Поучение первое на праздник Успения Пресвятой Богородицы, месяца августа, в 15 день в 1693 г. («Соберет пшеницу Свою в житницу Свою» (Мф. 3:12; Лк. 3:17))

Orthodox listener! In the month of August, at the very hour of harvest, when in the field the ears taken from the roots are tied into sheaves, taken to the granaries, and also piled in stacks - and the Lord of Heaven also gathered His most choice mental wheat from the field and now sends it with joy to the mountain granaries. The village is the world, as the Gospel says. A field or cornfield is this light, or mean temporary life in this world. Wheat - righteous; ears of corn - their good deeds, merits. Harvest is the end of life. The sickle is the mortal duty of our nature. The ruler and ruler of all this is God, and God has no shortage of possessions. He calls Himself a worker: “My Father is working until now,” says Christ, “and I am working” (John 5:17). His own field is the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin, about whom the Church says: “The vegetated Divine field, like an untouched field” (Akathist, Ikos 3). It is clear that during His sixty-year earthly life that Niva gave birth to selected ears of wheat worthy of heavenly granaries. Then the good Lord God appoints a whole day for the harvest - this August 15th, and brings out the workers to His harvest - angelic faces, for Angels are the reapers who gather the most choice of the earth's entire harvest - the Most Pure and Blessed Virgin Mary. They collect Her merits on earth and forward them to the heavenly granaries, and collect and forward them all together, in a cathedral, for Her Dormition is glorified by the Powers and Thrones, Principalities and Dominions, Powers, Cherubim and Seraphim. The poor Bethlehem widow Ruth, hearing that the good man Boaz was in charge of the harvest, said to her mother-in-law Naomi: “I will go to the field and gather the ears of corn in the wake of the reapers” (Ruth. 2:2). On the day of the Dormition of the Most Pure and Blessed Virgin Mary, as if during Boaz’s rich harvest, heaven and earth, the triumphant and militant Church, gather mental wheat. Heaven collects the Mother of God's merits, and earth collects Her blessings. The triumphant Church gathers Her celebrations, the militant Church gathers Her praises. What about us? We will be like poor Ruth, we will go to the field and gather “ears of corn in the footsteps of the reapers.” Niva, as is already known, is the sixty-year life of the Most Pure Mother of God. This field has its own furrows, its own parts, on which its good ears grow, and for God there are more pleasant deeds than the exploits of all the saints. Let us go to that field with our minds, although following behind everyone else, and let us gather the remnants after the harvest - the remaining ears of Her high virtues, which consist in godly deeds. Let us bind into one sheaf - I with my thin-minded conversation, and your piety - with listening with love, and thus we will collect a haystack of church praises. But my dull sickle and the inept hand of my speech do not dare to stretch out over the entire holy life of the Mother of God, Whom even the eye of an angel cannot bear: “Inconceivable and beyond the eyes of angels.” She does not dare to stretch out to the highest and innumerable virtues of all Her stubble, but only ventures into the five furrows, which are quite rich, as in the akathist we read: “Rejoice, bridle, who grows the harvest of bounties,” and on the five ears of grain growing there, which make up the five letters in the blessed name of Mary. To begin with, let us enter the first rein or part of Her most holy life, which begins from the house of Her holy righteous parents Joachim and Anna and goes through the Temple of Solomon. The name of this rein is betrothal. This rein gave birth to a worthy ear of corn over the course of twelve years, in a place inaccessible to the people, in the church, behind the inner veil, and raised the young Maiden, the Most Pure Virgin Mary, chosen before the ages as the Mother of God. We, together with Saint Andrew of Crete, will call the ear of this rein a worthy name, which begins with the letter “M”, the first in the name Mariin: “Wise Virgin”. This is how Saint Andrew calls Her in his laudatory words: “Wise Virgin.” However, Saint Andrew, wouldn’t you do better when you place Her at the highest level of wisdom, calling Her the Wise and Most Wise Virgin, as one who surpasses everyone, whose wisdom is recognized by the Church in the following words: “Rejoice, friend of the wisdom of God! Rejoice, thou who surpassest the understanding of the wise!” Come here, wise maidens of the Gospel, and render worthy honor to this Wise One as your Mistress! But you, the other five foolish ones, remain here, so that you learn wisdom, for this wise and full of wisdom of God Virgin, being both the ear of the bread of life and the vine of the ripe cluster: “Mother of God, you are the true vine, who has brought forth the fruit of life for us,” - at the end of Her harvest time, she also prepares a special table for the foolish: “I have prepared for myself the meal, convening with a loud cry: whoever is mad, let him turn to me; and to those who demanded wisdom she said: “Come, eat My bread and drink the wine that I have dissolved for you, leave off foolishness” (Prov. 9:2-6). She seems to say: “Eat bread from the ear, drink drink from the vine, and you will leave foolishness and be imbued with reason and wisdom.” This meal is wonderful, extraordinary, contrary to our customs! When someone with us eats to the point of satiety or satiety or gets drunk with wine, he loses the remnants of his reason, and the wise becomes stupid. Correctly, in the Patericon, one old man said about himself that he knew the entire Bible with its interpretation by heart, and when he had eaten his fill of bread, he forgot everything, as if he had never read anything. But the apostle does not advise getting drunk with wine, saying that there is something in it that drives you crazy. Obviously, the bread and wine of the Wise Virgin are not so harmful and do not have such harmful properties. Whomever he feeds or gives drink, he will not add stupidity, but will teach reason and wisdom, for the power of that food and drink is in the generation of pure, virgin blood, as the prophet Zechariah predicted about this, saying: “What adorns Her is only the wheat of the elect and the wine that gives birth to virgins” (Zechariah 9:17). These words are worthy of attention: “Wine that gives birth to virgins.” Where wine gives birth to impurity, and here from wine purity itself, virginity: “Wine that gives birth to virgins” - and the virgins here, of course, are not stupid, but wise. As is the mother, so are the daughters: the mother of this wine is wise - wise is the wine, wise is the nourishment. Therefore, let anyone who is foolish turn to Her, eat Her bread and drink wine, and perhaps someday the foolish man will become wise. And you, the wise, and you, the foolish, will go around this mental ear, embrace it with pious feelings, fix your smart eyes on it, extract benefit from it and learn wisdom! When the Old Testament Joseph correctly interpreted to Pharaoh the dream about the ears of grain he had seen and took great care in collecting wheat and filling the granaries with it, Pharaoh made him the ruler of all Egypt, and his boyars and princes as his disciples: “So that he would instruct his nobles as himself, and make his elders wise” (Ps. 104:22). And we, mental Wheat, our Nourisher, when we see the church granaries filled spiritually with Your lofty virtues, as if with the choice ears of a heavenly granary, and with Your blessings, as if with the wheat itself, we ourselves surrender ourselves to You for teaching, Wise Virgin! We want to be Your disciples, may You instruct us, may You make us wise, like Joseph of the Egyptian princes and elders! The Wise Virgin teaches not with words, but with deeds, with Herself, with Her example. What is he like? Let's see, where is the place where that virtuous ear of Her virginity is grown? In the church, in the altar, in such a holy place called the Holy of Holies, where only holy people entered. Learn and know, everyone, that for success in good deeds, a holy place and a community with pious people will help a lot. How will community with godly people benefit? It will direct a person to the path of virtue. Lot is an example of this. One must be amazed at his virtue, for, living in Sodom among the most lawless people, he did not lose his virtue, his fear of God. Where did such powerful piety come from in him that it was not at all damaged by terrible lawlessness? The example shows where this comes from, for he was raised under a righteous man - Abraham - and thanks to him he perfected himself in virtue. This interpretation belongs to Saint Chrysostom, who says this: “Righteous Lot was elevated to the height of such great virtue by the friendship that he had with the patriarch Abraham, and it was so effective in him that in Sodom he followed in his footsteps.” All the lawless abominations of that city did not corrupt Lot’s virtues, for he was imbued with it from an early age thanks to the righteous Abraham. Such is community with the devout! The Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin Mary spent the time of Her youth in a holy place, did not leave the Church of the Lord, among pious people, among bishops. And to what strength did She increase through this? Let's see: she made the streams of the river flow back, as if a flood dried up the sea, like Moses, the flood of original sin, which captured the souls of the innocent: “Death reigned even over those who had not sinned, like the crime of Adam” (Rom. 5:14). She crossed this flood with dry feet, conceiving and giving birth immaculately, and thus brought the human race from the very bottom of this abyss to a dry place: “Our soul crossed through swift water” (Ps. 124:4-5). And our soul passed under the guidance of the wise Leader - the Most Pure Virgin, which is why “Your people celebrate, having been freed from the guilt of sin.” She stopped the sun more majestic than Joshua: he is material, and She is the mental Sun of truth - God; he is against Gibeon, and She is in a virgin’s most pure womb; he for a few hours, until the people of Israel took revenge on their enemies, and She for nine months. What am I saying – nine months? For thirty-three years, until the head of the enemy devil was completely erased! And She also surpassed righteous Lot in Her holiness. He is in one dishonest city, but the Most Pure Virgin throughout the world, lying in evil, did not damage Her immaculate life. The whole world is like thorns, She is the only rose in it, a lily among the thorns. The whole world is like a swamp, She alone is gold in it. The whole world is like a sea, flooded with bitter waters and saddened, She alone in it is like a river of sweet waters, not involved in bitterness. Informed people say that somewhere in the world there is a certain river that flows across the entire sea, and yet does not mix its sweet waters with the bitter waters of the sea, you know, this is accomplished by a special miracle of God. And the sea of ​​that river cannot interrupt and mix its waters with its own. Saint Gregory of Nazianzus remembers this in his verses, in which he prescribes laws for virgins, and these verses read like this: “A river is found, flowing through the sea, the waters of sweet and bitter are not mixed; and then you can take sweet water from the sea. But will the navklirs (owners of the ship) ever get into that river?” Thus says Saint Nazianzus. The life of each of us in this world is like a river: “As water poured out,” says David; the sweet river is the holy cross laid down. When we fall into the sea of ​​worldly passions, we lose our sweetness. You are great, Dnieper, and you will give water to many, but if you come close to the sea, no one will want to know you or bring your waters to their lips: you become tasteless, salty, bitter, mixing yourself with the salty and bitter waters of the sea. Great are the rivers and you who make efforts, try to serve God. About you in heaven the Theologian is told in Revelation: “The waters which you saw are people and nations” (Rev. 17:15). But then it’s scary to even look at you, as soon as you touch the sea of ​​the passionate world, nothing will remain of you, and you will become bitter: “He who touches pitch will be blackened by it, and you will be corrupted with the obstinate” (Sir. 13:1; Proverbs 13:21). Happy is the river that flows through the sea, but does not mix itself with the sea! Happy is the servant of God who lives in the midst of the world, but does not communicate with the world, like Lot among the wicked! Such a mental stream, such a river was the Wise Virgin, the Most Pure and Most Blessed Mary. She completed the course of Her life through the sea of ​​this world, but did She partake at least in some way of sinful worldly passion? Not at all! The Holy Spirit tastes those sweet waters of Her sinless life and, as if enjoying the best drink, says in the Song of Songs: “You are all beautiful, My Beloved, and there is no blemish in You” (Song. 4:1). With wet feet the son of Joshua crosses the Jordan streams. Lot did not walk with damaged righteousness in the midst of Sodom. The Most Holy Virgin also spends Her life immaculately, remaining body in peace in the midst of an obstinate and depraved race. And the beginning of this is from the church of the Lord and community with the righteous. Now She enters the Promised Land with joy, and, like the Wise Virgin, She teaches us by Her example to constantly care about the places of the holy churches of the Lord and about community with the righteous. And whoever drops the hours of his life and sows on such furrows will undoubtedly grow into a rich ear and, like the wheat of Christ, will be gathered into the mountain granary. The Wise Virgin teaches by Her example both purity, and pure purity - external and internal, bodily and mental. The Holy Spirit speaks about Her in the Song of Songs: “Your womb is like a stack of wheat, surrounded by lilies” (Song. 7:3). The stack of wheat means Christ born of Her, who said: “I am the Bread” (John 6:35). He, like a grain of wheat that fell into the ground, died, but serves as abundant food for everyone, like a stack of wheat and even more, for he satisfies everyone abundantly: “You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with good pleasure” (Ps. 145:16); “When You open your hand, everyone will be satisfied with good things” (Ps. 103:28). Lilies here signify the immaculate virginity of the Blessed Virgin. In this case, it is appropriate to think about why the Holy Spirit, describing virginity, speaks of only one stack of wheat, while virginity is expressed by a large number of lilies? She has one stack of wheat, for She once gave birth to one Christ, but the lilies of Her purity are numerous. Saint Epiphanius says about Her: “She was a Virgin not only in body, but also in spirit.” The purity of the body is one lily; purity of spirit is another lily; and Christ is in the middle, between the virginity of His Most Pure Mother, external and internal, bodily and spiritual, like a stack of wheat between the lilies. Where there is only one lily, where one body is kept pure, and the spirit is given over to sins, there do not look for the wheat of Christ, and not only a stack, but even a single grain of His grace. This is precisely what one of the teachers draws attention to: “The Scripture does not say: “A stack is in the lilies, but among the lilies, in view of the two lilies of virginity - one that is inside, in the intentions of the spirit, and the other, which is outside the body and means incorruption.” The external lily without the internal lily is nothing, for without the will of the spirit the uncorruption of the body is vain. Thus, having learned reason from the Wise Virgin, we take Her ear from the first rein or part of Her life and hold it in the hand of our unforgettable memory until we gather other ears and make a whole sheaf of them. From the first rein of the Most Holy Life of the Theotokos, let us move to the other, which is under Joseph’s roof, in Joseph’s house. It starts from the Temple of Solomon, and ends in the Bethlehem den, at the cornfield Solomin, a Bethlehem resident. This rein, which gave birth to an ear worthy of Mary’s high virtue, begins in its name with the second letter in Her most blessed name - A: “Lamb of Christ.” This is how Saint Herman and Saint George of Nicomedia call Her in their words, and especially Saint John of Damascus in the fortieth homily on Her Nativity, where he says: “You are the Lamb from whom the Shepherd has clothed himself with the sheep, and you rend and put to death the old garments.” And in the akathist we read: “Rejoice, O Lamb, who gave birth to the Lamb of God.” But the Most Pure Virgin! You are worthy of the name not of dumb, but of verbal and intelligent creatures. You are worthy that all the church teachers, having gathered together, call You the one Angel who is higher than all other Angels, the Queen of all Angels, as the most honest of the Cherubim, the most glorious of the Seraphim. Truly, she is worthy, but when they call Her the Lamb, this best shows Her dignity and explains Her royal crown, Her superiority over the Angels. As soon as these words are pronounced with the lips: “The Lamb who gave birth to the Lamb,” the strength and power and glory and kingdom of the Lamb immediately comes to mind, about which the holy Theologian says: “Every creature that is in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and everything that is in them, I heard saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, blessing and honor and glory and power forever and ever” (Rev. 5:13). They say that the lion is king over all animals, and strong bears and fierce leopards tremble before his strength. But the Lamb sitting on the throne reigns not only over the beasts, but also over all creatures that are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. Angels and people bow to Him, and every creature obeys Him. Where does the Lamb get such strength, where does almighty power come from? Let’s ask Saint Irenaeus, who talks about the same question like this: “No one else could open the book of the Father and see it except the Lamb who was slain, because “He committed no sin, and no flattery was in His mouth” (1 Pet. 2:22).” We also know that the Lamb was elevated to such a high royal dignity by the fact that “He committed no sin.” His very innocence makes Him a King, and every creature in heaven or on earth prostrates itself with the lowest bow at His feet, for “He committed no sin.” When the above-mentioned Holy Fathers call the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin the Lamb, and all created things express their allegiance to Her, Heaven prepares Her a royal crown of stars, a bright solar purple, a beautiful footstool of the moon. And you, Cherubim, be Her throne, and you, Seraphim, serve Her slavishly, like a monarch. All Angels, give Her due respect as your Queen, and let all creation come, fall down, bow to Her, saying: “Blessing, honor and glory to the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin Mary, for She is a Lamb, for She is kind, for She has not committed sin, for there was no flattery in Her mouth.” Her very lambishness makes Her the omnipotent Lady, Her very gentleness crowns Her with the kingdom, and calling Her a Lamb means the same as calling Her the Queen of Angels. Through kindness the crown of the eternal kingdom is consecrated. This Immaculate Lamb, brought from the Temple of Solomon into the house of the righteous husband, Saint Joseph, turned the eyes of God the Father to Himself, saying: “On whom I will look, only the meek and humble, and the one who trembles at My words” (Isa. 66:2). She became like God the Son, saying: “You have captured us, our Sister, Bride; She captivated us with one glance of Your eyes” (Song. 4:9), - that is, in Your purity, in which, like in a pure eye, there is not even a speck of powder. This bright eye is a clear conscience, which God looks at, for “man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7) at conscience. This Gentle Lamb also approached God the Holy Spirit, saying: “The gentle and righteous have united with Me, and he who is united with the Lord is one spirit with the Lord” (Ps. 24:21; 1 Cor. 6:17). Thus, bequeathing Herself to God in the Trinity with Her lambish kindness, She attracts the heavenly inhabitants to Her. Archangel Gabriel quickly flies away, and soon appears disembodied under Joseph’s roof. Behind him is God the Word with the Holy Spirit, and God the Father is pleased, kindly looking at this from the height of His glory: “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). The sky rejoices, the earth marvels: “Heavenly love rejoices, and earthly love is terrified with trembling, when the most holy voice is found on You, Mother of God!” O power of lambish gentleness and maiden dignity, what are you not rewarded with through Your innocence, like gentleness? Then, having reached at a certain time a place called the “house of bread”, i.e. Bethlehem becomes a single ear of life - she brings Christ into the world, like an ear of wheat, and the Lamb born from Her becomes pasture of wheat: “They see this as a Lamb without blemish, having been grazed in Mary’s womb.” We kiss You with heartfelt love, O good Spike, animated by the gentleness of the Lamb! And then Your good Bethlehem dedication is deep into our hearts, like a seed of wheat, we sow and root, but if only we could root at least the last particle of Your kindness and inherit it! From Bethlehem the third rein of the Most Holy Life of the Mother of God begins and goes through Egypt, makes a turn from Egypt to Nazareth and even reaches places near Mount Calvary. This furrow has grown us quite a large ear, beginning with the third letter R in Her most blessed name: “Servant of the Lord.” This is how She called Herself even earlier, at the hour of the Annunciation, when she said to the Angel: “Behold the Handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). And even from Her childhood, being brought into the church three years after Her birth, She already diligently served God, but, however, she began to serve Him even more in a special way, when after His incorruptible birth she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, nurtured Him in Nazareth during the days of His adolescence and took care of his honest upbringing until His manhood. After the death of Saint Joseph, She earned food and clothing for Herself and Him through the labor of Her hands, and at that time she was fully the Servant of the Lord, bringing, in addition to spiritual labor, with maternal love, the physical services of a slave. "Servant of the Lord." Serving the Lord is a special service, and it is expressed more than once through the Cherubim in the Holy Scriptures. The prophet Ezekiel saw that the house of God was surrounded by Cherubim: “And the Cherubim stood on the right side of the house, and the glory of the Lord came out from the threshold of the house and stood over the Cherubim, and the Cherubim lifted up wings” (Ezekiel 10:2, 18–19). And when God commanded Moses to build himself the Tabernacle of Meeting, he ordered that entire church to be decorated with Cherubim: “Let the images of Cherubim be everywhere” (see Exodus 26:1). Both in the Tabernacle of Meeting, and in the Temple of Solomon, except for those two above the Ark of the Covenant, everywhere you look: on the walls, and on the doors, and on the pillars, and on the curtains and windows, you could see the image of Cherubim, and this is a sign of the presence of God with the Cherubim servilely standing before Him. And although with the Lord God all the Angels are servants, serving Him, standing before Him: “Are they not all ministering spirits?” (Heb. 1:14) - however, the Cherubim serve in a special way, if they are sent to serve, as it is written: “those sent to serve” (Ibid.), then the Cherubim remain persistent. Angels, go and protect people! Archangels, go and preach the gospel! Dominions, go and rule the kingdoms of the people, Powers - to war, Powers - to perform miracles, other faces, fulfill the duties assigned to you. And the Cherubim stand at the rest of God (“The Cherubim stood on the right side of the house” - Ezekiel 10:3), and rejoice in His greatness. Always wear: “He who sits on the Cherubim; sat on the Cherubim and flew, carried away on the wings of the wind" (Ps. 17:11, 79:2), - and this you do in the church of the Lord, where the glory of the Lord is present: "The church of the Lord was filled with glory" (2 Chronicles 5:14). Many examples have shown that God is surrounded by Cherubim service everywhere, and whoever wants to serve Him well must serve as a Cherubim. Thus, the Church remembers about the three youths who served God in the Babylonian furnace: “The youth in the furnace was like the cherubim.” How to serve God like a cherub? Cherub, according to Augustine, is translated from Hebrew as “multitude of intelligence,” therefore, one who wants to serve God in a cherubic way must serve Him rationally, wisely, and not foolishly. For there are some, among whom I may be, who serve God not wisely, but rather foolishly. Whether someone serves, works, and even works hard, he does everything, however, not strictly for God, but rather for the sake of vain praise from people, so that he is known among people. Or even if he hides from human gaze, he is vain in himself, in his mind, and thinks that he is a saint. “Whoever thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, deceives himself” (Gal. 6:3). Such a foolish, uncherubic, unreasonable person serves God. There are others who serve God, although not for the sake of vanity or any conceit, but nevertheless for their own private benefit, benefit, so that he will be given a reward in heaven, and not actually for God. And this service is not cherubic, but human, not according to the multitude of the cherubic mind, but according to human pride; he desires himself most of all, loves himself more than God. Such service is actually mercenary service, as a mercenary serves his master so that his master pays him. But the cherubic service to the Lord is performed according to the abundance of reason, rationally, wisely, not for the sake of any private gain, not for the sake of vain earthly praise, not for the sake of heavenly reward: “What do I have in heaven, and without You what can I desire on earth?” (Ps. 72:25) It is actually done only for God, for the sake of His Divine love. This special service according to the multitude of minds, in a cherubic way, is most pleasing to God. Such service elevates the slave to filial rank. He gives such a dignity more filial, just as the Angels who serve the Lord according to the multitude of their intelligence are called the sons of God, as it is written: “The sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord” (Job 1:6). So a person who serves God in a cherubic way, wisely, for the sake of Divine love, and not for his own sake, becomes a son of God, for he loves God as a Father. But let us turn to the true Servant of the Lord, to the Most Pure Virgin Mary, who says about Herself: “Behold the Servant of the Lord!” How did She serve Her Lord? You, wise Cherubim, give the senior place at the Throne of God to the wisest Servant of God - the Most Holy Virgin, who not only in the Cherubic way, but also above this, served Him with Her special service according to the multitude of her mind, loving Him “with all her soul, with all her heart and with all her mind” (Matthew 22:37). She loved with all her soul rationally, with all her heart sweetly, with all her thoughts unceasingly, and this for the sake of His Divine love, and not for the sake of any of her pride or private gain. The closest to the Throne of God are the Cherubim with their servile presence, but the closest of all of them is the Most Holy Virgin, about whom Damascus says: “She is all the Palace of the Spirit, all near God.” The distance between God and the Cherubim is divided by Divine glory. What distance could there be between God, embodied in a virgin’s womb, and the Most Pure Virgin? All of God is in Her, and She is all in God: “Everything is the Palace of God, everything is near God.” Cherubim stand before God relentlessly; when will the Most Pure Virgin be without God? God is with Her and She is with God in the closest union of love. She clings spiritually to the nature of motherhood in such a way that neither God is with Her, nor She is with God, can ever be separated: She is always inseparable, persistent. Are cherubim a throne for God, do they carry God on themselves? This “Throne of the Cherubs is the Virgin” (Irmos of the Nativity Canon): We carry God in Her bosom, in Her most pure hands in Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Egypt, as if on the wings of Cherubim. “The Throne of the Cherubim is the Virgin.” And all of Her service to Christ God, born of Her, even before His manhood, was cherubic in its abundance of intelligence and wisdom, for this service was filled with ineffable love, as well as maternal love. And for the sake of this service of the Lord, She grew into the Daughter of God the Father, as the Nomenclator says about Her: “The firstborn Daughter of God, the most beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father.” The service of the Servant of the Lord grew so high in Her concerns about feeding the Divine Child of Christ that she became the Daughter of God. If we, too, learned to serve God in a cherubic, reasonable way, we would truly become God’s beloved children. The fourth rein of the Most Holy Life of the Mother of God is on Golgotha ​​under the Cross, and She gave birth to an ear of high dignity, which begins with the fourth letter in the blessed name of Mary - I: “Source of Life.” So we read in the January Menea: “Rejoice, golden-streaming Source of immortality, shedding true sweetness.” The source of life on the Cross is Christ, the Source under the Cross is Mary. He was pierced with nails and a spear, and Ta with the weapon foretold by the Receiver of God: “A weapon will pierce your very soul” (Luke 2:35). From the source of Christ flow streams of Blood, from the source of the Mother - streams of tears. And these two most holy springs washed the swamp of our sins: this one with Blood, and this one with tears. The Source-Christ, through the outpouring of His Blood, offered a sacrifice to God the Father for us: “Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8); Source-Mary, when pouring out Her tears, immediately stood with a spiritual sacrifice: “A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit” (Ps. 50:19). And God the Father, looking from above at the sacrifice of His Son, also looked at the sacrifice of His Daughter, and with both of those Sacrifice He was begged and propitiated, so that He would be merciful to us sinners. “Your harvest will come like a spring” (Prov. 6:11). Truly, these words came true on Golgotha. There was a single harvest of our sins: He who took upon Himself the sin of the world reaped the thorny field of our iniquities and, tying them in sheaves, took them on His shoulders and carried them on His Body to the tree. This was the harvest of all the labors of Christ, raised on earth for our salvation. At the death of Christ on the Cross, they were gathered together in order to present them all with His suffering to God the Father. During this fruitful harvest, the Most Pure Virgin, with Her presence during a difficult feat, giving some consolation to the Worker dying for our salvation, was, as it were, the source of the harvest. Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea called the Blessed Virgin the source of light. There was a need for light at Calvary, when “the Sun of righteousness Christ knew His mortal west” and thick darkness covered the whole world: “Darkness was over all the earth” (Matthew 27:45). The source of light, Mary stood under the Cross, so that, like a light-receiving candle, she would illuminate the light instead of the setting sun, the luminary of the world. So that the light would not perish when God died, She supported it with Her radiance. About our Light, Mother of God! Enlighten our darkness! About the source of life! Revive our spiritual deadness! The fifth and final rein of the most holy life of the Theotokos extends from Mount Calvary and goes to the Mount of Olives to Gethsemane, for “from that time on this disciple took Her to himself” (John 19:27). This rein raised a most honorable class, especially respected among the saints who at that time still lived in the primal Church. From the current Assumption akathist we will give that ear a name beginning with the fifth and last letter in the blessed name “Maria” - A: “A crown for the apostles.” So in the first ikos it reads: “Rejoice, most honorable crowned apostle.” For also, at the end of collecting the ears, it is necessary to arrange a “harvest” according to the custom; it is necessary to weave a wreath from the same ears. After the free passion and death of their Lord, the holy apostles, as we know, were in a dejected state, so that they had to cry out along with the weeping prophet: “The joy of our hearts has ceased, our round dance has turned to lamentation, the crown has fallen from our head” (Lamentations 5:15–16). However, in their sorrow they also had joy, for their Mother, the Mother of God, the Most Pure Virgin, was still alive with them, and Joy to those who mourn. After the Ascension of the Lord, the apostles also had a lot of sadness and sorrow. The words of Christ came true: “In the world you will have sorrow, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice” (John 16:20, 33). Among all these sorrows and sorrows, for the holy apostles there was one consolation and consolation - the presence in the body of the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin, at Whom, according to the testimony of many, no matter whoever is greatly grieving looks, he is immediately filled with spiritual joy. For from Her came a certain special grace, comforting those who mourn and cheering those who mourn. And at that time the Most Holy Virgin was the crown of joy in the primacy of the Church. The holy apostles gather in the upper room of Zion, and in the midst of them, in the highest place, sits the Most Holy Virgin, like a crown. Whether they say prayers, the Blessed Virgin is in their midst, like a crown. Whether they cast lots for preaching, or appoint deacons, or establish a common life, the Most Holy Virgin is among them, like a crown, and a crown of joy, comforting in sorrows. They seized the murderers of the holy first martyr Stephen, brought him to the Kidron stream in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, located between Olivet and Jerusalem, and laid their murderous hands on him, and the Most Holy Virgin, standing from afar on the same hill with Saint John the Theologian and looking at his death, sent diligent prayers for him to Her Son and God and did what Christ Himself appeared to the stoned one and the dying Saint Stephen standing in the open sky. King Herod raised his hands to oppress some of the primacy of the Church, killed James, John’s brother, with a sword, and the Most Pure Virgin Herself gave his martyr’s body to burial, accompanied him to the grave, and carried his holy soul to heaven with Her prayers and placed him before the Throne of God. Saint Peter was thrown into prison, and a powerful guard was assigned - four quartets of soldiers, and the Most Pure Virgin in the house of Mary, the mother of John, who bears the same name, having convened the primacy of the Church, prays for him, for “the Church diligently prayed for him to God” (Acts 12:5). And She reached the point that an Angel of the Lord was sent to bring Peter out of prison. Oh, how much Her physical presence helped the holy apostles! Oh, how happy the first Church was that it had such consolation in sorrows, help in labors, consolation in sorrows. She was among the assembly of the apostles, like a kind of crown, like a single crown of honor for their exploits and sufferings! Rejoice, most honorable crown to the apostles, growing into such glory and honor among the holy apostles, like a certain ear of wheat among the choice wheat of the Mother of God’s virtue. You have already approached your happy harvest time, for the stubble is the end of life, the sickle is the mortal duty of nature, the ears of virtue are merits, the reapers are Angels. We walked, albeit with the lazy feet of a weak-minded mind, the field of the life of the Most Pure Virgin Mother of God, took a closer look at Her five ears of corn worthy of the high names and, as if with our common speech, we tied them into one sheaf, but unskillful, inept: “Praise is unpleasant in the mouth of a sinner” (Sir. 15:9) Let us yield to the most skillful, more skillful reapers, to the holy Angels, for “the reapers are Angels.” Fifteen years after the Ascension of the Lord from earth to heaven, there was a council in heaven in the Holy Trinity to escort the Mother of God from the world to the supermundane abodes. At that very hour, the Most Pure Virgin performed Her usual prayers on the Mount of Olives. And now the evangelist is sent from the Throne of God with a branch of paradise, the same Archangel Gabriel, who previously announced the descent of God from heaven to earth, is sent so that he announces to the Most Pure Mother of God about Her glorious ascension from earth to heaven. Is there only one Angel fulfilling this assignment? Not one, but as before, so now there was also a multitude of the heavenly host with the Angel, some of whom carried the apostles through the air and, like sheaves from distant fields, carried them from distant lands to the hut of the Mother of God, as if to a threshing floor, while other Angels protected the books of life of the most holy life of the Mother of God, the great virtues, high virtues and merits, already well known to the Throne of God and long in heaven written down, for Her greater honor and praise, they are carried into one place, as if ears of corn are reaped from the furrows, knitted into sheaves. For it is an undoubted truth that at the death of every person all his deeds arise, and as he sows, so shall he reap. It was a good sowing, although sometimes difficult: “They went away and wept, throwing away their seeds,” but how happy and joyful was the harvest time, “and those who come will come with joy, gathering their sheaves” (Ps. 126:6). “They who sow in tears will reap with joy” (Ps. 126:5). On all the mentioned reins of the Life of the Mother of God, Angels came out from everywhere in great numbers to work together, to gather Her ears of virtues. From the first rein, where the named ear of wheat is the “Wise Virgin,” the Angels gather Her ears of new vows of virginity, begun for the first time, for She was the first Virgin among the female sex to forever take a vow to God. From the other reins of Her life, where the ears of corn, called the “Lamb of Christ,” are gathered: The authorities are the lamb’s kindness, for the kindly ones, as they said, are given high power; Strengths gather Her lambish meekness, and Dominions gather Her lambish humility, for the sake of which She is awarded universal dominion: “He who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). From the third rein, where the ear is the “Servant of the Lord,” the Cherubim gather the ears of Her seraphim love for God, with which She was kindled under the Cross. From the last rein, the Thrones gather Her ears of corn, worthy of praise and honor in the primal Church: Her diligent care and concern for everyone. Having collected all this together and carried it to one place, they quickly tied up an amazing sheaf and joyfully prepared to deliver it to the heavenly granaries. At the same time, the happy maiden dormition came! The Lord of the whole world, Christ God Himself, rises from His highest Throne, wanting to see the coming harvest. The twenty-four elders (see Rev. 4:4) rose from their seats and prepared to go with their King and God. The whole sky has risen, so that hardly anyone remains in it. All faces and regiments descend from the wide open celestial furrows, fill the air space and approach the Mother of God’s house. So God the Son comes to His Mother of God and speaks with Her with His sweet lips. As the Sardinian Bishop Meletios narrates, the Lord says to Her: “Come, My neighbor.” And She, having fallen, worshiped the Lord Her God with much thanksgiving. With love the Son receives His Most Pure Mother and cheers Her with kind words. Oh, how joyfully at that hour the Most Pure Virgin repeated Her former song: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices,” and so on! And at the same time, She gave with great joy Her most pure soul into the hands of Her Son and God. It is already the end of harvest time. Cheerful crops are already forming and quite a few wreaths are being woven from the same ears of corn. From the same crowns of the Most Pure Virgin, grace pours out on everyone, crowns everyone, for by Her everyone is saved: “And the Mother of God will save the world,” as the Church sings. From the ear of the “Wise Virgin” a crown is woven for all virgins who have vowed to maintain purity. From the ear of the “Lamb of Christ” a crown is woven that is kind, meek and humble. From the ear of the “Servant of the Lord” a crown is woven into all the servants of the Lord who faithfully and wisely serve God. From the ear of the “Source of Life” weaves a crown for all those who draw streams of water from their eyes and cry when remembering the passion of Christ, or when regretting their sins. From the ear of the most honorable “Apostolic Crown” a crown is woven for all those in power. To kings and bishops. “Rejoice, honorable crown of pious Kings! Rejoice, honest praise of the reverent priests!” (Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos). But those ears of corn themselves, gathered into a sheaf at the death of the Mother of God, are crowned with glory and honor, according to the apostolic words: “Glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good” (Rom. 2:10). The holy apostles stand around the Mother of God's bed - this is a crown according to what is written: “Around is the crown of the brothers” (Sir. 50:14). Surrounded by the faces of disembodied minds: “Podyasha Yu Thrones and Powers” ​​(kontakion 12). The Beginnings and Powers have surrounded, and this is the Crown. – Christ Himself is above Her, like a crown above her head. And here what the prophet Isaiah predicted was fulfilled: “In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of hope, woven with glory” (Is. 28:5). But the most pure soul of the Blessed Virgin is in the hands of the Lord, like the best crown, according to what is written: “You will be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord and the foundation of the kingdom in the hand of your God” (Is. 62:3). With such harvests, the wheat of God, the Most Pure Virgin, is conveyed to the heavenly granaries “with the voice of joy and confession, and the noise of those celebrating” (Ps. 41:5), and is presented to the Trinity Throne, where God the Father with the words of St. Isaac says: “Behold, the fragrance of My Daughter is like the smell of fields full of wheat” (Gen. 27:27). And so God, One in the Trinity, gathered His wheat into His granary. The Old Testament Joseph once tells his brothers a dream: “We are knitting sheaves in the middle of the field, and my sheaf stood upright, but your sheaves stood in a circle and bowed to my sheaf.” This is interpreted in the sense that Joseph was a king, and his brothers had to bow to him: “And his brothers said to him: “Will you really reign over us and rule over us?” (Gen. 37:7–8). This is what really happened later. Not equal, but incomparably higher happened to the most worthy sheaf of the good deeds of the Mother of God. The sheaf stood upright, it was placed in a worthy place, on the right side of the Throne of God: “The Queen appeared at Your right hand” (Ps. 45:10), - in a high place, for truly You are above all, the Pure Virgin. Reigning, She reigns over all and, dominating, rules over everyone. Heaven and earth obey and serve Her, and whoever desires and strives to be wheat Christ, let him gather all his pious feelings into a sheaf and stand before that mental sheaf for worship. Those worthy of the earth's wheat and crowned with the royal crown bow down to that sheaf, the Kings bow down, the bishops, the priests, the spiritual and temporal ranks, the rich and the poor bow down: “The rich of the people will entreat Thy face” (Ps. 44:13). But also the sheaves from the remaining wheat of the saints express worthy worship to the same sheaf. And the twenty-four elders, laying down their crowns on Her, the same words that were given to Her Son, say: “You are worthy, Lady, to receive glory, and honor, and power” (cf. Rev. 5:12). And all those in heaven and earth unanimously acknowledge with the lowest bow: “It is worthy to eat, as truly you are blessed, the Mother of God.” Let us all render due worship to You, O Heavenly Wheat of the bread of life, and like sheaves on the path and on the haystacks, we bow with our outstretched bodies at Your most pure and holy feet. Our sheaves bow down to Your sheaf. And in worship, we offer up our sinful prayers, expecting to receive from Thy abundance grains of wheat of Thy grace. Wise Virgin! Make us wise! Lamb of Christ! Teach us kindness, meekness and humility and create us to be sheep of the right hand of Christ! Servant of the Lord! Encourage us to serve God without laziness! Source of life! Revive us with the life-giving waters of Your grace! Apostolic crown! Crown us with mercy and bounty, joyfully performing harvest rites, harvesting Your spiritual stubble! O heavenly Wheat! Feed us with bread, both spiritual and physical, all the days of our lives! And when the mortal harvest comes for our temporary life, in which there are more tares than wheat, You, Most Blessed One, begged the Son to turn water into wine (see John 2:1-9), with the same prayers turn our tares into wheat and reap it yourself, gather it yourself, lead us to the heavenly granaries, so that we are there not from afar, as now, but close, face to face To Your Son and our God, the Bread of Life, and in God and You, the Most Pure Mother of God, the spiritual Wheat, adoration, honor, glory and thanksgiving were given with all the saints forever. Amen.