On Vaii

1. Let us go, brothers, from miracles to miracles of the Lord, let us rush as if from strength to strength. Just as in a golden chain consisting of rings, each ring holds one another and each of the connected ones touches one another and accompanies each other, so the miracles of the holy gospels mutually direct from one to another the Church of God, which loves festivities, and delights it not with perishable food, but with that which abides in eternal life. So, here we are today, beloved, with heartfelt readiness and attentive ears, let us listen to what the Lord God tells us through the prophets and in the gospels about the divinity of this holiday. “He says, of course, “peace on His people... and on their saints, and on those who turn their hearts to Him” (Ps. 84:9). Now the prophetic trumpets have awakened the universe, and made the churches of the Lord everywhere joyful and decorated with branches, and, having freed the faithful from exercising in holy fasts and in the struggle with passions, they taught them to sing the song of victory and (revealed) a new spectacle of the world in honor of the Conqueror Christ. Come therefore, all of you, let us rejoice in the Lord; Come, all nations, let us clap our hands and shout to God our Savior with the voice of joy! No one should be deprived of joy, no one should be left without an invitation, because a seed has been born for the destruction of the unbelievers. Let no one be unreasonable when meeting the king, lest he be locked outside the bridal chamber. Let no one among us be sad or angry when we meet, so as not to become condemned along with the evil citizens; and I call the citizens who did not want to accept the Lord the King as evil. Let us all gather with joy, welcome you with readiness and celebrate the holiday in the most solemn manner. Instead of the clothes (which were once spread along His path), let us open our hearts before Him, let us rush to Him with psalms, songs and thanksgiving, and let us continually exclaim: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:39, Luke 13:35)! After all, by glorifying Him, we ourselves receive a blessing, and by cursing Him, we ourselves fall under a curse. Again and again I will talk about the same thing and will not cease to inspire you with good things: come, beloved, let us glorify the Blessed One, so that you ourselves may receive a blessing from Him! This word gathered every age and dignity for the same purpose - to glorify the Lord: “kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all the judges of the earth, young men and maidens” (Ps. 149:11-12). The novelty of the miracle is that He entrusted the young and innocent age of babies and infants to begin glorifying the Lord, just as in ancient times Moses and the people he brought from Egypt sang the song inspired by God: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Now blessed David rejoices with joy, having lost the lyre stolen from him by his children; participating with them in spirit and triumphant, as before in the face of the ark of God, he sings with them and joyfully exclaims: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” We will ask him: tell us, prophet, who is this “He who comes in the name of the Lord”? It is not my place, he says, to teach now: this was given to babes by the One who, from the mouths of babes and living creatures, created praise for the destruction of the enemy and the avenger, so that through this miracle “the hearts of the fathers would be converted to the children, and the disobedient way of thinking of the righteous” (Luke 1:17). Tell me, children, where did you get this wonderful and pleasant competition and song? Who taught? Who made it smart? Who collected it? Where are the writing tablets? Who are the teachers? Accept, they answer, to take part in the celebration and singing with us, and you will learn what was in the desires of Moses and the other prophets. And so, after we have bowed down and the children have given us the hand of fellowship, come, beloved, let us also imitate the round dance appropriate for God, and together with the apostles we will accompany Him who ascended into the heaven of heaven to the east and was carried along the earth on the jugular, as He himself pleased. Together with the children, we will raise the branches and greet them with them, so that the Holy Spirit will inspire us, and we will harmoniously lift up this song inspired by God: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Hosanna in the highest" (Matthew 21:9)! Now Patriarch Jacob spiritually celebrates the holiday, seeing his prophecy fulfilled in practice and tying his foal to the vine mounted on a colt (Gen. 49:11), and spiritually bows down with the believers. Now a foal is being prepared, the most dumb animal of the dumb, as a testimony to the obedience of the new people of the pagans; and children signify their infancy in the knowledge of God. Now the King of glory is prophetically glorified on earth and proclaims the sons of the earth to be participants in the heavenly celebration, to show that He is the Lord of both, heaven and earth, being sung in agreement by both parties with the Father and the Spirit. Therefore, the highest, proclaiming salvation on earth, praised: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts! the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isa. 6:3); those on earth, celebrating the heavenly joy, exclaimed: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ...hosanna in the highest" (Matthew 21:9)! Some praised: “Blessed is the glory of the Lord from his place” (Ezek. 3:12), while others theologized: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”! 2. When all this happened in this order and when the disciples triumphed over the miracles they had seen and said: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; glory in the highest... and peace on earth” (Luke 13:35, 2:14), the city began to move, asking: “Who is this” (Matthew 21:10)? - arousing inveterate envy against the glory of the Lord. When you hear of a city, think of an ancient, disorderly gathering of synagogues. They, foolish ones, ask: “Who is this?” - as if they had not yet seen the Benefactor, who was abundantly famous for his divine miracles. But the darkness did not hide the never-ending light shining in it! Therefore, Isaiah once cried out directly against them, saying: “Hear, you deaf, and see, you blind, that you may see. Who is as blind as My servant, and deaf as My messenger, sent by Me? Who is as blind as the beloved, as blind as the servant of the Lord? You saw a lot, but did not notice; The ears were open, but I did not hear” (Isa. 42:18–20). Do you see, beloved, the accuracy of the predictions? Do you see how the foreseeing divine Spirit, through his saints, announces the future in advance, just as the present? After all, the ungrateful saw, and through miracles they seemed to touch God the Wonderworker with their hands, and yet they remained in unbelief: they saw how a man blind from birth received sight and loudly proclaimed about the Lord; they saw how a paralytic, as if shackled by an illness for the rest of his life, was freed from illness by one command; saw Lazarus flee from death; They heard about walking on the sea - that He gave wine without cultivating grapes - He nourished us with bread obtained without labor; heard that demons are cast out, the sick become healthy; their streets testified to miracles, their roads announced healings to travelers; all Judea was full of good deeds - and now they ask: “Who is this?” Oh, the foolishness of people who falsely call themselves teachers! Oh, disobedient fathers! Oh, senseless elders! O seed of shameless Canaan, and not of God-fearing Judas! The children recognized the Creator, and the disobedient fathers asked: “Who is this?” The younger generation sang praises to God, but those who grew old in evil asked: “Who is this?” Babies talk about God, but older ones blaspheme; children piously perform sacred praise, and godless priests are impiously indignant? O cruel ones, who think of being righteous: turn your hearts to your children, learn the mysteries of God! The very fact that this is happening testifies that the One who is so glorified by unlearned tongues is God. “Search the Scriptures” (John 5:39), as you heard from the Master, because they testify of Him, and you will no longer distrust the miracle. Listen, ungrateful ones, to what the prophet Zechariah preaches to you. He says: “Rejoice for joy, daughter of Zion: ... behold, your King is coming to you, righteous and saving, meek, sitting on a donkey, and on the colt of a donkey who is the son of the yoke” (Zechariah 9:9). Why do you turn away from fun? Why do you love darkness when the sun shines? Why are you planning a war against an imperturbable world? If you are sons of Zion, then rejoice with your children: let the godliness of your children be a cause for joy for you. Learn from them who taught them, who collected them, where the teaching came from, what the new theology is and the ancient prophecy. If they have not been taught any of this by any of the people, but sing praises on their own, then know that this is the work of God, as it is written in the law: “Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings You have ordained praise” (Ps. 8:3, Matt. 21:16). So, double your joy, because you are the fathers of those who, following instruction from God, glorified what was not understood even by the elders. Therefore, turn your hearts to your children and do not close your eyes to the truth. If you yourself are such that when you hear you do not hear and when you see you do not see, then in vain do you forbid the children - they themselves will be your judges according to the word of the Savior (Matthew 12:27). And this is good, and this is what the prophet Isaiah predicted about you with others: “Therefore, this is what the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says about the house of Jacob: Then Jacob will not be ashamed, and his face will no longer turn pale. For when he sees his children among himself, the work of my hands, they will honor my name holy and holy the Holy One of Jacob, and revere the God of Israel. Then those who wander in spirit will learn wisdom, and those who are disobedient will learn obedience” (Isa. 29:22–24). Do you see, foolish Jew, from the above words, how the prophet foretells your shame due to your disobedience? At least from his words, learn that he proclaims the same solemn song of your children, inspired by God, which blessed David predicted, saying: “from the mouths of babes and sucklings you have ordained praise.” Therefore, either share their innocent joy with your children, or, abandoning piety, abandon them in our favor. And we will rejoice with them, we will celebrate and sing in a new language the song inspired by God. And just as Elder Simeon once met the Savior, and accepted the Lord of Ages into his arms like a baby, and declared Him Lord and God, so now, instead of the ununderstanding elders, the children came out to meet the Savior, like Simeon, and instead of hugging, they opened their branches and blessed the Lord and God sitting on a young foal, like on cherubim: “Hosanna to the Son of David! blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 21:9)! With them we too will proclaim: Blessed is God from God, the King of glory, who for our sake became poor among His own, in order to enrich us with His goodness; Blessed is he who came in humility and has to come again in glory: first, meek on a foal and glorified by children, so that what is written may be fulfilled: “We have seen your procession, O God, the procession of my God, my King in the holy place” (Ps. 67:25), and subsequently - terrible on the clouds, solemnly accompanied by angels and powers. Oh, the honeyed speech of children! Oh, the immaculate teaching of those pleasing to God! David, prophesying, hid the meaning under the letter, and the children, having opened the treasury, proclaimed the wealth with their tongues and loudly called everyone to enjoyment with a gracious word. Let us, too, draw from this inexhaustible wealth and with our hearts overflowing from the abundance of His gifts, let us continually proclaim: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” the true God, the Almighty from the Almighty, the Son in the name of the Father, the true King from the true King, who has an eternal and eternal kingdom, together with Him who begat Him. They have a common kingdom, and it is not an externally received honor that the Word assigns to the Son, not one that begins or increases or decreases, no, but natural and His own. After all, the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is one, just as there is one being and power. Therefore, with one worship we will serve the one Trinitarian Deity, beginningless, uncreated, unlimited and immense - because neither the Father will ever cease to be the Father, nor the Son will ever cease to be the Son and King, nor will the Holy Spirit cease to be what He is by hypostasis. Nothing in the Trinity will diminish, and eternity, fellowship and kingdom will never cease. The Son of God is not called the King because he became a man for us and overthrew our tormentor, having achieved this victory in the flesh over his constant enemy, but because He is the King because He is always Lord and God, just like the One who gave birth to Him; now the King, as he was before, and will be forever. Do not blaspheme the kingdom of Christ, heretic, so as not to dishonor the Parent. If you are a believer, come to Christ - our true God, without hiding behind your evil freedom. If you are a slave, serve the Master in fear. After all, under your passion to dispute everything hides, of course, not goodwill, but obvious enmity. And it is written: “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father” (John 5:23). 3. We, beloved, where we started, will return there again, proclaiming: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” the good and good Shepherd - he will voluntarily lay down His soul for his sheep! Just as hunters of wolves who destroy sheep catch them, presenting a sheep as bait, so the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4), offering himself as a man to the spiritual and soul-destroying wolves, caught those who once caught Adam. “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” God who comes against the devil, not clearly with His invisible power, but in the weakness of the flesh, to bind our strong adversary! “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” the King who overthrows the rapist not by His omnipotent power and wisdom, but by the madness, as they believed, of the cross, in order to steal prey from the serpent, wise in evil! “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” - the true against the liar, the Savior against the destroyer, the reconciliator against the author of enmity, the lover of mankind against the misanthrope! “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” the Lord is to save lost people, resolve error, bring those in darkness to light, destroy the lies of idols, and in return introduce saving knowledge of God, sanctify the world, destroy grave sin and the abomination of vain idolatry! “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” one of many, to free the pitiful human race from the hands of those who violate it and to protect the poor and unfortunate from their plunderers! “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” - pour wine and oil on those who have fallen into the hands of robbers and been left without attention or help! “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” in order to save us himself, in justification of the words of the prophet: “He did not forsake them, and the angel of His presence saved them” (Is. 63:9). Therefore, we bless you, Lord, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, blessed before the ages and forever: before the ages and hitherto incorporeally, now and forever with your divine and unchangeable and indivisible incarnation! Let us turn, however, to what follows. What does the divine evangelist say? When, he says, the Lord entered the church, “and the blind and lame came to Him in the church, and He healed them. When the high priests and scribes saw the miracles that He performed, and the children shouting in the church and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David” (Matthew 21:14–15), “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:39, Luke 13:35) they could not stand His glorification. And so they approached Him and said: “Do you hear what they say” (Matthew 21:16)? Aren't you embarrassed to be glorified as God? Aren't you angry when you hear from those who are not evil that which befits God alone? Didn’t God reveal in ancient times through the prophet: “I will not give My glory to another” (Is. 42:8)? Also: “You, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33)? Why is He generous, generous in mercy and slow to anger? Withstands the onslaught of attackers, delays irritation with defense, cites Scripture for his part, points out relevant evidence and does not cease to ask. That’s why he says: But haven’t you heard that I spoke through the prophets: then you will know, “I am the same who said: “Here am I!” ( Isa. 52:6 )? And this again you did not know: “from the mouths of babes and sucklings You made praise for the sake of Your enemies, in order to make the enemy and the avenger silent” (Ps. 8:3)? Do you who listen to the law and read the prophets deny Me, Whom was preached in the law? Do you, under the guise of piety, think to glorify God, not understanding that he who does not recognize Me and the Father does not recognize? After all, I came from the Father and came into the world, and My glory is also the glory of My Father. Having been thus exposed by our Savior God, the foolish stopped arguing, falling silent before the truth; but, taking a different decision, they formed a council against Him. We sing: “Great is our Lord and great is His strength, and His understanding is immeasurable” (Psalm 146:5)! All this was so that the Lamb and Son of God, who took away the sin of the world, would voluntarily undergo a saving passion for us and surrender to judgment, and so that those who despised Him, who redeemed the world with His life-giving blood, would agree to thirty pieces of silver, and so that Christ would become the Passover, sacrificed for us, and so that those who cleanse themselves with His precious blood and seal their lips with it, as once upon the doorposts, would escape arrows. the all-destroyer. Christ, who suffered in this way in the flesh and was resurrected for three days, must be worshiped by all creation with equal honor and glory, as the Father and the Holy Spirit, because before Him every knee will bow, in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth (Phil. 2:10), sending up glory to Him forever and ever. Amen. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and classified in the Minya edition as Spuria.