Слово на Благовещение Пресвятой Богородицы Девы. Св. Исихия, пресвитера Иерусалимского

Now is the glorious day of the holiday, now is the triumph of the Virgin, Who surpassed others so much that she received God the Word Himself, who was not cramped in Her. The Archangel Gabriel called to Her for the first time: Rejoice, full of grace: the Lord is with you... Behold, conceive in your womb, and give birth to a Son, and call His name Immanuel (Luke 1:28, 31). Gabriel's gospel was immediately followed by the beginning of joy for Her. While the first virgin was surrounded by the sorrow of sin, and many groans emanated from her, and through her every wife was in anguish, every birth was in sorrow: the second Virgin, through the gospel, drove away everything sad from the female role and in birth sealed every source of sorrow, in the birth of women she dispelled the cloud of infirmity, and shone with the light of joy on her fellow tribesmen. Hearing from Gabriel: Rejoice, full of grace: the Lord is with you, - She restlessly accepted such a greeting, and, beyond her expectations, seeing the Archangel in the house, She indulged in thoughts regarding the birth and, as it were, turned to the Archangel with these words: “I now see in you everything incomprehensible and strange. And how did you dare to come to Me, the betrothed virgin, and declare the cry of your unclean lips? You say that I am about to give birth to a child without seed; You said that I will conceive without marriage, I will impregnate the container of the loins without intercourse with a husband. Who has seen, who has heard of unearthed soil growing wood? who has seen wine without a vine, or a river flowing without a source? Since the first centuries no one has heard this with their ears or contemplated it with their eyes. How can I believe you, who revile Me?" What did Gabriel answer to Her doubting? - "I have said what I have learned; I am saying what I have heard: the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you: by the same thing, the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35), which He is, as being before all creation, as the Father of ages, as the most ancient of heaven, as the Creator angels and men. I am not able to announce anything more: for I was commanded not to explain to You how this will happen, but to serve You, O Virgin, in the things of the gospel. Marvel at the mystery with me and accept the gospel without doubt.” She said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord: I will do according to your word (Luke 1:38). Let us also learn from the Archangel Gabriel’s words about the birth of the Lord and follow his paths. Let us learn piety from the Magi; rather, let us accept the instruction of those who, under the leadership of the star, looking for the Child, did not tell those whom they asked: how birth is seedless and incorruptible, how, after birth, the mother is in virgins, how the formerly Existent is in children, how the Eternal is in time, how the loins contained the Incontainable, how the Incorporeal was made flesh, how the Nourisher is nourished by the breasts, how the All-Encompassing is embraced by the breast, how the Father of the future age is the Child, how the Most High is down, how the Heavenly is on earth, how the Lord of the Cherubim armies is in swaddling clothes, how He who is in the bosom of the Father dwells in a den and in swaddling clothes - and everything else that is scary to talk about. But, having found the cave after questioning, they showed due respect to the King and God through gifts, and returned peacefully, filled with joy and being the beginning of the knowledge of God for the pagans. The pagans were jealous of them, but the inflexible (or rather, stiff-necked to the knowledge of the revealed Sun of Truth) Jews did not rush from their places in order to imitate those brought from afar by the star... But I, beloved, observing your disposition to hear Divine words, was carried away by the desire for teaching: for you unite those who speak, like inquisitive disciples, you confirm the helmsman, like swimmers... Truly, the Jews are dishonest, hungering and thirsting for nothing else than the slaughter of the innocent, rejoicing in nothing more than the throwing of the prophets into abysses, the stoning of the righteous, the sawing down of the messengers of piety, the breaking of parts of their hands and feet, the frequent crushing of the righteous - the Jews who had such wicked insolence against our Savior that shamelessly, in His presence, they cried out to Him: we know as Moses said God: but we do not know this, from where we are (John 9:29). Oh, the audacity of those who say this: “We know that God spoke to Moses; but we do not know where He comes from!” Oh, sheer shamelessness! Oh, blind resistance! When Herod inquired from them: “Where Christ is born,” they said with certainty: “In Bethlehem Judaism” (Matthew 2:4–5), and showed the fulfillment of the prophecy, and brought the testimony of the Prophet: “A great prophet has risen in us” (Luke 7:16); and now with a covered face they cry: “God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where He comes from.” Indeed, they do not know and do not understand, they walk in darkness. Truly, this people are foolish; and what was said fully applied to them: “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang to you sad songs, and you did not weep" (Matthew 11:17). Who will expose such wicked bickering? Christ showed them so many miracles, strengthening the paralytic, cleansing the lepers, healing the afflicted, opening the eyes of the blind, raising the dead, turning water into wine, presenting other innumerable things that are difficult to tell; but they have absolutely no faith. Do not be convinced by us, do not give in to Peter or Paul as the messengers; (Deuteronomy 18:15). Look what Isaiah prophesies: behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel (Isa. 7:14). Listen to Jeremiah, who cries: this God is not counted against him; 3:36, 38). Look again at what Malachi meant: and the sun of righteousness will rise for you, and healing will be in its wings (Malachi 4:2); and this word was confirmed many years later by the bleeding wife, who with others received healing from touching the hem of the garment. Read carefully both Ezekiel and the man of desires. How does one say: this is the gate of the Lord, and the Lord will enter through it and go out, and it will be closed (Ezek. 44:2); and Daniel: and saw in the clouds of heaven the likeness of the Son of man (Dan. 10:16)? Stand before Jacob and find out what he says among the blessings. The prince will not fail from Judah, nor the leader from his feet, until they come, the desire of tongues (Gen. 49:10). Touch the harp of the Spirit, and observe what David sang: Mother Zion, says man, and man is born in her, and that is the foundation of the Most High (Psalm 86:5); The mother is a Virgo, and at birth kept the seal of virginity immovable. Look again at what David says: righteousness will shine in his days, and further: it extends from sea to sea, and from rivers to the end of the world (Psalm 72:7–8). Did any of our teachers predict this? Did any of the Savior’s disciples write all this down on paper? Were not those who proclaimed and proclaimed Him children of the circumcision? Did not the descendants of Abraham proclaim this? Meanwhile, do you not want to believe? be ashamed of the demons, who cry out and say: what are you and us, Son of the living God (Matthew 8:29)? Reverence the confession of the Lord Christ by angels and people, and demons and all creation in general. If you ignore this too, then accept the testimony of the Father about Him, crying from heaven: This is My beloved Son, in Him I am well pleased (Matthew 17:5). To him be glory forever and ever. Amen 135. See Curs. Compl. Patrolog. Migne, series græce, vol. XCIII, col. 1453–1460; Wed Biblioth. Patr. Concionator., vol. VI. p.p. 373–375. You might be interested in: