О воспитании девы и приснодевстве святой Марии к Евсевию

1. You entrust me with your brainchild - dedicated to the Lord Ambrose, which at the same time is also mine (property); because of your pious love for her, you care about her much more than about other children. And, indeed, this is how it should be with a pious heart; You raise others in order to let them leave home and marry with strangers, but you will always have this one with you; Of course, in relation to others you act according to the irreducible attraction of fatherly love; in relation to this, you rise (above the responsibilities) of the father: you, with both your vow and your concerns (yours), strive to ensure that it is pleasing to God. But still, she is the main reason for the vows, and she alone can pay everything that you owe both for yourself and for all your children (yours). 2. This is the sacrifice that Abel offered from his firstborn sheep. The apostle praises a similar (sacrifice) preferentially over others when he says to the Corinthians: For “whoever is steadfast in his heart... and decides in his heart to keep his virgin, he does well. Therefore, he who gives his maiden in marriage does well; but he who does not give out does better” (1 Cor. 7:37–38). That is why David, who beautifully described the gifts (gratiam) of the Church, all the glory of which is within, and not without - after all, the highest praise lies in good thoughts, in an immaculate impulse towards chastity and in the intentions of a clear conscience - then continued (his speech), saying this: “The virgins will be brought to the King after her.” And turning to the Lord Father: “sincere ones,” he says, “they will be brought to you: they will be brought in with joy and joy, they will be brought into the church of the kings.” (Ps. 44:15–16). 3. Who is this neighbor? Of course, the one who approaches Christ and to whom the Word says: “Arise, come, my neighbor, my good one, my dove; for behold, winter has passed away” (Song 2:10–11). Until (the Church) had yet received God’s Word, it was an inglorious, barren winter; when she received the Word of God and was crucified to the world, she became summer. Then, warmed by the warmth of the Holy Spirit, she blossomed and began to exude the fragrance of faith, the warmth of chastity and the sweetness of grace. 4. Therefore, he also adds in another place: “Your eyes are like a dove, except for your silence” (Song. 4: 1); this means that (the Church), being entirely spiritual and simple-minded, like the dove, under whose image John saw the descending Holy Spirit, can see spiritual secrets and be able to hide what he sees in silence. And indeed, the virtue of silence is important: there is a time when you need to be silent, just as there is a time when you need to speak. It is written about this: “The Lord gives me a language of teaching, so that I can understand when it is proper to speak a word” (Is. 50:4). 5. So, as if some appendage of virginity is modesty, prepared by silence. That is why the glory of the Church is within her, and, in any case, it does not lie in a lot of talking, but in the feeling or even in the concealment (in penetralibus) of secrets, as she herself says to her groom: “Who will give you, my brother, by sucking the breasts of my mother? Having found Thee outside, I kiss Thee, and besides, they will not humiliate me. I will understand Thee, I will bring Thee into my mother’s house, and into the trap of imprisonment” (Song. 8, 1-2). And above he says: “The King will lead me into his bed” (Song. 1, 3). 6. The Church kisses Christ outside, and she is led into a lie by him. He kissed her outside when “like a bridegroom departing from his palace, he rejoiced like a giant mother-in-law’s way” (Ps. 18:6). As a giant, He remains outside, since not considering it robbery to be equal with God, He took on “the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:6-7). So, He who was inside became outside. When you read that He is in the bosom of the Father, then consider Him within; when He seeks to redeem us, then recognize Him as being outside. He appeared outside (himself) in order to be inside me and become among us. 7. So, let us be where Christ dwells among us, indwelling and established in our hearts. That is why He Himself gave this instruction: “Whenever you pray, go into your cell” (Matthew 6:6) and pour out your soul; your cage is your hidden secrets, your cage is your conscience. Further, Ecclesiastes tells you: “and in your conscience... do not curse the king, and in the cage of your spoon do not curse the rich man” (Eccl. 10:20). This is where, therefore, pray and pray in secret, so that He who hears in secret may hear you; and pray without anger and contention (1 Tim. 2:8), rejecting secret dishonor: the righteous fear not the discovery of a crime, but defilement (by it). 8. How good is prayer combined with mercy! Good prayer is one that is done in order and begins first of all with divine praise. Indeed, if in human relations we strive to appease the judge, how much more should we try when we pray to our Lord? So, first of all, let us offer God a sacrifice of praise; after all, the apostle says: “Therefore, first of all, I urge you to make prayers, petitions, supplications, and thanksgivings” (1 Tim. 2:1). 9. Let the eighth psalm of David teach you, which begins with praises to God: “O Lord our Lord, how wonderful is your name in all the earth! For your splendor will be taken above the heavens. From the mouth of a child and of those who piss you have made praise” (Ps. 8:2-3). Hitherto prayer; then follows a prayer for the overthrow of the enemy; a request to see the moon and stars: the moon - the Church, the stars - the sons of the Church, shining with the light of heavenly grace; and the prophet hopes that by the prophetic spirit he will see what he asks for; (Finally, it follows) thanksgiving for the fact that the Lord looks down on man and strengthens this decay of our body with a divine visitation, and also for the fact that He has subjugated to man all the generations of the living. 10. All this is equally contained in the Lord’s Prayer, which there is no need to quote. You, reader, (yourself) investigate how to dismember (it); but first of all, as I said above, one should demand that prayer be performed in silence and tranquility of spirit, so that everyone is attentive to himself and self-collected, and so that what is written is fulfilled: “if two of you agree on earth to ask about any matter; whatever they ask, it will be done for them from My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18, 19, 20). 11. Who are these two if not the soul and the body? Therefore Paul also exhausted his flesh and enslaved it, so that it would submit to the soul as its mistress and obey the dictates of reason; so that there may not be internal strife and war in one person, and so that the law of the flesh does not war against the law of the mind. In a word, he combined these two different (principles) with each other, as it were, with some kind of reason and peace, as he himself testified to this, saying: “For Christ is our peace, who made both one, and destroyed the barrier that stood in the middle” - enmity in his flesh (Eph. 2, 14, 15); so that (a person) does not do what he does not want, and does not do what he hates. So, these two are soul and body. Therefore, David says: “I will not be afraid of what the flesh does to me” (Ps. 55:5), - the flesh, which he recognized as the enemy of his soul. 12. However, these two, to put it more clearly, are not just only two, but also two people: one internal, the other external. If these two, left to themselves, begin to rush forward evenly, so that thoughts correspond to deeds, and deeds to thoughts, then the wheel of our life will roll without any stumbling, in accordance with what is written: “The voice of your thunder is in the wheel” (Ps. 76:19). Therefore, these two are one, and not only one, but also one person. Therefore, the apostle says: “in order to create one man out of two, establishing peace, and in one body to reconcile both to God through the cross, putting to death the enmity thereon .... so that for both (in utrisque) we have access to the Father in one Spirit” (Eph. 2, 15, 16, 18). 13. So there are two people, the old and the new. The old one, whom we nail to the cross in baptism, is guilty and defiled by sin, and, like an old garment, is worn out and torn. That is why the apostle says: “our old man was nailed to the cross along with Him, so that the body of sin might be abolished, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin” (Rom. 6:6). So, the old (man) is nailed down and dies to sin, but the new, renewed by grace, rises. So we talked about two (people). 14. But perhaps someone will say: “What do you say about the three (principles) in view of the fact that Scripture says so: after all, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20)? The meaning of this place is also clear: after all, the apostle says the same thing: “May the God of peace himself sanctify you in everything; may your spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23). So where these three are blameless, there is Christ in the midst of them; He inwardly controls these three, dominates them and unites them with unshakable peace. 15. So, these are the three that, above all else, a virgin must observe in herself, so as not to cause any reproach to her holy virginity, and to be intact, without spot or blemish. Although we have already talked a lot about this in (our) books, but for the sake of the mentioned brainchild (pignoris), we decided to compile this book for you (again). 16. Beautiful is virginity, which not only frees both sexes from condemnation, but also leads to grace. But we mainly blame only the female sex for introducing the cause of sin: we do not notice in this case that such a reproach would actually be much fairer in relation to us. Indeed, if we remember (everything) first and investigate the original origin of things, then we will comprehend what the natural gifts (of the female gender) are: how, despite the regrettable frailty of human existence, a woman nevertheless achieved grace. 17. When God approved of all his works - heaven, earth, seas, night and day - for one was needed for use during work, and the other for enjoying peace - He also praised the beasts of the field; (but) as soon as the matter came to man, it seems that only he, for whose sake everything was created, was not praised. What is the reason (for this)? Isn’t it, perhaps, that other (creations) are all visible, but man (is reflected) in what is hidden? In animals you will find only what you see; and in a person what you see is the most insignificant; it consists of soul and body, and what you see in it is only something auxiliary, but the controlling principle in it is invisible. 18. It is not without reason, therefore, that other (creatures) boast at their very origin, but praise (to man) is not given, but is deferred on the basis that the beauty of other (creatures) is given externally, and (the beauty of man) lies within: with other (creatures) it lies in their nature, and with this latter - in the heart. And in fact, what could be more sublime and deeper than human thought, which is closed and hidden, as it were, behind some bodily veil, so that not everyone can easily notice and discern it? So, a person is not praised earlier because he should be glorified only after a preliminary examination not of his outer shell, but of his inner man, which the Apostle Peter perfectly defined when he said that the hidden man of the heart, precious before God, consists in the integrity of a “meek and quiet spirit” (1 Pet. 3:4). 19. It is not without reason, therefore, that praise (of a person) is postponed - (it is postponed) so that later it can be expressed purely: its postponement is not a loss, but an increase. Therefore, no one should despise himself as a being of little worth, (should not) evaluate himself by appearance. Although righteous Job said: “naked I expired from my mother’s womb, naked I will go there” (Job 1:21), however, he possessed something that made him rich not only among people, but also with God. 20. And what (could be) more precious than that which relates to the image and likeness of God? The image of God lies in the inner man, and not in the outer man; it resides in that (man) who is perceived by the senses, but is not comprehended by the gaze of the eyes. Consequently, we must also consider that (person) who is revealed later. That is why God did not consider it necessary to praise the (external) structure of man, in view of the fact that the main part of it consists in virtue. Of course, its appearance is beautiful, and much superior compared to the appearance of other animals; but only in relation to irrational (creatures) is assessment based on bodily appearance applicable; that which is full of intelligence should not be subject to general praise. 21. So, a person, who, in my opinion, deserves surprise not so much in his outer appearance as in his inner mood, must have (over other creatures) advantage and superiority, but in such a way as to find his praise in the same thing in which, according to the prophetic judgment, God also boasts, as it is written: “He is more terrible in counsel than the sons of men” (Ps. 65:5); (a person’s deeds must shine before the face of God, Who constantly adds one good deed to another. Therefore, the praise of a person is not at the beginning, but at the end, for no one “is crowned unless he strives lawfully” (2 Tim. 2:5). Therefore, the wise one tells you: “before you die,” do not praise any person. And in what sense this is said, he explained above, saying: since “at the death of a man his deeds are laid bare” (Sir. 11:27–28). 22. Let us consider the third (place) in which God revealed his thought. Having created man and placed him in paradise so that he would cultivate and protect it, He said that it was not good for man to be alone. “Let us make,” he says, “a helper for him” (Gen. 2:18). So, a man without a wife does not deserve praise; he is glorified because of his wife. And, indeed, when God says that it is not good for man to be alone, He thereby, of course, affirms that the human race is good if the female sex is added to the male sex. 23. At the same time, you should pay attention to the fact that a man was created from earth and clay, and a wife was taken from her husband. Of course, flesh is also clay, but that (the clay) has not yet received an image, and this (flesh) is clay that has already received the image. 24. Now let us cite that wonderful apostolic example that is found in Scripture: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak into Christ and into the church” (Eph. 5:31-32). So, we see that through the wife the heavenly sacrament of the Church was fulfilled; she typified the grace for which Christ came (to earth) and fulfilled the eternal work of human redemption. That is why Adam called his wife by the name: “life”; for just as among nations the continuous succession of the human race is maintained through a wife, so through the Church eternal life is created. 25. Of course, we cannot deny that the wife sinned. But why do you marvel that the weaker sex sinned and fell, when even the stronger fell (Gen. 3:1 et seq.)? The wife has an excuse for sin, but the man does not. She, as the Scripture says, was deceived by the wisest of all serpents, and you by the wife; she was deceived by the higher creation, and you by the lower; You were deceived by your wife, and she, although evil, was still an angel. If you could not resist a lower (being), then how could she resist a higher one? Your guilt excuses that one. 26. If you doubt the justice of the accusation, then let us ask the court (of God). To her it is said: “When you are sick, give birth to a child, and turn to your husband, and she will possess you” (Gen. 3:16). And the husband is told: “You are earth and you will return to earth” (Gen. 3:19). And truly this decision is fair; in fact, if Adam could not even fulfill what he heard from the Lord God, then how could the wife fulfill what she heard from her husband? If the voice of God could not restrain him, then how could the voice of man restrain his wife? 27. And so Adam, convicted of eating contrary to the divine commandments given to him from the mouth of God Himself, could only say what his wife gave him, and he ate. Meanwhile, the wife says: “The serpent has deceived me and poisoned me” (Gen. 3:13). How much stronger is the wife's excuse! He is exposed, and this one is interrogated. Add also that she is the first to confess to the crime; saying that she was deceived, she thereby testifies to her sin. Thus, consciousness is the medicine of sin. 28. And how much more humble was the woman than her husband during the trial itself! He accused his wife, and this one was a serpent, that is, in view of the accusation, she did not deflect the crime from herself, but, if only it were possible, she wanted to justify rather than accuse her. 29. So, in consciousness you have justification from guilt, and in examination (of the matter) justification from condemnation. “When you are sick,” he says, “give birth to children” (Gen. 3:16). And so she bears the weight of her condemnation and fulfills the duty of (her) punished nature. For you, a woman serves with her suffering and finds (her) reward in punishment, (believing) that through the very sons for whom she suffers, she will receive justification. So, from crime grace came, from weakness - salvation; and, indeed, it is written: “for the sake of childbearing one will be saved” (1 Tim. 2:15). Thus, with the hope of salvation, she gives birth to those whom she gave birth to in sorrow; and raises for glory those whom she gave birth to in illness. 30. But you, man, say that the wife was a temptation for the husband. Fair. And if she is beautiful, then this is also a temptation. However, Abraham, who traveled to Egypt, was not harmed by the beauty of his wife, but rather even benefited; after all, for the sake of his wife, he was surrounded by honor, and was not disgraced in her person. Why are you looking for beauty of face in your wife rather than beauty of morals? A wife should be liked more for her good behavior than for her beauty. You need to choose one that resembles Sarah in character. There is no vice for a woman to be what she is born to be; but it is shameful for a husband to seek in his wife that which often lies in temptation. If he is weak in this regard, then the wife herself comes to a fall; if he is tougher than her, then he himself may be in danger. We cannot blame the creations of the divine artist: but whoever is delighted by physical beauty should be even more delighted by the beauty of the image of God, which serves as an adornment not external, but internal. 31. So, if the wife is a temptation, then be more careful, seek medicine against the danger of (this) temptation: “Watch,” he says, “and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune” (Matthew 26:41). The Lord said it, the husband heard it, and the wife did it. Wives fast daily and even perform fasts that are not prescribed: they recognize the sin and use medicine (against it). One day the wife ate the forbidden fruit and daily atones for her sin by fasting. You followed the one who sinned, follow the one who repents. You both tasted it, why is she the only one fasting? That is: you both have fallen, why is she the only one looking for a cure for (her) sin? 32. Come, Eve, now sober; come, Eve, who once proved intemperate, but is now fasting in the person of her offspring. Come, Eve, no longer expelled from paradise. Come, Eve, who has now become Sarah, giving birth to children not in sorrow, but in joy, not with sorrow, but with laughter. From you Isaac will be born with numerous offspring. I cry again - come, Eve, who has now become Sarah, about whom it was said to her husband: Hear Sarah your wife” (Gen. 21:12). Although you are subordinate to your husband, since submission is decent for you; however, you soon annulled the sentence (about you), so that the husband receives a command to obey you. 33. If, by the birth of the prototype of Christ, she deserves to be obeyed by her husband, then how much more successful is the (female) sex, which, having preserved its virginity, gave birth to Christ? So, come Eve, who has now become Mary, who has given us not only the foundation of virginity, but also brought (to us) God. That is why, rejoicing and rejoicing over such a gift, Isaiah says: “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call His name Immanuel” (Is. 7:14), “which means God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). Where does this gift come from? Not from earth, of course, but from heaven, Christ chose for himself this vessel of his descent to earth, and consecrated (this) church of chastity. He descended through one, but He called many. Why did Mary receive that special name of the Lord, which means “God of my kind.” 34. And previously many women were called Marys; in fact, Aaron’s sister was also called Mary (Ex. 15:20); but this name - Mary - meant the bitterness of the sea. Consequently, the Lord came into the bitterness of human frailty in order to sweeten the bitterness of (our) condition, dissolving it with the sweetness and grace of the Heavenly Word. This circumstance prefigured the source of Marah, which became sweet from the tree (Ex. 15, 23 et seq.); Indeed, the entire pagan people, previously bitter from sins, and even our flesh itself, as a result of the pacifying effect of the Lord’s suffering, changed for a different life. 35. So, beautiful is Mary, who presented the image of sacred virginity and raised the holy banner of immaculate purity to Christ. And so, while everyone, by the example of Saint Mary, is called to honor virginity, there are people who deny that she was a virgin. We have known about this great sacrilege for a long time, but preferred to remain silent. Since this circumstance has now become generally known, and one bishop was even exposed in this error, we no longer consider it possible to leave it without discussion, especially in view of the fact that in Scripture she is called a woman (mulierem). So, for example, the Lord Himself, being in Cana of Galilee, responded to the words addressed to Him (the Mother of God): “they have no wine,” and answered: “What do you and I have, wife” (John 2:3–4)? And in another place we read the words of Matthew spoken about Joseph and Mary: “Before I even dreamed of them, I was found with child from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18); and below: “And without knowing her she was born” (Matthew 1:25); and also about Joseph: “I do not want to reprove her” (Matthew 1:19). Further, it seems (to some) that the name: brothers of the Lord seems to indicate that they were born of Mary. And the Apostle says: “When the end of the year had come, God sent His Son..., born of a woman, was under the law” (Gal. 4:4). Each of these (places) must be examined separately, so that the reader is not confused by expressions of this kind. So, let's look at them in order. 36. Why should we be embarrassed by the name of our wife? It refers to gender; it is a name for gender, not an indication of a lack of innocence. Folk usage does not prejudge the truth. In addition, virginity received this name from the very beginning. Regarding the fact that God took one of Adam’s ribs and filled its place with flesh, Scripture says that He “created him to be a wife” (Gen. 2:22). Undoubtedly, then she had not yet known her husband and, however, was already called a wife. Scripture is not silent about the meaning of this name; it says the following about this: “said Adam: Behold now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: this woman shall be called, as she was taken from her husband” (Gen. 2:23). Because, he says, she was taken from her husband, and not because she knew her husband. So, while she was in paradise, she was not known by husband, and yet was called wife; when she was expelled from paradise, then we read - Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to a son (Gen. 4:1). So, the first difficulty is removed. 37. The second question comes down to understanding the words of Scripture: “Before I even dreamed of it, I was found rich in my womb” (Matthew 1:18). But the custom of divine Scripture is such as to reveal (only) the taken (main) thought, and leave secondary thoughts without explanation. 38. This (position) also resolves the third question, which is associated with the words: “not knowing her, until she gave birth to a Son” (Matthew 1:25). So what? Afterwards did he know? Not at all. Here you have the words of Scripture: “I am God, and until you are old, I am” (Isa. 46:4). The question arises: did God really cease to exist after those to whom it was said: “until the end” grew old? And in David’s prophecy we read: “The Lord said to My Lord: Sit at My right hand, until I will make your enemies your footstool” (Ps. 109:1). Is it possible that after the conquest of the pagan peoples, who previously seemed enemies because they denied the Author of salvation and served idols, the Son ceased to sit at the right hand of the Father, or will he not sit forever? 39. But why does Joseph express his judgment about Mary in advance, if he did not understand the secret of the heavenly council, and believed that she was not the virgin whom he saw not idle? But even the angels were perplexed about the resurrection of the Lord; The following verses testify to this: “Take the gates, O princes, yours; and take hold of the everlasting gate, and the King of glory will come in. Who is this King of glory? (Ps. 23:7–8). (So) they ask (alone), as if not knowing; and others answer: “The Lord is strong and mighty, the Lord is mighty in battle,... He is the King of glory” (Ps. 23:8, 10). And the prophet repeated the same verses; but despite this, they, as if perplexed, asked again; and the Scripture says this: “Take the gate, O princes, yours, and take the everlasting gate, and the King of glory will come in.” Who is this King of glory" (Ps. 23:9-10)? How, one wonders, could a person learn a divine secret that the angels did not know? So in the book of Isaiah (it is written): “Who is this who came from Edom? His robe is scarlet from Bozrah” (Isa. 63:1). And, undoubtedly, the resurrection of a person was less (a miracle) than the birth of a virgin. For the dead were raised both through the prayers of Elijah and through the prayer of Elisha (1 Kings. 17, 21; 2 Kings 4:35), but never before and never since has a virgin given birth. 40. But he thought to release her as guilty (ream), until he received a revelation from the angel; Afterwards, confident and not doubting her virginity, he kept (this) revelation (in his heart). 41. We should not be embarrassed by the words: “Joseph... received his wife... and went to Egypt” (Matthew 1:24, 2:14); for she who is betrothed to her husband receives the name of wife. Even when marriage is just beginning, it already acquires the name of marriage; and it is not the deprivation of virginity that determines marriage, but the marriage contract. In general, marriage for a girl begins from the moment of concluding a (marriage) union, and not from the moment of copulation with her husband. 42. And regarding the fact that she was doomed to marriage, we have spoken in detail elsewhere, and now it will be enough to touch only on the reason for the heavenly mystery. (The betrothal took place) so that those who saw Mary as not idle would consider her condition not as adultery of virginity, but as the legitimate birth of a betrothed. The Lord wanted some people to doubt His origin rather than the integrity of His mother. 43. Brothers, as the Lord Himself teaches, is a gathering of tribes, clans, and people. He says: “I will tell Your name to my brethren, in the midst of the Church I will sing praises to You” (Ps. 21:23). And Paul also says: “I myself would like to be excommunicated from Christ for my brothers” (Rom. 9:3). Moreover, there could be brothers from Joseph, but not from Mary. And everyone will agree with this if only he carefully examines this issue. We did not consider it necessary to study it because the name “brothers” is associated with many common concepts. 44. The question is, could the Lord Jesus have chosen for Himself such a mother who could defile the heavenly abode with male seed, such a (mother) for whom it seemed impossible even to maintain the guardianship of virgin chastity? Following her example, others (virgins) are called to be jealous of chastity, but she herself has shied away from fulfilling the duty that is offered to others through her! 45. And to whom else, if not his mother, could the Lord bestow merit and prepare a reward? Scripture teaches us that for nothing else did the Lord assign such a generous reward as for virginity. In fact, the Lord said this through Isaiah: “Let not the wretch say, for I am a dry tree. This is what the Lord says to the peasants: they will keep my commandments and choose what I want and keep my covenant, I will give them a name in my house and in my fence, the best of sons and daughters, I will give them a name forever and they will not fail” (Is. 56: 3-5). He promises others that they will not become poor: could He allow His mother to become poor? No, Mary does not become impoverished, the teacher of virginity does not become impoverished; and it could not be that she who bore God thought about the womb of a man; and Joseph, a righteous man, could not reach such madness as to combine carnal intercourse with the matter of the Lord. 46. ​​However, Mary can find protection for herself in her own life, and in any case not in the lives of others. She, as I said, did not become impoverished (in her virginity). The witness of this is the Son of God Himself, who, when hanging on the cross, handed over his disciple to the mother as a son, and entrusted her to the disciple as a mother. John, who primarily wrote about (subjects) mysterious, told us about this. Other evangelists described how, during the Lord’s suffering, the earth trembled, the sun darkened, and forgiveness was sought for the enemies; and this beloved (disciple) of the Lord, who drew the secrets of wisdom from His (very) breast, omitting the secrets of the holy will expressed by others, was most concerned about establishing with his judgments the immutability of maternal virginity; he cared about his mother’s purity like a son, fearing that someone would offend her with a serious reproach for not observing chastity. 47. In any case, it was a worthy fact that He, having granted forgiveness to the robber, began to protect His mother from suspicion of her chastity; The Lord says to the mother: “Woman, behold your son. Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother” (John 19:26–27). The person to whom the mother is entrusted is Himself His disciple. How, one wonders, would He begin to take his wife away from a husband if Mary were bound by marriage, or if she had known the marital bed? 48. Close your lips, you wicked ones; take heed, ye pious; listen to what Christ says. The Lord Jesus (as it were) postpones general salvation for a short time and commands from the cross that (His) mother should not be dishonored. John subscribes to this will of Christ. The protection of maternal innocence, evidence of her chastity, is bequeathed; and the student is also commanded to protect his mother and love her tenderly. “And from that (hour) the disciple gave drink in his own way” (John 19:27). Of course, Christ did not divorce, Mary did not leave her husband. And with whom should the virgin dwell, if not with the one whom she knew as the heir of the Son and the guardian of chastity? 49. The mother stood before the cross and stood fearlessly, while the men fled. Look: could the mother of Jesus change her chastity, who did not change the mood of her spirit. With reverent eyes she looked at the wounds of (her) Son, through whom, as she knew, the redemption of all was to be accomplished. The mother stood and looked at her own son, not afraid of the killer. The Son was hanging on the cross, and the mother was exposing herself to danger from her pursuers. If at the same time she only wanted one thing, to die before the Son, then such a pious feeling, due to which she did not want to outlive her Son, is worthy of praise; if she wanted to die with the Son, then it means that she wanted to be resurrected with Him, and knew the secret that she gave birth to the One who would rise. At the same time, she (obviously) knew that the death of the Son was accomplished for the common salvation, and therefore she waited to see if her death would add something to the common cause (salvation). But the suffering of Christ did not need help, as the Lord Himself predicted long before: “I looked, and had no helper, and thought, and no one interceded: and I delivered my arm” (Is. 63:5). 50. So, how was it possible to deprive Mary of her purity, who, during the flight of the apostles, was not afraid of execution, but exposed herself to danger? She had so many gifts (gratiam) (chastity) that she could not only observe the gift of virginity in herself, but could cause the discovery of chastity even in those whom she looked at. She visited John the Baptist, and he leaped in his mother’s womb before birth. The baby jumped up at Mary’s voice and thus showed obedience even before (his) birth. And it is not without reason that he remained physically immaculate, whom the Mother of God, as if with some oil of her presence and the incense of chastity, prepared for this when he was still three months old. And then she was handed over to the unmarried Evangelist John. Therefore, I am not surprised that this (evangelist), in whose face stood the chamber of heavenly mysteries, spoke more about divine mysteries than others (evangelists). 51. Now let those who are dealing with this matter tell me what the words mean that the Lord speaks through the prophet: “Now I will restore the captivity of Jacob and have mercy on the house of Israel.” And further: “I will bring back the tongues and gather them from the countries of the heathen, and I will be sanctified in them before the nations: and they will know that I am the Lord their God, and I will appear to them among the nations... and I will not turn my face away from them, before I have poured out my wrath on the house of Israel, says Adonai the Lord” (Ezek. 39:25, 27-29). 52. And below the prophet says that he saw a city built on a very high mountain, which has numerous gates; and some of them are described as closed; he says about them this way: “and turn me to the path of the outer holy gates, looking to the east: and this byahu is closed. And the Lord said to me: This gate will be closed and will not be opened, and no one will pass through it, for the Lord God of Israel will enter through it, and it will be closed. Then the elder will sit among them to eat bread before the Lord. He will enter the gate along the way of Elam, and he will go out along the way” (Ezek. 44:1-3). Who, if not Mary, do these gates represent? They are locked because she is a virgin. So, the gates represent Mary, through whom Christ entered this world, appearing from a virgin birth and without damaging the keys of virginity (genitalia virginitatis claustra non solvit). When He, whose greatness the world could not contain, came from the virgin, the fence of chastity (septum pudoris) remained intact and the signs of chastity remained undestroyed. 53. “This gate,” he says, “will be closed and will not be opened” (Ezek. 44:2). The beautiful gate is Mary, who was imprisoned and was not opened. Christ passed through (these) gates and did not open them. 54. And to show that every person has a gate through which Christ enters (we will quote the following words of Scripture: “Take the gate, O princes, yours, and take the everlasting gate, and the King of glory will come in” (Ps. 23:7). How much more excellent, therefore, were the gates of Mary, in whom Christ dwelt and from which Christ came? There are also gates of the womb. Therefore, Saint Job says: “Let the stars of that night be darkened... for you do not close the gates of my mother’s womb” (Job 3:9-10). 55. There are, therefore, gates of the womb, but they are not permanently closed. Only those gates could remain closed through which the baby passed without damaging the virgin gates. That is why the prophet says: “This gate will be closed and will not be opened, and no one will pass through it, that is, no man; for the Lord God of Israel,” he says, “will enter into them, and they will be imprisoned” (Ezek. 44:2), i.e.: both before and after the passage of the Lord they will remain imprisoned: they are not open, and no one will open them; after all (Mary) always had Christ as her door, Who said: “I am the door” (John 10:9), no one can take this door away from her. 56. This door was facing the east, for it shed the true light, gave birth to the East, and revealed the Sun of truth. So, let the foolish listen: those gates will be closed, he says, which will receive only the God of Israel. And in fact, couldn’t He really protect His gates, about Whom in His relation to the Church it is said: “For strengthen the faith of your gates” (Ps. 147:2)? No, He, of course, strengthened them and kept them intact. In a word, they are not open. 57. Let them listen to the prophet who says: “They will not be opened and will be imprisoned” (Ezek. 44:2), i.e.: they will not be open to those to whom she will be betrothed; for it is impossible to open those (gates) through which the Lord will pass. And after Him, he says, they will be closed, that is, Joseph will not open them; it is to him that it will be said: “Do not be afraid to accept Miriam your wife; That which is born in her of the Spirit is holy” (Matthew 1:20). 58. So, virginity is a closed gate; virginity is a locked garden; virginity is a “sealed source” (Song 4:12). Having opened your ears, listen more attentively, virgin, and, having entered into chastity, open (your) hands so that the poor man may know you. Lock the door so that the defiler does not sneak in; stay awake and keep the seal (of virginity). 59. Virginity is also a branch from the root; for it is thus written: “A rod will come out of the root of Jesse, and a flower will arise from its root” (Is. 11:1). This industry did not bend, but remained firm. Therefore no one should set fire to your branches, so that you can preserve your color. You are a branch, virgin: do not bend and bow to the ground, so that the color of your father’s root may appear on you. 60. You are a locked garden, maiden, keep your fruits. The thorns must not grow in you, and let (only) the grapes shine in you. You, daughter, are a locked garden: no one should violate the fence of your chastity, for it is written: “And whoever destroys the fence will be bitten by... a serpent” (Eccl. 10:8). And let them destroy only that one (fence) about which it is written: why was the fence broken (Gen. 38, 29). No one should destroy your walls, lest you be trampled upon. You are paradise, maiden, beware of (the fall of) Eve. 61. You are a sealed source, virgin; no one should defile your waters, so that you can always see your image in your source. 62. You are the closed gate, maiden; no one shall open your door, which the Holy and True One, who has the key of David, once closed; He opens and no one closes; He only shuts and no one opens (Apoc. 3:7). He has opened the Scriptures for you, and no one should shut them; He has sealed your chastity, and no one must open it. 63. “I am coming soon,” says (John the Theologian), “hold the hedgehog, so that no one will receive your crown” (Apoc. 3:11). What kind of crown is this? This is the one about whom it is said: “And you will have a crown of kindness in the hand of the Lord” (Is. 62:3). 64. Who says this? Of course, the one about which Ecclesiastes said: “there is one and there is no second” (Eccl. 4:8). Who is this? The one, of course, about whom it is said: “For there is only one teacher, Christ” (Matthew 23:10). He is one because He is the only begotten Son of God; He is one, because He is the only one, as it is written: “The sky is one, and he walks on the sea as on the earth” (Job 9:8). He, therefore, is not the second, for He is the first; He is not the second, for He is one: “There is one God the Father, from Him are all things, and we are with Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by Him we are all things” (1 Cor. 8:6). There is one God the Father, and one God the Son, and one Holy Spirit, as it is written: “But all these things work by one and the same Spirit, dividing (the power) to each as he wills” (1 Cor. 12:11) One, he says, for there is one God. There is no one second, for He does what He wants, and not what is commanded. So, there is one God the Father and one Son of God. One and one, for there are no two gods. There is one Son, for He is one with the Father, as He himself said: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). And the Spirit is one, for there is a unity of the Trinity (unitas Trinitatis), not divided either by order or time. 65. But the following words are quoted: go, baptize the pagans “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19); here they indicate that first (the evangelist) named the Father, secondly the Son and thirdly the Holy Spirit. But the question is, is it possible, on the basis that the Gospel says: “in the beginning... the Word and the Word was to God” (John 1:1), (one should conclude) that it places the Father lower, since it first mentioned the Word of God, that It is and was in the beginning? Or when the Apostle says: “in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Eph. 5:5), is he really indicating order in this case? Or when the Lord Himself says: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for the sake of anointing me, to bring good news to the poor,... to preach release to the captives” (Luke 4:18), then does He really testify by this that the Spirit is superior to the Son of God? 66. You see, maiden, how these (perplexities) are resolved. Open your ears and shut your lips; open your ears to hear (the teaching of) faith; close your lips to maintain reverence. 67. Further, they point out that He said “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” But at the same time they do not take into account what He prefaced this by saying: “in the name.” He pointed to three persons (tres personas), but gave one name of the Trinity. 68. So, there is one God, one name, one deity, one greatness. There is, therefore, no second, for the beginning of everything is the Trinity, and the primacy (primatus) of the Trinity is over everything. So, there is one (God) and there is no second. One is He Who has no second; for He is the only one without sin, He alone has no helper, as He (Himself) says: “And He looked, and was not without a helper” (Is. 63:5). 69. “There is no end... to his work” (Eccl. 4:8), for He is the intercessor for us all before the Father, He accepted our infirmities, suffers for us, for our sake is weak, as it is said: “He was sick and they did not visit Me” (Matthew 25:43). 70. “Below His eye is filled with riches” (Eccl. 4:8), for He Himself is the depth of wealth, wisdom and understanding of God; in Him are the treasures of heavenly mysteries. Why, one may ask, do we, who must serve only this Master and no one else, work more for this age and deceive our souls of the gift of such great goodness? 71. So He is not the second. I, of course, omit the evidence of this position: after all, from the books I see that He is the first, from them I see that He is not the second. And those who call Him second, let them prove their position also from books. 72. Someone will say that here it is written: “The first man is from the earth with a ring, the second man from heaven is from heaven” (1 Cor. 15:47). But look into what (the apostle) says here. “Second,” he says, “man,” he called him, as it were, a second man. And I affirm that he is first in divinity, before whom there is nothing, but he is second in flesh, because he is after Adam. 73. I affirm even more: I call Him not only the second man, but even the last (novissimum). After all, this is what is written: “The first man Adam was a living soul, the last Adam a life-giving spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45). Notice Christ's mercy: He is both the first and the last; He who was first became last for our sake. He is the first, for through Him all things (were created); He is the last, for through Him Himself there was resurrection. In fact, He descended and gave Himself up to death (ut caderet), He humbled Himself above all others, in order to exalt all who lay down. 74. That is why Ecclesiastes says: “For if one falls (from them), another will raise up his partaker: and woe to that one if he falls, and there will not be another to raise him up. And if two fall asleep, they will be warm, but one will be warm” (Eccl. 4:10-11). This means that he who has Christ with him, even if he falls, will rise; if he dies, he lives, for he remains with the one who came to send fire to the earth (Luke 12:49). Therefore, Elisha, resurrecting the boy, blew on him in order to pour (into him) the warmth of life. So, keep this fire in your chest so that it will resurrect you, so that the cold of eternal death does not creep up on you. 75. So, this young man, who came through Mary, appeared and poured the warmth of life into the hearts of those listening (to him). That’s why they say to Him in the Gospel: “Wasn’t my heart sorrowful when I told you the Scriptures” (Luke 24:32). 76. Isn’t this the second young man about whom Ecclesiastes speaks: “I saw all the living walking under the sun with the second young man who would rise in his place” (Eccl. 4:15)? And who will be resurrected instead of Christ, since He was resurrected for everyone, and in Him, having received the hope of resurrection, everyone was resurrected? 77. If you compare this passage with the blessing or prophecy of Jacob, who says about Judah: “who will stir him up” (Gen. 49:9), then it will be clear to you that this is talking about Christ. In any case, not anyone else, but He Himself resurrected Himself, as He Himself says: “I will destroy this Church and raise it up in three days” (John 2:19). He spoke this about the church of His body. 78. It is also entirely befitting of Christ alone that what is said next: “there is no end to all people” (Eccl. 4:16); indeed, the people of Christ have no end; faith in the resurrection imparts to him eternal, endless life. So, it is certain that in the flesh He is called a youth, but in the flesh He dies (cadere) and rises again (resurgere). In the same sense, of course, it was further added that the best young man is “a poor but intelligent young man” (Eccl. 4:13): indeed, He became poor, although He was rich. 79. And so, the King of Israel himself passed through these gates, the leader himself sat in them; it was then when “the Word became flesh and dwelt” in us (John 1:14), sitting like a King in the royal palace of the virgin womb, in this blazing “konob”, as it is written: Moab is the palace of hope, or: “Moab is the palace of my hope” (Ps. 59:10). In various lists, it should be noted, both appear (reading). The royal palace is a virgin who is not subject to her husband, but only to God alone. And konob is the womb of Mary, which, having given birth to the Savior, filled the entire universe with the warmth of the Spirit that descended on her. 80. Undoubtedly, sitting in (these) gates, He ate that food about which He says: “It is my goodness to eat, that I may do the will of him who sent me and finish his work” (John 4:34). 81. Oh, the riches of Mariina’s virginity! She heated up like a meager vessel and like a cloud shed the grace of Christ onto the earth! After all, this is written about her: behold, the Lord comes sitting on a light cloud (Isa. 19:1). Truly easy, for she did not know the burden of marriage; truly - easy, for she lightened this world from a heavy sinful growth. Light was she who bore the remission of sins in her womb. So she strengthened even John, who was still in the womb (Luke 1:41), who rejoiced at her voice and, being a baby, jumped joyfully and was inspired by the feeling of the vow before being filled with the breath of the life-giving spirit. 82. So, accept, accept, sacred virgins, the spiritual rain of this cloud - this is the dissolution of bodily ardor - and extinguish with it all bodily flames, and moisten your inner thoughts with it. Our fathers told us about the rain of this sacred cloud (Ps. 71:6), that it would be the salvation of the world. The coming of this rain was marked by those raindrops that fell on the ground, which Jeroboam asked for and received (Judges 6:36). Follow this good cloud, which produced from itself a fountain that watered the entire universe. Receive the rain of favor (voluntariam pluviam), the rain of blessing that the Lord has poured down on his inheritance. Receive the water and hold it within yourself; being a cloud, let (Mary) wash and water you with sacred moisture; being a meager vessel, let it warm you with the soaring of the eternal spirit. 83. So, accept from this “konob of Moab” the ointment of heavenly grace, and do not be afraid that there will not be enough of it, since it has been poured out and is being poured out more and more, and its fragrance has spread throughout the whole earth, as it is written: “Thy name has been poured out with ointment: for this reason did I love thee” (Song. 1, 2). Let this myrrh penetrate into the very depths of the heart and into the recesses of the depths (of the soul); Through this ointment, Saint Mary was fragrant not with worldly delights, but with the breath of divine grace. 84. This rain extinguished the lust (appetentiam) of Eve; this ointment destroyed the stench of hereditary sin; Mary, the sister of Lazarus, poured this ointment on the Lord’s feet, and the whole house then began to smell fragrant, filled with the fragrance of piety (John 12:3). 85. Let no one consider herself poor, let no one recognize herself as poor, let no one fear that she will not be able to buy this precious world, and let no one think that this source is subject to sale. “You who are thirsty,” says (the prophet Isaiah), “go to the water, and do not have any silver, but go and buy... and drink without money” (Is. 55:1). And above he says: “You sold the tuna quickly and did not get rid of the money” (Is. 52:3). The Lord, being rich, became poor for this purpose, so that everyone could buy Him, and especially so that He could enrich the poor with His poverty. 86. So, prepare the vessels of the Lord, and receive this source of living water - a source of virginity, the ointment of chastity, the fragrance of faith, a flower garden filled with the grace of sweet mercy. Clothe yourself with the integrity of that Lamb, who, when He was reviled, did not revile each other, and when He suffered, did not make threats (1 Peter 2:23). 87. Imitate, daughter, the one to whom the prophet’s prediction about the Church is fully applicable: “thy feet are adorned in thy shoes, daughters of Aminadab” (Song. 7:1); this (said) because the Church moves forward beautifully with the preaching of the Gospel. The soul that uses the body as shoes walks beautifully and can turn its feet wherever it wants without any hindrance. 88. In these shoes Mary walked beautifully: she, without any ordinary carnal confusion, being a virgin, gave birth to the author of salvation. That is why John excellently said: “I am not worthy to untie the thong of His sandals” (John 1:27), that is, I am not worthy to embrace the mystery of the incarnation with limited human thought and express it through wretched and poor (human) speech. This is why Isaiah also says: “Who can confess His generation” (Is. 53:8)? So, beautiful are the feet of both Mary and the Church, for beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel. 89. How wonderful is what is foretold about Mary under the image of the Church; of course, if only you pay attention not to the bodily members, but to the sacraments of His birth. This is what is said about her: “The rounding of your hips, like a necklace, is the work of a skilled artist; your belly is a round cup in which the fragrant wine does not run dry; your belly is a heap of wheat, surrounded by lilies” (Song. 7, 2-3). This means that the descent (ortus) of Christ from the Virgin, extending to everyone, lightened our yoke and crowned the necks of the faithful with signs of virtues, just as victors in worldly battles usually decorate the necks of active men with necklaces granted to them. 90. And in fact, the womb of this Mary is a round cup in which Wisdom dissolved her wine, promoting the fullness of her Divinity with the unfading grace of divine knowledge. 91. In this virgin womb, at the same time, there was a heap of wheat, and the beautiful flower of a lily also grew, and indeed (Mary) gave birth to a grain of wheat and a lily. A grain of wheat - as it is written about this: “Amen, amen, I say to you: although a grain of wheat falls on the ground and dies, it remains alone” (John 12:24). And that from one grain of wheat a heap was formed - in this regard the following prophecy was fulfilled: “and the abundance will multiply the wheat” (Ps. 64:14); and indeed, this dead grain bore very abundant fruit. This grain, thus, satisfied all people with the eternal food of heavenly gifts, and in this case the saying of the prophetic lips, which was said by the same David, was fulfilled: “drink them from the fatness of the wheat, and satisfy them from the honey of the stone” (Ps. 80:17). 92. According to the testimony of divine sayings, this grain also contains a lily; for it is written: “I am a full color and a full grain. Like a thorn among thorns” (Song 2, 1–2). Christ was precisely the lily among the thorns when he was among the Jews. 93. Listen, virgin, to what (Scripture) says: Christ, it says, is “the lily of the valleys,” that is, the souls of the humble and meek. So, be meek, humble and quiet, so that Christ may grow in you like a lily. And in another place it is written about Him: “His mouth is full of wine, dripping myrrh” (Song. 5:13), that is, those who speak about the suffering of Christ, glorify (Him) with their lips and wear the mortification (mortification) of Him in their body - the essence of the lilies of Christ; in particular (such are) sanctified virgins who have virginity. That is why the majority is inclined to the position that the following words belong to the Church: “I am a full flower and a rich vine” (Song 2:1): it is the Church in this vale of this world that exudes the sweetness of the incense through the confession of selfless piety. And in another place it also says: “My brother went to his Vertograd, to the place of aroma, to graze in Vertograd and collect krin. I am my brother, and my brother is mine, shepherding in the krineh” (Song. 6, 1–2). 94 So from this womb of Mary a heap of wheat was poured out into this world, fenced with lilies; this happened when Christ was born from her, to whom the prophet David says: “Bless the crown of the summer of your goodness, and your fields will be filled with fatness: the borders of the desert will become fat, and the hills will be girded with joy. The rams are clothed, and the harvest will multiply the wheat: they will call and sing” (Ps. 64:12-14). 95. What kind of summer of the Lord's goodness is this? This is, of course, about which it is said: “I listened to you in a pleasant time, and in the day of salvation I helped you” (Is. 49:8); this is the summer when the Church began to abound in the faith of the peoples and clothed the priests with the truth. Therefore, the apostle says: “Now is the time acceptable, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2); this is the time when the Lord came to preach the pleasant summer of the Lord and the day of recompense (Isaiah 59:2), as He Himself mentioned in His Gospel, saying: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, His is the anointing of Me” (Luke 4:18). 96. So, this is when the Lord crowned the time of His coming with His deeds, glory and honor. In fact, His entire time in the world was a struggle with various sufferings. As a baby, He defeated Herod, triumphing over him during the massacre of the infants. He hungered, thirsted, was strangled for our sake, endured the shame of reproach for our sake, ascended to the cross and died for our sake. 97. You see how great the feats are! And yet He, whose only wealth was the crown of heavenly virtue, was not an acquisitive seeker of reward. Therefore, you, daughters of Jerusalem, do the same as the divine Scripture exhorts you in the (book) Song of Songs: “go and see... King Solomon in the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his marriage, a day of joy for his heart,” since he acquired love for himself from the daughters of Jerusalem (Song. 3, 11, 10). This means: get away from this tightness and bodily sorrow, get away from this carnal delusion, free yourself from the flesh, so that you have the opportunity to be with the Lord, for those who are in the flesh cannot please their Lord (Rom. 8:8). Therefore, it is said that you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if you began to acquire from this true peacemaker Solomon the same love that He acquired for himself, and for which he was crowned with his matter. 98. Blessed is the mother of Jerusalem, blessed is also the womb of Mary, which crowned so great a Lord. She crowned Him when she conceived (formavit); crowned Him when she gave birth; because although she conceived Him without any of her participation - for the Holy Spirit descended on the Virgin, which is why He himself says: “Thy eyes have seen what I have not done” (Ps. 139:16), - however, by the very fact that she conceived and gave birth to Him for the common salvation, she placed on His head the crown of eternal love (pietatis), so that by the faith of those who believe (in Him) Christ would become the head of every man. So, the flesh of Christ was not made: Mary conceived Him, remaining a virgin, (according to the laws) of some extraordinary and new mystery of the Incarnation 44 without any participation (admixtione) of the seed of the husband; the grace of the divine economy received (only) flesh from the virgin and formed from it the members of an immaculate man - the last Adam. 99 You hear about man, but understand more than man, for it is written: “Do not boil a lamb in its mother’s baby” (Ex. 34:26). And in another place it is written: “And man is, and who knows him” (Jer. 17:9). That is why you should not evaluate this Lamb, in whom “every fulfillment of the Godhead is bodily” (Col. 2:9), from the point of view of the powers of the human condition and conclude about the greatness of incomprehensible power from the point of view of powerless and weak (degeneris) knowledge. Look: even Jacob did not boil in milk that food of perfect faith, with which 45 Isaac his father so delighted that in prophetic insight he gave him all the benefit of the blessing. That is why the apostle wrote that liquid, easily acceptable milk serves as food for learning, saying this: “Whoever partakes of milk is not skilled in the word of righteousness” (Heb. 5:13), because he is an infant; and only the perfect enjoy solid food. 100. And you, daughter, take that robe woven by the labor of a pious wife, who opens her hands to the poor and whose lamp does not go out all night (Proverbs 31:19-22), - dress in it and bring such a dinner to your father that he, praising prudence and love for a pious vow even at such a young age, will say: “What is this that you have soon found” daughter ( Gen. 27, 20)? And he will then say to you: “Come closer to me, daughter,” and, smelling the stench of your garments, he will bless you, saying: “Behold, the stench of my daughter is filled with the stench of the fields, which the Lord bless; and may God give you abundance from the dew of heaven and from the fatness of the earth” (Gen. 27:27-28). And then he will add: “He who curses you is cursed, but he who bless you is blessed.” (Gen.27, 29) 101. Dressed in this robe, Jacob saw a man and asked a blessing from him as from the Lord God (Gen. 32:26), and called that place: “the sight of God” (Gen. 32:30). Dressed in these clothes, he saw the clothes of Christ, about which he says: “he will dry his clothes with wine” (Gen. 49:11). And he also blessed Joseph, saying: “Joseph is brought back, my son is brought back, zealous, my youngest son, turn to me” (Gen. 49:22): he marked (here) the image of the Lord’s resurrection. And then he added: “The blessing of your father and your mother prevailed over the blessings of the abiding mountains and the wishes of the eternal hills” (Gen. 49:26), i.e.: (prevailed) over the king of grace 46. 102. Take this robe, and you will be clothed with Christ and renewed in the knowledge of Him. In other words: as the chosen one of God, you put on the bounties of mercy (viscera misericordiae), goodness, humility, patience, meekness and love, which is the union of unity (unitatis vinculum - cf. Colossians 3, 12, 14); Do not be obligated to anyone for anything, love only your sister mutually and do not envy her grace; if you see that she is more perfect, then, on the contrary, imitate her, and then the peace of Christ and grace will be in you, then the Word of God will dwell in your heart, and you will escape the thoughts of this world. 103. Once you have died to the world, do not touch it any more - I pray you - and do not touch what belongs to this world (Col. 2:20), but always in psalms, songs and spiritual songs, withdraw from conversion in this world, singing not to man, but to God. And as Saint Mary acted, so do you in your heart (Luke 2:19). Like a good lamb, chew the divine commandments with your lips, so that you too can say: “I will mock at your wonders” (Ps. 119:27). Let your soul not slumber or languish in tears (stillet) from boredom. After all, humidity during winter drives a person even from his home (Proverbs 27:15); a perfect soul, which does not have too heavy sinful wells, does not shed tears. She remains in her home and joyfully enjoys her new, immaculate life. And if she is embarrassed by something, then say: “Strengthen me in your words” (Ps. 119:28). 104. Now, having considered everything, I turn with prayer to You, gracious Father. We offer unceasing gratitude to Your Mercy for the fact that in the consecrated virgins we see on earth the angelic life that we once lost in paradise. And so that you could imitate the zeal of virgins and affirm in virtue, so that you could praise the glory of virginity, you could do the best thing, that God was born of a Virgin. Crime (culpa) brought us more benefit than harm: it was in Him that our redemption found a divine gift. 105. And Your Only Begotten Son Himself, intending to come to earth in order to receive (suscepere) what was lost, could not find a more pure birth for His flesh, how to choose for His dwelling the palace of the heavenly Virgin, who was both the sanctuary of immaculate chastity and the church of God. 106. And should we also say here that by the power of Your divine gift, the Virgin Mary, together with the saints Moses and Aaron, walked the Jewish camp across the waters? I will leave the ancient ones (examples), I will not look for private ones (examples): this glory is enough for a virgin family. 107. I beg You, look at this servant of yours, who has chosen to serve You, who has doomed her soul to You, who has chosen the feat of chastity. Out of priestly duty, I offer her as a sacrifice to You, out of parental feeling, I entrust her, so that You, the merciful Bishop (propitius et praesul), would grant her that grace, by the power of which she could gain the Bridegroom who dwells in the heavenly secret palaces, be worthy to behold Him, enter the palace of her King-God and be worthy to hear His following words addressed to her: “Come.” from Lebanon, bride, come from Lebanon: come and pass from the beginning of faith" (Song. 4:8); i.e.: leaving the temporary, she moved into eternity. 108. So, look, Father, on your gift, for the sanctification of which you did not ask anyone’s advice, but without (the participation of) any supplicant or mediator, you bestowed upon it such great grace, which no one could believe before the divine revelation - (could not believe) that a virgin would bear God in her womb. Under the influence of the demonstrated advantages of this gift, jealousy for virginity (now) increases, and at the same time, examples of holy chastity become more frequent. It is precisely these advantages that Thy servant is attracted to such grace-filled virtue. Let her appear before Thy throne and bring not the golden hair of a golden-colored hairstyle, characteristic of a wedding veil, but those hairs with which the Gospel wife, Saint Mary, wiped the feet of Christ with tender care and at the same time filled the whole house with the fragrance of shed myrrh (John 12:3), - let her offer these hairs for sanctification through the holy bedspread 109. Here comes a young woman who is not oppressed by the sorrow so desired among those entering into marriage, neither by wedding celebrations, nor by gifts, nor by the burden of an idle womb; on the contrary, she asks for the immaculate fruits of faith and piety, in order to receive in her womb from the Holy Spirit, and, having become non-idle, give birth to God the spirit of salvation. And so, so that she can succeed in her grace-filled merits, You, Almighty Father God, extend to her the help of favor. After all, the gift of chastity is not (for her) the only one. Let the hair of immaculate virginity still be girded with modesty, sobriety, and abstinence; let her, strengthened by a crowd of virtues, adorned with the scarlet covering of the blood of the Lord, bear in her body the mortification (mortificationem) of the Lord Jesus. After all, the robe of virtues is the best veil with which guilt (culpa) is covered and innocence is revealed. 110. So, with this robe, which can be clean at any time, and clothe your servant - indeed, everything that comes and cannot be darkened by any sin remains pure - then in justice it will be possible to say to her: “for... your creation is pleasing to God” (Eccl. 9:7). And may the garments (given by You) be clean at all times, may the oil on her head not be exhausted, so that she can kindle her mysterious torches; so that when the Bridegroom comes, she, along with those wise virgins, will be recognized as worthy of the heavenly palace, and may illuminate the gift of her holy service (professionis) with the light of piety, faith and achievement (gravitatis.). 111. So, look, Father of love and glory, on Your servant, so that she, as if in a closed garden and a sealed source, preserves the keys of her chastity and the seal of fidelity. Let her learn to cultivate her field, which Saint James cultivated, and may she reap fruits from it sixty-fold and a hundred-fold. For the virtues and virtues of this field, increase grace in it and strengthen love. Let her find her Beloved, let her hold him and not let him go until she receives those beneficial wounds of love that are placed above kisses. With constant readiness let her be awake day and night with all her spirit and mind, so that the Word does not ever find her asleep. And since her Beloved, in order to experience favor, desires to be constantly sought after, let her run after Him when He moves away, let her faith and soul “go forth into Thy Word” (Song. 5, 6), move from the body and be with God. Let her heart remain awake and her body indulge in sleep, so that she does not begin to lapse into sins. 112. Add, O Lord, other beauties of holy virginity, add a non-slothful, pious way of life, so that she knows how to control her vessel, knows how to humble herself, maintain love, this fence of truth, the stronghold of chastity. Even if the pines and cypresses do not exceed her cover, and the turtle doves do not exceed her innocence, and the doves do not exceed her simplicity. May there be simplicity in her heart, moderation in her words, modesty in her attitude towards others, love for her neighbors, mercy for the needy and poor. Let her preserve all that is good, and abstain from all manifestations of evil. Let the blessing of the dying come upon her, and let the lips of the widow bless her (Job 29:13). 113. “Put... like a seal on her heart, like a seal on your word” (Song. 8:6); so that Christ would shine in all her thoughts and deeds, so that she would listen to Christ and talk about Christ. Let neither abundant water, nor a sword, nor the danger of persecution be able to extinguish her love; but being established in every good deed and word, may she be clothed with Thy glory and may she live in Thy grace in this world. Sanctify her in truth, strengthen her in virtue, establish her in love and elevate her with Your divine protection, for her chastity and purity in heavenly glory and to an incorruptible and immaculate crown, so that she may walk there in the footsteps of the Lamb, shepherd and rest at noon and not enter into the flock of fellows (Song. I, 6; Rev. 14, 4), but mingling with Your lambs, she remained without stumbling as a companion of the virgins, a follower of Mary. 114. So, go forth, Lord Jesus, on the day of Your betrothal, accept who has long since committed herself to You in spirit, and now has made her very vows (professione), fulfill her with the knowledge of Your will, lead her from the beginning to salvation, in sanctification of the spirit and faith in the truth, so that Your servant may say: “Thou hast restrained my hand, and with Thy counsel has established Thou art me, and thou hast received me with glory” (Ps. 73:23-24). Open Your hand and fill her soul with blessing, save the one who trusts in You, so that she may become a vessel consecrated to honor, useful to the Lord, tested for every good work, by the power of the eternal cross and to the glory of the venerable Trinity, Whose is honor, glory, fulfillment (perpetuitas), to God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, from everlasting, and now, and ever, and to all things forever and ever. Amen. inusitato quodam novoque incarnationis mysterio. Super regem gratiae, - according to one reading adopted by Min and which served as the basis for our translation; super legem gratia - according to another reading, which refers to the idea of ​​​​the superiority of grace over the law. You might be interested in: