About the Holy Virgin and Mother of God Mary

All celebrations in honor of martyrs, bringing to memory the shining of the stars, are worthy of attention. Just as the stars in the sky stand unshakably on the firmament, and due to the difference in distance, one appears larger than the other, and illuminates the entire circle of the earth, and the same star is visible among the Indians, and is not hidden among the Scythians, on the mainland it shines, and the sea illuminates, and shows the way to sailors, we do not know their names due to their large number, but we are amazed at their beauty and brilliance, so is each of the saints. Indeed, although their remains are confined in tombs, their power is not limited to the heavenly regions. And that what has been said is true, you can verify in practice. Palestine contains the remains of Abraham, and his tent rivals Paradise, because God, who there pronounced condemnation on Adam, was here received by the patriarch as a guest. One cave contains the bones of Joseph, and the ends of the universe marvel at his exploits in Egypt. Moses' grave remains unknown to us, but despite this, even after his death, it proclaims the one who divided the Red Sea with a rod. We do not know where Isaiah is buried; and the whole church, according to his prophecy, proclaims: “Behold, the Virgin is with child and will give birth to a Son” (Is. 7:14). Daniel was buried in Babylon, and cried out to the whole earth: “Behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven” (Dan. 7:13). Ananias and the youths who were with him in Babylon died; but the whole universe, following their example, cries out daily: “Bless all the works of the Lord” (Dan. 3:57). Ezekiel in Persia is buried in the earth, but cries with the cherubim: “Blessed is the glory of the Lord from his place” (Ezek. 3:12). Thus, the devil did not receive any benefit by killing Adam in paradise, because God, through death, opened the door of complete freedom to the righteous. But no matter how amazing the tombs of the saints may be, nothing is as glorious as a real celebration. Abel is remembered for his sacrifice, Enoch is honored because he pleased God, Melchizedek is hailed as the image of God, Abraham is praised for his faith, Isaac is praised for his archetype, Jacob is honored for his struggle, Joseph is honored for his chastity, Job is honored for his patience, Moses is blessed as a lawgiver, Joshua is praised as a military leader, Sampson is blessed as the interlocutor of God, Elijah is witnessed as a zealot, Isaiah is depicted as a theologian, Daniel is honored as a sage, Ezekiel is admired as a contemplator of mysteries, David is glorified as the father of mystery according to the flesh, Solomon is admired as a sage; but nothing can compare with Mary the Mother of God. The One Whom all those saw only in fortune-telling, she herself bore incarnate in her womb; and nothing hindered the ineffable economy of God the Word. Pregnancy? But suffering is material, and the Word is alien to suffering and burden. The depth of such humiliation? But the Divinity is not limited. Fel? But, having transformed it, It did not accept uncleanness, and having incarnated in it, and being born from it, was not defiled; on the contrary, love for mankind brings more glory to the King. Birth? But it did not diminish the One who is without beginning. Birth-related incarnation? But the divine nature did not suffer any change. He had a mother according to the flesh, but He did not lose what He was without a mother according to divinity. Nursery? But He did not lose the bosom of the Father. Cave? But the Trinity never left the throne. So, people will not find anything like the Mother of God Mary. O man, mentally go through all creation and see if there is anything equal or greater than the Holy Mother of God Mary; walk around the earth, examine the sea, be curious in the air, search mentally the heavens, think about all the invisible forces, and tell me, is there another similar miracle in all creation? The heavens proclaim the glory of God, the angels serve with fear, the archangels bow with trepidation, the cherubim, unable to bear, tremble, the seraphim do not approach, but, flying around with trepidation, cry out: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts! the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3)! The sea trembled at His voice, the clouds tremblingly served as His chariot as He ascended to heaven, the sun, unable to bear His humiliation, shuddered, hell spewed out the dead in fear. The guards, seeing You, fell on their faces in fear, the mountain began to smoke with Your coming, the thorn bush, unable to bear the vision, caught fire, the Jordan, frightened, turned back, the sea, fearful of the rod, divided, submitting to the Lord’s blow, the rod of Aaron for the sake of the image, contrary to nature, blossomed, the fire in Babylon was ashamed of the number of the Trinity. And now list these extraordinary phenomena, and be imbued with the surprise of the Virgin’s victory: namely, Whom all creation sang with fear and trembling, He alone She inexplicably conceived in her womb. Through her all women are blessed: the female race is no longer under a curse. She had such a Branch, thanks to which she surpassed the angels in glory. Eve was healed, the Egyptian was curbed, Delilah was buried, Jezebel was forgotten, Herodias was forgotten: now the names of completely different wives are the subject of attention. Sarah is praised as a cultivated field of nations, Rebekah is honored as a cunning mediator of blessings, worthy of attention and Leah, as a mother according to the flesh of the ancestor, Deborah is praised, despite her gender, commanding the army, Elizabeth is blessed, as she graciously accepted the beating in her womb of the Forerunner, Mary is worthy of worship, because she became a mother, and a slave, and a cloud, and a bridal chamber, and an ark for the Lord. She was a mother because she gave birth to the one who wanted to be born; a slave - because her nature must be recognized when preaching about the grace given to her; a cloud, - because from the Holy Spirit she conceived Him whom she gave birth to without passion; the bridal chamber - because God the Word dwelt in it, as in the bridal chamber; ark - because it did not carry the law, but contained the Lawgiver within itself. Therefore let us say to her: “Blessed are you among women”: you alone healed the sorrow of Eve, you alone wiped away the tears of the weeping one, you alone brought the price for the redemption of the world, you alone were entrusted with the pearl of great price, you alone conceived without lust and gave birth without suffering, you alone gave birth to Emmanuel, as He himself favored. “Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb” (Luke 1:42), and not the seed, - the color, and not the passion, - the radiance, and not the creation, - co-throne [with the Father], and not the slave, - the sun, and not the sand, - the One who is worshiped, and not the creature, - the Redeemer, and not the debtor. “Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb!” For everyone, the prophet praised you enough, exclaiming: “Behold, the Virgin will receive with child.” He pointed to the miracle and kept silent about how it would happen. "And she will give birth to a Son." Pointed to the birth, but did not call it illegal. “And they will call His name Immanuel” (Is. 7:14). He spoke about the secret and thundered about the name. “What does it mean: God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). Foretold the born God and silenced the lips of the Jews. “God is with us,” and error has died out, God is with us, and circumcision is limited, God is with us, and the demons have fled, God is with us, and the devil has been cast down, God is with us, and the font never ceases to revive, God is with us, and kings honor piety, God is with us, and the churches are filled to the point of crowding, God is with us, and death has become a dream, God is with us, and the dead, rejoicing in freedom, exclaim: “not an angel, not an intercessor, but the Lord himself came and saved us” 1 (Isa. 13:9)! To him be glory forever. The translation is given according to the Septuagint. – I.N. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and classified in the Minya edition as Spuria.