Слово на Вознесение Господа нашего Иисуса Христа. Святого Епифания, епископа Кипрского

Blessed be God! Decorating the body is the head, and decorating the holidays is a real celebration. We now celebrate the Ascension of Christ in the flesh, in which the fulfillment of the Lord's feasts is revealed. Just as the head makes the whole body beautiful, so true triumph shines with the wonderful beauty of Divine grace. But many, not understanding the importance of this holiday, do not pay proper respect to it. Those who wish to understand, listen to me now. I just ask you: help me with your prayers and calmly listen to me. For, according to the words of the wise Solomon, the words of the wise can be heard in silence (Eccl. 2:17). So, the first venerable and wonderful holiday is the Nativity of Christ according to the flesh. In fact, isn’t it wonderful the descent, or, better to say, the descent of God from heaven to us? Isn’t it wonderful that the Lord of all accepts the form of a slave, the All-Containing One is born from a poor Mother?.. The second holiday is the feast of the Epiphany, which represents objects of contemplation much more than the first: on the first, a star announced the birth of God the Word; and in the second, John cried out: Behold the Lamb, take away the sins of the world (John 1:29), and the Father Himself from heaven confirmed John’s testimony about the Baptized One: This is my beloved Son, in whom I was well pleased (Matthew 3:17). But the joy was not yet complete, since the mortal body of Christ had not yet received immortality through the resurrection. The third holiday after the saving passion is the Resurrection. It gives life to those who in baptism, having been washed by the blood of Christ, are reborn by water and the Holy Spirit. By His Resurrection, the Lord restored the fallen world, and awarded Adam, who sinned of old, with eternal life; With the tree Adam tasted death: with the tree of the cross Christ gives life to the world. And this holiday is rightly preferred to both previous ones, for on this occasion the Immortal put death to death by His death and gave immortal life to mortals. However, the Feast of the Resurrection, while still keeping the Risen Christ on earth, does not bring complete joy. Although the day of Pentecost, on which the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles, also brings great and inexplicable joy; but now, on the day of the Ascension, everything is filled with the most perfect joy. Now our Lord, who opened the starry heavens and through the thinnest air, lifted the earthly into the heavenly villages, and aroused all the angelic Powers to boundless joy, showed us a new sight - our flesh, ascended to the royal throne. Where are those now who love to be on the horse lists and admire the speed of the riders? Let them come and see the wondrous horseman - the Creator of the world in human flesh, as if in a chariot, not riding on the earth, but in an extraordinary way and hastily making His ascent in the heavenly region in order to win an eternal victory over His rival - Belial. But the Jews, not tolerating the truth and hearing about the ascension of Christ to heaven in order to darken the miraculous ascent of the Sun of Truth, point to Elijah and say: “Christians! Why do you boast about the ascension of your Christ? For Elijah, the man, was worthy of similar glory and ascended into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11). But we boldly object to them: “Why are you Jews, like blind men, slandering the truth and not penetrating the spirit of Holy Scripture? Why are you reading and not understanding? What does Divine Scripture say? – Elijah was taken in a whirlwind, as if into heaven (2 Kings 2:1). Here, as in heaven, it has a mutual meaning, and there, in heaven (Luke 24:51), shows a certain truth. And that neither Elijah nor anyone else ascended into heaven, but only the Only Begotten Son of God who descended from heaven, He Himself testifies to this: No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven (John 3:13). The Good Shepherd, having left ninety-nine sheep - Angels - in the heavenly villages, found the lost sheep, placed it on the shoulder of His love for mankind, and, having reached a heavenly haven with it, brought it as a gift to His Father and said: “Father! I found a lost sheep, which the seducing serpent stole with his wickedness and set on the path of unrighteousness, darkening in him the purity of knowledge of God with the filth of polytheism; So, seeing it mired in cronyism (sinful) life, I stretched out My Divine right hand and immediately took it out - and, taking it in my hands, washed it in the streams of the Jordan, watered it with the grace of the Holy Spirit; Behold, now, having risen from the dead, I bring You a gift worthy of Your Divinity—the verbal sheep.” Now the devil, seeing our flesh ascended to heaven, mourns his death; now sin disappears like smoke from the face of the ascended Christ Jesus. Now the devil is weeping, crying: “Alas! What should I, the unfortunate one, do? He (Christ the Lord), like a swift eagle, having snatched away all my prisoners from all eternity, left me alone, and, having inflicted countless wounds, threw me to the ground. I was deceived in the Son of Mary. I did not know that God hides in the human body. I saw Him clothed in mortal flesh, and, considering Him only the most powerful man, I armed the Jews against Him - and what I could not do on my own, I did through them: I invented countless insults against Him, invented all kinds of insults, fed Him gall and father, crowned His head with thorns, dishonored Him with blows, nailed Him to the cross, finally, killed Him, and, as a victor, triumphed with the Jews. Seeing that He, as He Himself predicted, rose from the dead on the third day, I fell, cruelly struck with a sword in the very heart. Seeing that He was taking food, I again prepared another cross for Him. Thus, as I built these plans within myself, I see: He ascends into heaven with glory - into heaven, from which I was cast down with dishonor. The Psalmist also exclaimed about this several centuries ago: All nations, splash your hands together: shout to God with a voice of joy. For the Lord is Most High, awesome, a great King throughout all the earth (Ps. 47:1); and in another place: God arose with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet (Ps. 47:6). I want to pursue Him, and like lead I fall down. I want to hold Him, but an invisible force holds me. What should I, the unfortunate one, do? I am constrained from everywhere, and, like the smallest stone from a sling, thrown from heaven to earth. Having fallen to the ground, I wanted to hide in the waters, but He found me in the streams of the Jordan, and, having caught me, struck me down like a serpent. I want to take some place on earth, but all the guards of the Lord’s pasture cry out against me: The earth is the Lord’s, and its fullness, the world and all who live on it” (Ps. 23:1). Indeed, the earthquake itself proved that this is the Lord’s land. For the earth, fearing the face of the Lord, shook and wavered in its foundations, punished for the iniquities of its children, and with open abysses, like with lips, it expressed its grave sorrow, and together, like a mother for its children, it begged for sinners. Who will proclaim the mighty powers of the Lord? Have you heard all His praises? The Lord's earth, and its fulfillment (Ps. 105:2; 23:1)? For Christ united the body taken from the earth with Himself and ascended to heaven... Christian! The devil comes to you, wanting to defile your body with uncleanness. But you, as a guardian, having the watchful eye of your soul, do not allow this blasphemer to darken your mental gaze and tell him boldly: “Devil, I am not a traitor to the Lord’s acquisitions, for the Lord’s earth, Christ’s Church, watered everywhere by heavenly rain, eternally vegetating, brings Christ fruits of thirty, sixty and a hundred” (Matt. 13:8)... The heralds of piety, announcing to everyone the last coming of the Lord, said: He will come in the same way as you saw Him going into heaven (Acts 1:11). For two men appeared in white clothes: two, in order to give more assurance of the truth, - a man, in order to strengthen the disciples in courage, - in white clothes, in order to illuminate the minds of those listening. What did those who appeared say? - Men of Galileistia, why are you standing looking at heaven? Why did you direct your gaze there? Better, seeing the Creator of heaven, glorify the greatness of the Ascended One and marvel at the condescension of His love for mankind - marvel at how He, having united earthly man with Himself, made him a citizen of heaven and an inhabitant of the heavenly world. Oh, where did He lift up the one who lay down! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? The Lord will come in the same way. Which one? – Clothed with our flesh, having opened the rib, pierced by the spear, so that the Jews may see the one who has perforated him (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37). May we also be worthy to behold His face with boldness, and to participate in the promised blessings, grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen 75. Epiphan. Constant., sive Salamis in Cypro episc. Opera omnia. Papisiis. 1822 ann., vol. Il, pag. 285–290. Bibliot. Patr. Concionator., volume IV, p.p. 391–392; Christian Read 1829, XXXIV part, pp. 121–130; Sunday Read III (1839–40), pp. 58–60. You might be interested in: