Слово на Рождество Господне. Святого Ефрема Сирина

This day is joyful, and longed for by kings, priests and prophets, whose predictions he fulfilled and justified by his very deed. Now the Virgin gave birth to Immanuel in the city of Bethlehem: therefore was born the One who fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah (Is. 7:14). Today is born the One about whom the Lord had to write in the scriptures of people (Ps. 87:6); therefore, what the prophet David sang as the future, the present day represents in the event itself. The prophecy of Micah was also fulfilled, that from the house of Ephrath a Shepherd would come, who would provide for souls with His rod (Micah 5:2–4). Balaam predicted that a star would shine from Jacob and a leader would arise from Israel (Num. 24:17); and what he foresaw in the future, he imagines this day in the present. So, this star, which had not appeared for so long, finally appeared, and its Divine radiance shone from the human body. The East, the future birth of which Zechariah foresaw, shone today in Bethlehem, and after the dawn of the coming King shone in Ephrath, Jacob actually saw the blessings for which he had prayed. Now a Son has been born to us, and rightly the name was given to Him - Wonderful: for this is a miracle worthy of every surprise, that God is a child. The Spirit predicted that He would be like a worm, meaning by this His unmarried birth; The present day has removed the veil from this symbol and explained the sacrament. It will arise, the Prophet predicted, like a root before him, a root in a thirsty land (Isa. 53:2); and behold, this dark saying is fulfilled on this day and becomes clear. The King, Whom Tamar saw in the loins of Judah and, as it were, delighted (Gen. 38:18-30; Matt. 1:3), on this day takes on an image most befitting of the hidden Divinity. Ruth fell at the feet of Boaz, hoping to find in him the medicine of life, and on this day her hope is fulfilled: for from her tribe was born He, by whose power and mania all live. Adam was the cause of sorrow and illness for his wife; The daughter Virgo compensated for the loss of her mother by giving birth to her Savior. Eve's mother was given birth to an unborn husband: what is incredible is that Eve's daughter could conceive in the womb without the assistance of her husband? The virgin earth gave birth to Adam the progenitor: now the Virgin gives birth to the Lord of earth and heaven, Adam. Aaron's rod was frozen, the dry tree blossomed: this mystery is explained by the present day on which the virgin womb gives birth. Let those people be ashamed who believe that the predictions of the prophets are true, but deny that the Savior has come. If it is not true that He came, then all the predictions of the prophets are lies, fiction, deception. Let us rather praise the Champion of truth, Who, having descended to us, fulfilled the predictions of the prophets and confirmed their importance. And we will give You praise, Lord, if from the treasury of Your Scriptures You present to us a host of ancient righteous people who wished to see the day of Your coming. The first of them, Seth, reflecting on the fact that he replaced the slain Abel, in this very example, as in an image, saw the slain Son of God, and believed that by His death the hatred brought into the world by Cain would be destroyed. Noah, sick that the sons of God, beyond their aspirations, had become not at all like their good roots, had given themselves over to debauchery and luxury, turned his gaze to the holy Descendant, Who had the power to change the unclean morals of people to pure ones. Two brothers, Shem and Japheth, covering the nakedness of Noah, imagined the Only Begotten Son of God, who had to return the lost clothes to Adam, who was intoxicated and exposed by pride. They, accustomed to compassion for the plight of people, when they mourned the fate of Canaan, at the same time thought about the coming of the pious Son, who, they hoped, would deliver him from the slavery of sin. There is no doubt that Melchizedek was also waiting for the High Priest, whom he at the same time prefigured, foreseeing that the whole world would be whitened with His hyssop. Likewise, Lot, seeing that the Sodomites had changed the order of nature, believed that the Lord of nature would come and impart to people a holiness that surpasses nature. Aaron received a similar thought, seeing how the serpents were miraculously devoured by his rod, and understood from this that, in a similar way, the dragon that destroyed Adam and Eve would be consumed by the cross of the Lord to come. Moses was surprised that the copper serpent planted on the earth healed the remorse of the asps, and therefore he hoped that one day the One would come who would heal the wound of the ancient serpent. And remembering that Divine light with which he alone was illuminated, Moses foresaw that one day He would come who would not only make him, but also many through His teaching, God-like. Caleb, the spy of the Promised Land, recognized the Vine in the bunch of grapes he carried on a pole, which would gladden the world with its wine, and which he wanted to see with his own eyes. Jesus, the son of Nun, also desired this, realizing the meaning and power of the name that he heard in his own name: for if such a name alone gave him so much dignity, then how much more did he hope to receive at the birth and appearance of the Lord? And at the time when he was gathering fruits from the promised land, he foresaw that the tree of life would grow, and he wished for himself an abundance of the fruits of this tree, imparting life to all living things. I think that the harlot Rahab also foresaw by the scarlet bandage, by means of which she was saved from the destruction determined for her fatherland, and comprehended the truth of the sacrament by which she was saved. Elijah burned with a similar desire; and since it was not given to him to see the Son of God during His stay on earth, then, inflamed with faith, he tried to acquire such purity for himself that he was worthy to ascend to heaven and contemplate Him there. But he, together with Moses, was given the opportunity to see the Lord on earth, when they (the called ones - the meek Moses from hell, and the zealous Elijah from heaven) saw the Son of God between themselves and face to face. Both of them were supposed to represent the mystery of His last coming - Moses on behalf of the dead, Elijah on behalf of the living: for those who died will rise first because they tasted death, and those living who have not experienced death will be caught up after them to meet the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). But who is able to count the names of all the righteous people in whom the promise of the coming of the Son of God aroused anticipation? And who could worthily praise the true Son of the true God who has been born to us? I will limit myself to one, instead of many, praise that everyone, no matter how many righteous people there were, they all wanted to see the birth of the Lord in their time. Thus, Adam sighed for His coming, knowing that He is the Lord of the Cherubim, and that to Him alone belongs the power to return the paradise exile under the shadow of the tree of life. Abel also wanted to have Him as his contemporary: for he had a presentiment that it would be much better to see the Lamb of God than to offer a lamb to God. Eve also looked forward to this day, when nakedness, naked and exposed to the daring gaze of the people, turned into the greatest dishonor for women: for (Eve) foresaw that one day He would come who, having removed the foliage, would restore to the female sex the former glory it had lost. The work of many tower builders foreshadowed and foreshadowed the One Who would come from above and erect such a high building that would provide us with access to heaven. The Ark, built for the salvation of living beings, as an image, represented the Lord, creating His Church, and thereby providing for the salvation of rational souls. Peleg, seeing the earth divided into seventy languages, in this image contemplated the coming of the One who would divide the earth among His Apostles according to the difference of languages. The world, covered with waters, in silence foreshadowed the Lord, who would come from above and establish the sacrament of baptism, which would exalt believers above the stars. Seth, Enos, Cainan and Enoch, having been called the sons of God, therefore strongly desired the coming of Him, by whose honor and grace they could, in fact, together with such a name, become brothers of the Son of God. Methuselah lived for almost a thousand years, and still waited for the Son of God, Who alone can grant immortality to mortals. Grace itself, with some secret suggestion, prayed for them, so that their Lord, at the time when each of them lived, would come and help those who were working. The Holy Spirit, who dwelt in them, by the very fact that he instilled in them the thought of prayer, was already praying for them, and together raised them to a place where, through the same Spirit, they saw as if inherent in the coming and expected Savior. So, the souls of the righteous foresaw the healing of immortality in the Son of God, and therefore they wanted Him to come at their time and give them His sweetest drink to drink. Enoch, burning with desire for the unappearing Son of God, and not receiving the opportunity to see Him on earth, tried in every possible way to acquire for himself such faith and righteousness, with the help of which he could ascend to heaven and there see Him face to face. Now, when descendants without difficulty received what their ancestors could not achieve with great effort, can anyone now accuse the goodness of God of injustice? Lamech burned with the same desire: he expected the coming of the One who, in His goodness, would ease his worries and sorrows, and comfort him - a stranger on the earth, which the righteous God had cursed (Gen. 5:29); but when he saw the image of the Son of God imprinted on his son Noah, he received consolation from the vision of this image, which he did not receive from the coming of the Lord. A similar desire was born in Noah, as soon as he experienced the goodness of the Lord: for if the image of the Son of God (the ark was the cause of the salvation of animate beings), then how could he not expect the One whose coming, according to his faith, was very saving for rational souls? What else could he feel besides this, when he knew from experience itself that the ark was built according to the good pleasure of the Lord alone? And if the image of the Lord was the cause of such good deeds, then how many greater good deeds did he expect from the appearance of Himself? Abraham foresaw in spirit that the birth of the Son of God would follow in distant times, and therefore he desired, instead of Himself, to at least see His day: and he saw it and rejoiced (John 8:56). Isaac also burned with a similar desire, especially when he saw that He was the only one saved by Him, and believed that if He saved his life in His own image, then how many mercies would He have shown to him if, instead of an image, He Himself had appeared in His own face? Therefore, if the watchmen rejoiced that the watchman had come, Who awakened us, immersed in mortal sleep, to saving wakefulness: then who would not spend such a night without sleep in which the whole world is awake? since the crime of the first man brought mortal slumber into our world: then the unsleeping Eye descended and awakened those immersed in sinful sleep. However, we should not stay awake following the example of those whose hearts are burned with greed, for they too spend their nights without sleep; but one should not stay awake in order to increase one’s income and calculate profits. Dad's soul is constantly in a waking state, so he apparently abandoned sleep and buried it in a deep ditch: but the awake person should have one goal - to awaken the sleeping ones to wakefulness. Every sensualist is also awake: he is forced to stay awake by the thirst for pleasure, and by burdening his stomach with food and drink: but such wakefulness is the punishment of intemperance. The merchant does not sleep a wink, counting money or calculating interest, whether it will double or triple. So the rich man did not sleep all night: mammon drove away his sleep; his dogs sleep, and he watches, having become the guardian of his gold; He is kept awake by imaginary attempts by thieves. Every caring owner is also awake: strong worries drive away his sleep; the end of life is behind him, the last day is coming, but he does not sleep and thinks about living for many years. And the devil teaches us to stay awake, only in the wrong way: to slumber in good deeds and to be vigilant in evil deeds. This is what Judas Iscariot did, having spent the whole night without sleep when he was selling innocent blood that had redeemed the whole world: the son of darkness put on the darkness again, which he had put off, and rejected the Sun; the thief sold the One who made the silver for silver. Like him, the Pharisees, the same children of darkness, did not close their eyes all night when, fleeing from the light, they plotted to cover with darkness the light, unlimited by any space. But you, brothers, imitate the wakefulness of the stars, and spend the night, alien to darkness, without sleep. This night, although it seems gloomy in appearance, nevertheless has the greatest importance and dignity. A virtuous person, staying awake and praying all night, despite the darkness with which he is apparently surrounded, shines in the darkness itself, illuminated by a hidden light. And the wicked, let the midday light surround him, but if he lives according to the custom of the sons of darkness, then at least from the outside he seemed clothed in light, as in clothing, but inside he is covered in thick darkness. Therefore, let none of you, beloved, deceive yourself by perverted wakefulness: for whoever is not awake as he should be, his wakefulness is unlawful; and he who is not awake for the sake of virtue sleeps, although apparently he is awake. Likewise, whoever separates wakefulness from innocence and virtue, for that his own wakefulness becomes poison. Such is the general vigilance of envy, which is the cause of many different evils and disasters. And trade is a wakefulness generated by envy; and its gain amounts to dishonor and disgrace. An angry person is also awake: the movements of anger outrage him and force him to stay awake: this wakefulness is full of rage, slander and curses. And the talkative one stays awake, giving free rein to his tongue and starting conversations with everyone he meets; and he has not the least desire for prayer, but very much for sin. A prudent person chooses one of two things: either a pleasant sleep, not disturbed by boring and sad worries, or a holy and useful wakefulness. Why shouldn't we choose the latter? Now the night is the brightest: for in it the Originator of light is born in order to dispel the darkness that surrounds us. Let us not allow our wakefulness to be disturbed by any worldly worries, so that our hearing may be unburdened, the gaze of our eyes chaste, the thoughts of our hearts pure, and the words of our mouths prudent. Mary, on this day, communicated to us the leaven obtained from Abraham's granary; Therefore, let us imitate Abraham’s mercy towards the needy and, like him, let us alleviate the poverty of the poor. Now a substance for thickening milk has been delivered to us from the sheepfold of the meek David; Therefore, let us be kind to our persecutors, and let us begin to feel sorry for them, imitating the son of Jesse, who wept over the death of Saul (2 Samuel 1:11). This day sows the most pleasant salt of the Prophets on the land of the pagans: so, let us strive to saturate our souls with this salt, with which, however, having been saturated to the point of excess, ancient Israel lost its taste and became insensible. This day is the day of salvation, teaching us wisdom in the word; Therefore, let us refrain from idle talk, so that it does not seem that we have no participation in the present day. Real night brings peace and silence to the universe; Therefore, for her, a person who is pompous with rage and breathing thunder is a burden. This night belongs to the meek, therefore let everyone put aside rage and severity - belongs to the humble, let everyone curb their pride and humble their arrogance. Now the day of mercy has dawned, but no one pursues with vengeance the insult inflicted on him; the day of joy has come, so that no one will be the cause of sadness and sorrow for another. This is a day of favor, so that all cruelty may be restrained; this day is cloudless and clear, may anger, the disturber of peace and tranquility, be curbed; this is the day on which God descended to sinners, so that the righteous may be ashamed to be proud of himself before the sinner; this is the day on which the Lord of creation came down to the slaves, but the master should not be ashamed to descend with such love to his servants; this is the day on which the Rich One became poor for our sake, so that the rich will not be ashamed to share their meals with the poor; This is the day on which a gift was sent down to us, which we did not ask for, therefore, would it be fair if we refused our brothers who cry out to us and ask us for alms? this is the day on which the door of heaven was opened to our prayers; Would it be decent if we closed the door to those asking us for forgiveness of offenses or relief from disasters? The Lord of nature, without changing His nature, changed Himself; what? Will it really seem difficult for us to change our will, damaged by sin? Of course, our flesh, by its own nature, can be neither more nor less; but the will, according to its own will, can increase to whatever extent it pleases; For this reason, now the Divinity itself has been enclosed in human nature, so that this nature would rush towards everything holy 43. See Christ. Read 1840, part 1, countries. 3–21. You might be interested in: