Похвальная беседа в честь Пресвятой Богоматери, Приснодевы. Святого Григория Чудотворца, епископа Неокесарийского

When I remember Eve's disobedience, I cry; but when I see the Fruit of Mary, I am reborn again. Immortal by origin, invisible in glory, Light from Light before the ages - You were born of God the Father. Thou Word and Son of God, Thou tookst flesh from the Virgin Mary, in order to renew Adam, created by Thy holy arm. Holy, immortal, eternal, unapproachable, unchanging, immutable. You are the Son of God before all ages; but You deigned to be conceived and formed in the womb of the Most Holy Virgin, in order again to revive man, created by Your holy arm and deadened by sin. You came into existence by good pleasure, by the good pleasure and will of the invisible Father. Therefore, we all cry to You, calling You King: help us! You were born of the Virgin, wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a manger, fed from the breasts of Mary, in order to again revive the primordial Adam, deadened by sin. Enjoying the meal of knowledge from Divine knowledge, let us, like a source, express the voice of joy in hymns of praise, glorify the blessed power of the Divine Word! Together with the joyful jubilation of confession, let us worthily praise Divine goodness! For both the earth and the sea and all creation (cf. Psalm 95:11), visible and invisible, bless and glorify the love of God for man, since His glory was among us (cf. John 1:14). Being God, He appeared in the flesh and, having accepted extreme humiliation, was born of the Most Holy Virgin, in order to again renew the dead through disobedience. Convert, brothers, and get started! Let us praise Him who was born of the Virgin! For, being the glory and image of the Godhead (cf. Heb. 1:3) before the ages, He became passionate about our weakness; being of immeasurably great power and the image of God, He took on the form of a servant (Phil. 2:6, 7). Dress yourself in light like a robe (Psalm 103:2), and live with people like one who is humbled. Sung by cherubim and ten thousand angels, he comes to earth. First of all, He who called every creature to life is born from the Most Holy Virgin in order to again revive the primordial. Christ, our God, begins to live as a man, although he participates in the beginningless life of God the Father, in order to elevate fallen man to the beginningless beginning of the Divinity. From the Most Holy Virgin He takes the form of a slave in order to call us to the glorified Master’s image. He puts on the image of earth in order to make us partakers of the heavenly vision. He reclines on the bosom of the Blessed Virgin, so that He may sincerely seat us at the right hand of His Father. He is in a mortal body and is placed in the grave in order to proclaim us heirs of eternal life. Immense, He is contained in the womb of the Blessed Virgin in order to renew Adam, damaged by sin. The Power of the Father and the Source of life, Christ our God, He is the life-giving sacrament, in which we believe by His life-giving voice. Endless life - He voluntarily rewards those who trust in Him and enlightens all nations with the Good Spirit. From this Source, living, ever-flowing and sweet, everyone who thirsts with faith is drunk and satisfied. Therefore, with one voice let us sing the praises of God the Word, Who is the author and perfecter of salvation; let us all sing according to our wealth, young and old, children and wives. For from Mary, the Divine source of the ineffable Divinity, grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit flow. From the one Most Holy Virgin comes the pearl of great price (cf. Matt. 13:46), in order to again revive the original man, deadened by sin. He is the Sun of righteousness shining upon the earth; but in the likeness of humanity (Phil. 2:7). He deigned to come to our family. Having hidden the radiant splendor of His Divinity in the gross matter of humanity and filled us with the Holy Spirit, He made us worthy to sing the angelic song of praise. Like a wreath, our souls, idle listeners, are wrapped in golden flowers; let us be crowned with wreaths from unfading gardens; Let us collect them, bringing in our hands the beautiful fruitful flowers of Christ. The God-like church of the Blessed Virgin is worthy of being glorified with such a crown, since from Her comes a shining pearl in order to lead those who have fallen into darkness and the shadow of death to the unflickering light (cf. Matt. 4:16). Enjoying the healing of the Divine words of Christ, by His grace, let us offer Him a worthy song. Let us hasten to gather the fruits of the mystery of immortality, let us hasten to inhale the fragrance of the beauty that envelops God. Let us be generous in our tongue with Divine grace and drive away the stench of sin from ourselves, let us rather be clothed with the fragrance of works of righteousness. Let us be vigilant, putting on ourselves the shield of faith, the robe of a victorious life, and the holy and spotless robe of purity. since He is excellent in everything and has His dwelling in the world, is a fellow brother of love and cohabits with it; He is a flower fragrant with hope for us. And the lambs, who feed on this with faith, themselves vegetate into the light-like branch of the Trinity. But, beloved, as we flow to the garden of the Savior, let us also praise the Blessed Virgin. proclaiming together with the angels in the language of Divine grace: “Rejoice and be glad!” since from Her was the first to shine the unflickering Light, enlightening us with Its goodness. The Most Holy Virgin is both the most honorable church of God, and the pure ark, and the golden altar of burnt offerings. In Her most excellent purity, She is both the Divine table of offering and holy joy, and the precious vessel of the whole, as well as the high priestly diadem, revealing the favor of God, to Whom only She alone approached holy in body and soul. She is a door looking to the east, and by entering and leaving through her the whole earth is illuminated. She is the fruitful olive tree from which the Holy Spirit took a fresh branch of the Lord and saved the suffering human race. She is the praise of virgins and the joy of mothers, and at the same time the proclamation of the archangels, since it is said: “Rejoice and be glad!” The Lord is with You! (cf. Luke 1:28), and again: “From You” (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:31), so that He might again renew the one who was deadened by sin. You deigned to preserve Her virginity and, Lord, deigned to move into the womb of the Virgin, sending an archangel in advance to inform Her about this. And He, from above, from the ineffable host, came to Mary and was the first to announce this news to Her: “Rejoice and be glad,” adding to this: “The Lord is with You!” Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb" (Luke 1:28, 29, 42)! But She was confused and pondered what kind of greeting this would be (Luke 1:29). And it was quite worthy that grace chose the Most Holy Virgin, since She was wise in everything, and there was no one like Her among women in the whole world. She did not do like the first virgin, who, being alone in the garden, with feminine thoughtlessness, she recklessly accepted the advice of the serpent and destroyed the thoughts of her heart, through which all sorrow and sorrow entered the world for the saints. But She was the Most Holy Virgin and atoned for the crimes of the first (that is, Eve). She is also similar to Rebekah, who, like a deserter, accepted the instructions and willingly went to live with her betrothed (Gen. 24:17)… - (as an example to all other wives). brought the Blessed Virgin into the interior and resolved Her perplexity with the following words: "The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the Power of the Most High will overshadow You. Therefore You will conceive and give birth to a Son and call His name Jesus, that He may save people from the death of sin" (cf. Luke 1:35, 37; Matt. 1:21). The Virgin answered the angel: “My mind is drowned in your words as in the sea. How will this happen to Me when I wish not to know an earthly husband, since I have dedicated myself to the Heavenly Bridegroom? (cf. Luke 1:34). I do not want to change the honors of My virginity. " But the angel again confirmed the Blessed Virgin with these words: “Do not be afraid, Mary: for I did not come to frighten You, and drive away all fearful thoughts. Do not be afraid, Mary: for you have found grace in the hands of God. Do not understand narrowly the limits of the action of grace, because it is not subject to the laws of nature. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, which is why what is born of you is holy, and the Son of God (cf. Luke 1:30, 35), a sharer of the image and a sharer of the nature of the Father, sharing eternity with Him. in Him entirely, the Father is reflected face to face in Him and in His light shines with His glory. Great is this mystery! You, Mary, learned what was hitherto hidden from the angels. You have comprehended what the prophets and patriarchs did not clearly see, and you have heard what even the hosts of God-bearing men were not worthy to hear. David and Isaiah and all the prophets predicted in their prophecies about the coming of the Lord according to the flesh; but only You alone, the Most Holy Virgin, received the revelation of a secret unknown to them. Therefore, pay attention and do not be embarrassed about how this will happen to You. since He who once created man from virgin soil, He Himself will now do this for the salvation of His creation, as He wills.” A new brilliance of eternal light shines upon us now through the inspired beauty of these words. Now it is fitting and timely for me to express amazement at the greatness of the Most Holy Virgin, Who is worthily greeted by the angel first of all like this: “Rejoice and be glad,” because with Him all the treasures of grace are reborn and come to life. In the whole world there is only She - both the Virgin and the Mother, who has not known a husband, holy in body and soul. In the whole world She alone became worthy to bear God; She alone bore within Herself the One who bears all things with His power (Heb. 1:3). And one should be amazed not only at the purity of the Most Holy Mother of God, but also at the superiority of Her spirit. Therefore, we equally cry to Her - both: “The Lord is with you" and: “The Lord is from you." And this means that He, as the most merciful, will save those created in His image. The Most Pure Virgin became, as it were, a ready container of the Divine secret, in which the Pearl of life was clothed in flesh and sealed, - and thus the Virgin became the ark of the universal Divine salvation! Therefore, beloved, let us begin to pay tribute to the best of our ability and loudly exclaim with the voice of the Archangel: “Rejoice and be glad! The Lord is with you.” Not some heavenly bridegroom, but the Lord Himself, the Father of purity, the guardian of virginity, the Lord of holiness, the author of incorruptibility, the giver of freedom, the source of salvation, the creator of true wisdom and the giver of it - this Lord Himself with By You; since Divine grace abided with You, so that the servile nature of the Lord would revive the human race. Let Adam no longer fear the treacherous serpent, because our Lord came and scattered the host of the enemy! Let the human race not fear the deceit and evil wickedness of the serpent, because the Lord crushed the head of the dragon with the water of baptism. May I not be afraid to hear the words: "be pure and remain pure," because the Lord washed away the filth of sin in baptism. There is no need for me to groan, or cry, or consider it a misfortune when the thorns bite me, because the Lord plucked out the sins of our thorns and placed them on His head. The first oath was resolved, in which it was said: the earth will grow thorns and thistles for you (Gen. 3:18), because the thorn was uprooted and the thistle staff, and from the Blessed Virgin the tree of life and grace grew. Let Eve no longer fear the threat of the pain of childbirth, because her crimes have been blotted out and destroyed by the Most Holy Virgin, for from Her God was born, in order to revive the one created in His image. The Blessed Virgin has become a stronghold of eternal life for us and a source of light for believers in Christ; She is the east of the intelligent Light. Rejoice and have fun! with You and from You, the Lord, perfect in Divinity and humanity, in Whom lives all the fulfillment of the Divinity (Colossians 2:9). Rejoice and be glad: with You and from You is the Lord; with His handmaiden is the Lord of glory, with the undefiled is He who sanctifies all things, with the beautiful is He who is more beautiful than all the sons of men (Psalm 44:3), in order to give life to him created in His image. We believe in the Divine words of the Teacher and rejoice, because Christ, our eternal spring, came to us with roses, lilies and fragrant wreaths, and decorated the beautiful garden of churches, even the nurseries of our hearts, with flowers from God’s paradise. Let us approach with a sanctified heart and find golden faith, widely shining, and with it the sweet-smelling fruits of immortality! since in the desert of Mary a beautiful fruit-bearing tree blossomed, so that, holy and merciful, He (God) would revive His creation. The Most Blessed Virgin was holy and wise in everything, in all Her ways, incomparable among all peoples and incomparable among women. She did not act like the first virgin - Eve, who, being alone in the garden, due to the absent-mindedness of her mind, was carried away by the serpent, heeded his advice and brought death into the world, from where came all the suffering of the saints. But in Her alone, in this Most Holy Virgin Mary, a branch of life grew for us, because only She was immaculate in both soul and body. With a fearless mind, She said to the angel: “Where does this greeting come from, and how will this happen to Me? Instruct how immeasurably great power will become compassionate with our weakness? How will He who commands the hosts (of angels) accept the image of our humiliation? How will He who is God before the ages, He Who is clothed with heaven as with a robe, become a child and become flesh ( Psalm 103:2), and gives life to His creation? Explain,” said the Most Holy Virgin, “this incomprehensible mystery, so that I may be a vessel for containing the Divine secret, during the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, and so that from My flesh He may receive His true flesh, when created by the Wisdom from above.” The Word became flesh and dwelt in us (John 1:14), that is, it dwelt among us with the same flesh that it received from us, and which was animated by the Author of the birth (cf. Luke 1:35). And the immutable God took on the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7), so that he would be seen by believers as a man, and revealed to unbelievers as God, so that he might renew the first-created. From the Most Holy Virgin the Son of God took on the nature of flesh, because He was God before all ages. He deigned to be born, to be called the son of man, and to become visible, being invisible; For our sake, He who is all riches becomes poor (cf. 2 Cor. 8:9), and suffers like a man, He is impassive and immortal. For He was truly united to the flesh, although He did not change in spirit. The Invisible One clothed himself in a mortal body in order to make him immortal through participation in His immortality, according to His Divinity - and this in order to renew the holy one created by His arm. Glory and light came into the world - Christ our God. He glorifies and enlightens with His unflickering light, about Whom the voice of the invisible Father testified: “Behold, My Son and Glory, Who was before the world!” Mary was strengthened by the word of the angels, but, reflecting within herself on the birth of the Lord, she was overwhelmed by its immeasurability for human thought. She was raised to the heights of the understanding of the Divine, and now Her mind is again amazed by the humiliation of humanity. And so, in her reflection, She hesitates, but at the same time she is truly worthy of realizing the will of God through Her. For having preserved the treasure of Her virginity pure and unclouded, She also kept the boundaries of Her heart inviolable. And through this the creature received salvation from the One who created it in His image. Christ, the Son of God, being born of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, brought grace into the world, and He who created all things revived us with grace. Today Christ has been born to the world, and all creation rejoices. As a pledge He presents His atonement, the chermon of longsuffering, that He might purchase for us the mansions of the kingdom. The Most Holy Virgin was filled with joy, because from Her He took on His flesh in order to restore those who had fallen by sin. Let all unclean thoughts be removed from us as we psalmically sing to You, Heavenly and Holy Father, seeing the great Light that You have given us, Jesus Christ, born of the Most Holy Virgin and working miracles by His Divinity, and for us accepting suffering in His flesh. And we, being in the flesh, will hasten in body and spirit to gain Divine favor with angelic praises, figuratively representing with our hands the Divine mystery of teaching and fertilizing our minds with the truth of faith. Therefore, this mystery is unapproachable, invisible, immutable, indescribable, worthy in its completeness and marvelous to our mind. How could He, the radiance of Light, become the branch of a woman? She took into Herself the treasure of life and placed an angelic greeting in Her heart and produced the fruit of salvation, which was supposed to renew man. Likewise, you, beautiful, fruitful and flowering branches of the teachings of Christ, bring in this place the fruits of blessing. Here, where there is all purity and fragrance, with a holy conscience let us offer incense prayers to God. Here, where virginity and abstinence rejoice together, let us imagine life-giving clusters as their fruits; here, where is both the victorious power and the treasure of love; here, where the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is revealed by the archangel - according to the Gospel: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the head of the Most High will overshadow You: in the same way, the Holy One born of You will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). To him be glory and honor forever! Amen 132! This conversation was preserved only in an Armenian translation, and was published in the Armenian magazine “Ararat”, September 1895; cf. Church Vedom. 1896, No. 14, pages 495–505. You might be interested in: