Слово в неделю Ваий. Святого Епифания, епископа Кипрского

He, Whom the Angels constantly sing and glorify, He on earth, like a man, kneels before the Father and prays, and in heaven he receives kneeling and prayers from all creation, visible and invisible; on earth, like a man, he hungers (Matthew 4:2; 21:18), and He Himself is the bread of heaven, which came down from above (John 6:41, 51); arranging salvation as man thirsts (John 19:28), and according to the Divine He Himself is the source of life; on earth he is weary (John 4:6) according to what he has received (humanity), and He Himself is the rest of those who labor and are heavy laden (Matthew 11:28). He now voluntarily goes to death, so that by His death he may crush those who have the power of death (Heb. 2:14), and to those who are deceived from him by the hope of immortality, and to those who were killed to bestow immortality. Therefore, although the Lord Christ, God (who exists) in Zion, does not walk with scepters and trumpets, but with complete poverty, - not with swords, weapons and spears, but with extreme humility, - not with armor bearers, not with gilded shields, helmet and armor, but with extreme meekness, boundless kindness and immeasurable modesty: however, it is said: and The whole city shook, saying: Who is this? And the people said: This is Christ, the Son of David (Matthew 21:10, 11). He enters the church, and, as the true God of the church, the Holiest of the sanctuary itself, expels from it the unworthy, lawless and evil priests; and the youths standing in the church of God, church-like, or better yet, divinely exclaim to the God of the church, Christ Jesus: Hosanna, hosanna to the Son of David (Matthew 21:15), who gives peace in heaven, and glory in the highest (Luke 19:38)! Blessed are the aspirations of the Churches! Blessed are the hopes of Christians! People, having believed in the Chief of the world (Isa. 9:6), and having been enriched by the world, became cohabitants of the Angels. Christ united what is below and above, united the mortal with the incorporeal. Rejoice in Christ! I repeat again, rejoice: rejoice greatly, daughters of Zion (Zechariah 9:9), New Jerusalem, Church of God! Dive deeper into the mystery of your celebration! Rise above the visible in order to understand spiritually what is happening sensually. Why did Jesus, Who always walked on foot, now, and only now, sit on an animal? Having climbed it yourself? - in order to enlighten us about His ascension to the cross. What is this against - lying all over? - without a doubt, an opposite and contrary way of thinking to the world, adopted by the man who settled directly in paradise (Gen. 3:24), to whom Christ sent two disciples, that is, His two testaments - the Old and New testaments. Who is this donkey? - Without a doubt, a dilapidated and adulterous synagogue. which is burdened with the burdens of life, and on which Christ sat for some time. Who is the donkey? This is me, the youngest and most untraveled pagan people, on whom no one is from man everywhere (Mark 11:2), - neither the law, nor fear, nor the Angel, nor the prophet, nor Moses, nor the Scriptures, but only God the Word Himself, who reclined with us dumb in a manger, in Bethlehem, in order to free us from our dumbness, and then make us theologians. What kind of renunciation of a donkey is this? - without a doubt, liberation (of us) from idolatry and renunciation from bloody idolatry sacrifices, which was foreshadowed by the touch of the bleeding woman. Who are those who grumble at the loosening of a donkey and say: Why did you loose (Luke 19:31) the donkey being tied (Matthew 21:2)? - Jews and demons. What kind of laying out of clothes is this by youths? - putting off the old man, and together the ugly nakedness and emptiness of the synagogue. Who are the theological infants? - without a doubt, children of the faithful people of Christ's Church. Who are their mothers? - baptismal fonts that revive the faithful. What are mothers' nipples? - two covenants, which are both our teachers, giving us spiritual and heavenly milk to drink. What is the descent of Christ from the Mount of Olives? - without a doubt, nothing other than the descent from heaven of God the Word to us. Who are the olive branches? - souls of the merciful. What is a path? – A path that is well paved with deeds of virtues, putting off the old man. What are date branches? - the pure hearts of the righteous, prospering like dates, and towering like the cedars of Lebanon, planted in the house of the Lord, prospering (Psalm 91:13, 14) and rushing to the true Date, without a doubt, gaining victory over the tormentor and hell, from the tyranny of which they themselves are liberated by the power of the Victorious Christ. Who are the predecessors? - righteous prophets. Who are the next ones? - The apostles, and we, who believed with them from among the pagans. What is hail? - Heavenly Jerusalem. What is a church? – The Kingdom of Heaven, from which Christ expelled the Jews as unworthy. This is how we should understand the circumstances of this holiday and imagine the sacrament that the Lord performed. But, reasoning in this way about the holiday, we will rejoice with the Angels, applaud with the people, marvel with the mothers, preach with the Apostles, and, meeting Christ going to Jerusalem, praise, bless and exclaim: Hosanna, blessed is he who comes, and again he who comes in the name of the Lord will judge his world! To him be glory, with the Father and the Spirit, forever and ever. Amen 158. S. part. nostr. Constant. S. Salam. in Cypro Epics. Oper ed. Colon 1682, vol. II, pag. ; compare “Christian Reading,” 1841, Part I, countries. 345–350. “Sunday Reading” XV (1851–1852), 495–496 countries. You might be interested in: