Слово в неделю Пятидесятницы. Св. Амвросия, епископа Медиоланского

Even though a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it remains alone; even if it dies, it produces much fruit (John 12:24). The flesh of the Lord, as if clothed with a new color, sprang from the tomb - from the tomb, which, according to the testimony of the Evangelist, was built in Vertograd. It was necessary for the best flower to grow in this garden and the seed of the most beneficial fruit to grow among domestic and most pleasant plants for the salvation of all earthly creatures (for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the redemption of all nations). Therefore, the resurrected Savior took flesh from the dead in Vertograd, and among the blooming and fragrant flowers, when His body was already dead, He flourished and received such a germinating power from His tomb that all the fragrant plants from it uttered color, and after the cold burial in the winter darkness, all the elements hastened to be renewed, so that with the risen Christ they too seemed to be resurrected. Truly, at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the air became healthier, the sun became more calorific, the earth more fruitful: then the branch grew into a tree, the grass became a harvest, the grapes grew into a shoot. So, if everything was clothed with flowers when the flesh of Christ blossomed, then it is necessary that everything bear fruit when He bears fruit, as He Himself says: unless a grain falls on the earth, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit (John 12:24). Christ flourished when he rose from the tomb, and became fruitful when he ascended to heaven. He is the color when he is born from the depths of a girl; He is the fruit when he sits on the highest throne; He is a grain, as He Himself says, when He endures one cross; He is a fruit when he is surrounded by a large host of disciples. After His resurrection, turning forty days, He instructed them in all wisdom and enlightened them with all kinds of knowledge for saving good - then He ascended into heaven to His Father, took His fruitful flesh with Him, and planted the seeds of righteousness in His disciples. So, our Lord ascended to the Father. I liken our Savior to an eagle (about which the Psalmist speaks), renewing his youth (Ps. 102:5). Truly, there is quite a similarity between them. Just as an eagle, leaving the lower world, rushes to the highest and ascends to the heights of heaven: so the Savior of the world, leaving the underworld of hell, ascended to the upper kingdom of heaven and passed through the very heavens; and just as an eagle, despising earthly uncleanness and flying upward, enjoys the purest and healthiest air: so our Lord, abhorring the filth of earthly vices, resting in the saints, enjoys the purity of the most immaculate life. So, the likeness of an eagle is in every way befitting the Savior of the world; but what can we say about the fact that the eagle often takes away someone else’s property when it steals its prey? – And in this very thing, is not our Lord like an eagle? For He too, as it were, stole prey when He took a man upon Himself, snatched it from the jaws of hell, raised him to heaven and, having freed a servant from someone else’s, that is, the devil’s, slavery, moved him to the highest place, as a captive, as the Prophet writes: having ascended on high, you have taken captivity captive, giving to man (Ps. 67:19; Eph. 4:8). This prophecy, of course, must be understood in such a way that our Lord, having snatched a man captive by the devil’s charms from captivity, took him into his own captivity, and this resulting captivity, as the Prophet says, elevated him to something higher than heaven. Both captivities are called by the same name, but their condition is not the same: the devil’s captivity subjected everyone to slavery, but the captivity of Christ returned them to freedom. Having ascended, they say, to a height, you have taken captivity captive. Oh, how vividly the Prophet describes the triumphant victory of Jesus Christ! Victorious kings, as they say, were usually preceded by a ceremonial chariot and many captives; but the Lord ascending into heaven is not preceded, but followed, and the triumphant captives are not led before a chariot, but they themselves co-exist with the Savior of the world. For when, by a mysterious union, the Son of God lifted up the Son of Man into heaven, then His captivity was taken up with Him. And what the Prophet says: when man gives, this is a special sign of the winner. Usually, every winner, upon receiving victory, shares his gifts and, remaining in his power, rewards the triumphant warriors: thus Jesus Christ, having defeated the devil’s power and sitting at the right hand of the Father, shares the Divine gifts to His disciples, consisting not in the preciousness of gold and silver, but in the heavenly gifts of the Holy Spirit. Thus, among other gifts, the apostles began to speak in different languages, and the people of the Jewish nation proclaimed the name of Christ with the eloquence of the Roman language, and strangers who did not understand Hebrew came to know the Redeemer of the human race in their own language. In the preaching of Jesus Christ, every tongue is permitted, so that every voice may confess His Majesty, as St. David: speech is not the essence, it is lower than words, and their voices are not heard (Ps. 18:4). Do not be surprised, my brothers, that the Son sits at the right hand of the Father: He sits at the right hand neither as greater than the Father nor as lesser than Him, as the corrupt leaders of heresies are accustomed to spout. That in the Divine there is no degree of preference, the Holy Scripture has ample weapons against such heretical errors. Amen 106. Bibliot. Patr. Concionator., vol. IV, p.p. 481–482; Selected instructive words of St. Ambrose of Milan. Kiev, i853, 102–107 pp. You might be interested in: