen Adam, to enlighten those who sit in darkness, to loose those bound by death, to crush the power of the enemy, to bind the tormentor, to free the human race from slavery, and to bring all to knowledge. truth. And you, beloved, listen to me, an ignoramus. I invite you all to a spiritual feast. Gather together, people of every age and condition, male and female, boys and girls. Let us all sing a joyful song and exclaim with one mouth: “Now is the beginning of our salvation! Let us glorify the One who glorified us; Let us exalt the One who magnified the human race! However, it is impossible to adequately praise the Mother of God, not only for us earthly beings, but also for the supermundane ranks of Angels: for She contained within Herself the one seated on the Cherubim and glorified by the Seraphim. On Whom the ranks of Angels cannot look, bearing His incomprehensible light, She carried Him in Her arms like a baby. Whoever rained manna in the desert and brought water out of a stone, She fed Him with Her most pure milk. She contained within Herself the One from the Most Holy Trinity - the eternal Word of the Father, and gave birth to the God-Man. The purity and greatness of Her virginity are incomprehensible to all the heavenly powers. If the One who was born is incomprehensible, then the One who gave birth is also incomprehensible. Oh, wondrous are Your destinies, O Lord of Hosts! You have had mercy on Your creation and magnified the work of Your hands. You accepted Your servant as Your mother and Your creation as Your nourisher. Oh, unheard of and wonderful mystery! How is it that the Creator is founded, from the beginning (born in time) the Beginningless One is conceived, the Ethereal One is embodied; The fire of the Divine is contained in the womb of the Virgin, and the womb does not burn! This is God’s will, the Almighty’s dispensation! As He pleases, so He acts; yield to the limits of nature where God commands. However, this sacrament does not allow testing, but is accepted by faith. With love, let us bow down and with a clear voice call and glorify the Most Blessed and Most Pure Virgin, Mother of God: “Rejoice, the only one who shone from earthly beings, the morning star, flowing from the east, revealing the Sun of righteousness. Rejoice, chamber, shining with beauty and light, abundantly filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Rejoice, angelic beauty, human praise, mother of life, Adam and Eve’s deliverance, resolution of the barren, joy of the childless, glory of virgins, eating sweets, a sealed spring flowing out ever-living water to all the ends of the earth, a prisoner city that has grown the flower of life. Rejoice, most expansive of heaven, the fiery throne of the Lord, the container that contained manna, the rod of Aaron, which increased the heavenly color. Rejoice, the aspiration of the patriarchs, the fulfillment of the prophets, the glory of the apostles, the praise of the martyrs, the strength of fasters, the beauty of virgins, the joy of hermits, the driving away of demons, the insurmountable wall from enemies, the quiet refuge of the overwhelmed, the hope and warm refuge of all Christians. Rejoice, unsearchable abyss of mercy, inexhaustible sea of ​​God’s gifts, manifestation of a terrible sacrament.” Oh, Blessed Virgin, unmarried Mother of God - Emmanuel! Thou hast opened the barrenness of Thy parents: open also my unworthy lips and give me a word of grace, so that I may glorify Thee, the Queen of all, as long as Thy Son and our God are pleased to let me live in this world. When my sinful and damned soul begins to be separated from this nasty body of mine, then You, who have covered the King of creation with flesh, cover me with the robe of Your mercy, so that my poor soul will not see the terrible demons; save me from them both in this age and in the future. Protect me before the throne of glory of Your Son and my God, before the host of Angels, and glorify Him who glorifies You on earth, in the midst of the council of the faithful and before the face of Your enemies, who do not honor You, as the Holy Orthodox Church teaches us to honor You. Remember, O Most Pure Virgin, my faith and my love for You, and do not forget Your servant, on the day of terrible testing, when Your Son and my God will sit on the throne of glory to judge the entire human race. Pray to Him then for me, a sinner: for I cannot be justified from my deeds. Vouchsafe me to become at the right hand of the King of glory and to receive eternal life, the kingdom of heaven, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory with the beginningless Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages Amen 206. “Russian preacher of the seventeenth century and several articles from his work - “Statir”. Published by Archpriest Yakhontov. St. Petersburg. 1883, countries. 29–33. You might be interested in: