Омилия XIV 37 .

On the Annunciation of Our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary Enumerating the various works of creation and contemplating the wisdom of God in them, the Psalmist Prophet, completely overwhelmed with admiration, exclaimed among the scriptures: “For Thy works are great, O Lord, that thou hast done all things with wisdom” (Ps. 103:24). Now, for me, who is attempting within my power, for the purpose of praise, to announce the appearance in the flesh of the Word who created everything, who will make the speech correspond to the subject? Because if everything is full of miracles, and that which has come into being from a non-existent is a divine and glorious thing, then how much more wonderful and divine and even more should we glorify that which from the category of creations has become God, and not just God, but that which is truly God, and this is when our nature was neither able nor willing to preserve that dignity in which it was created and therefore was justly cast into the lowest element of the earth? And to such an extent is it great and divine, ineffable and incomprehensible that our nature became one with God, and through this we were granted a return to a better state - that for the holy Angels and people, and even for the Prophets themselves, although they matured through the action of the Spirit, it remained truly unknowable, a hidden Sacrament from the ages. And what am I saying: before it came true? – Even though it has come true, it still remains a mystery: not in the sense of whether it came true or not, but in the way in which it happened; we believe, but we do not know; we worship, but do not inquire; and we worship and believe through the Spirit alone. “No one knows the message of God, but the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11), and it is through Him that we worship and through Him we pray, says the Apostle. And the fact that not only for people, but also for Angels and the Archangels themselves, this sacrament is incomprehensible, is clearly shown by the day we celebrate today. For the Archangel, indeed, announced the Conception to the Virgin, but when She wanted to know how this would happen, and told him: “How this will happen, without a husband I know” (Luke 1:34), then the Archangel, completely unable to explain this image of conception, himself resorted to God: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You” (Luke 1:35). The same thing would happen if someone asked Moses: how did man come from the earth? How were bones and sinews and flesh created from dust? How did feelings come from the insensible? But how did man become again from Adam’s rib? how did this bone stretch and divide and fit and fit together? How did internal organs and various iron secretions and everything else come from this bone? So, if anyone had put such questions to Moses, he would have said no more than that it was God who took the dust of the earth and created Adam, and took one of his ribs and created Eve; so - Who was the creator, he said; but he did not say how this happened. So Gabriel: that the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High will accomplish a seedless Birth, he said; but he didn’t say how. For if he then mentioned about Elizabeth that she conceived in old age and barrenness, then he had nothing more to say than that no word of God would remain powerless; So what could he discover regarding the action by which the Virgin was able to conceive and give birth? Nevertheless, what the Archangel said to the Virgin contained something more, but, at the same time, deepened the mystery even more. For he says: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You.” For what purpose? - Because the One to be born is not a Prophet, and not just a man, like Adam, but will be called the Son of the Most High and the Savior and Deliverer of the human race and the Eternal King. For, just as stones that fall from the top of a mountain and roll down even to the foothills become the property of many steep slopes (or “chasms”), so we, who have fallen away from the commandment given in paradise and the blessed life existing in it, and have even slipped to hell, have suffered many disasters. For not only did the earth grow, as a consequence of the curse that was upon the Forefather, inanimate thistles and thorns, but we also experienced much worse, multiform thorns of evil passions and disgusting thistles of sin. And not only did our family experience that one sadness that the Foremother received as a inheritance, as a consequence of the curse that was upon her, condemned to give birth in illness, but, one might say, our whole life became continuous sadness and torment. But since the God who loved us, who created us, in His mercy, bowed the heavens, descended and received our nature from the Holy Virgin, He renewed it and returned it, moreover, elevated it to the divine and heavenly heights. Wanting to accomplish, or better yet, to carry out His eternal plan today, He sends the Archangel Gabriel, as the Evangelist Luke says: “In... Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, from the house of David, and the name of the virgin was Miriam” (Luke 1:27). So, God sends the Archangel to the Virgin, Who, while observing Her virginity, makes Her Mother by the power of a single annunciation; because if She had conceived from the seed, then the One Who was Born would not have become a new Man, He would not have been sinless, nor would He have been the Savior of sinners; for the movement of the flesh towards the creation of children, randomly mixing with the plan established by God for us, thus takes possession of our abilities and reveals them not entirely free from sin. Therefore, David said: “I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sins” (Ps. 50:7). So, if the conception of God occurred from a seed, then He would not be a new Man, nor the Head of a New and by no means aging life; for if He had been a participant in the old coinage and the heir of that ancestral sin, He could not have carried within Himself the fullness of pure Divinity, and made His flesh an inexhaustible source of sanctification, just as He could not have washed away the desecration of these Ancestors with an excess of power, nor sufficiently sufficed for the sanctification of all things, subsequently. Therefore, not an Angel, not a man, but the Lord Himself, having become incarnate in the womb of the Virgin and remaining the unchangeable God, came and saved us. It was also fitting for the Virgin to be a witness to His seedless conception and an assistant in what was accomplished in the work of the House. What was it? Ascent to Bethlehem, where His Birth was announced and glorified by heavenly Angels? Coming to the church, where He, as a baby, was witnessed by Simeon and Anna as the Lord of life and death; flight from Herod into Egypt, and return from Egypt, according to sacred prophecies; and other things that are not necessary to list now? For this reason, the Betrothed Joseph was taken, and an Angel was sent to the Virgin, betrothed to a husband named Joseph. The same expression: “from the house and family of David” refers to both: because both - the Virgin and Joseph - trace their family back to David. “And the name,” they say, “of the Virgin, Mariam,” the same word translated means “Lady.” This represents the name and dignity of the Virgin and the affirmation of Virginity 38., and the peculiarity of Her way of life, and thoroughness in everything, and to express this in one word - all integrity. For it is dominant (i.e. with true greatness) bearing the significant name of the Virgin, She had complete possession of purity, being a Virgin both in body and soul and in the powers of the soul, and rich in all bodily senses, without the slightest wrinkle; and everything is completely and confirmed to such an extent, and so to speak - as befits the Lady, in everything unbroken for all times; how She is the closed Door of the treasury and the sealed book, keeping hidden writings from sight; therefore it was written about Her: “This is the Book sealed,” and “the Door will be shut, and no one will pass through It” 39 .. But for another reason, the Virgin is Mistress in dignity, namely, as ruling over everyone, as having conceived in virginity and divinely given birth - by nature, the Ruler of the whole world. And yet - She is the Mistress, not only as free from slavery and a participant in divine dominion, but also as the source and root of the liberation of the human race, and especially by virtue of Her ineffable and joyful Birth; for a woman betrothed to her husband is more under a master than a mistress, and especially according to a much painful and much sad birth, according to Eve’s curse: “In pain you will give birth to a child: and to your husband you will turn, and she will possess you” (Gen. 3:16); liberating the human race from this curse, the Virgin Mother instead received greetings and blessings through the Angel; for it is said that: “An angel came in and said to the Virgin: Rejoice, full of grace: the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women” (Luke 1:28). Not as he foretells the future to Her, saying: “The Lord is with You,” but he announces to Her what he saw invisible (for Her) as already happening. And understanding Her as the concentration of divine and human gifts, and adorned with all the graces of the Divine Spirit, he truly proclaims Her “Gracious.” Seeing that She seemed to have already conceived the One in Whom are the Treasures of them all, and foreseeing that this pregnancy of Her is not associated with burdens and the birth will be without illness, He invites Her to rejoice, and declares Her to be the only Blessed and Glorious in justice among women: for there was no other woman, even glorified, who was so glorious in the abundance of glory that she was equal to to the Virgin Mary. But the Virgin, seeing him and being frightened, whether this was some kind of seductive angel deceiving the foolish, just as he deceived Eve, accepted the greetings not without examining him (ηνεξεταcτο_c), and not yet fully understanding what Her closeness to God, which he preached to Her, was embarrassed, as it is written, from his words, with a sealed heart, so to speak, and firmly holding onto virginity. “And consider what this kiss will be like” (Luke 1:29). Therefore, the Archangel, dear to God, immediately removes the fear of the Blessed Virgin, saying to Her: “Do not be afraid, Mariam: for you have found grace with God” (Luke 1:30). What is this grace? - Which is possible only to the only One who can accomplish the impossible, and which only was reserved for You before all ages. For - “behold you conceive in the womb”; Having heard about the conception, he says, do not at all assume that Your virginity has been abolished, and therefore do not worry and do not be embarrassed; for when the words “you will conceive” are said to the Virgin,” he pointed out, “this means that conception will flow hand in hand with virginity. So, “conceive...,” he says, “and give birth to a Son” (Luke 1:31); for possessing what You possess and maintaining inviolable virginity, You will conceive and give birth to the Son of the Most High. For Isaiah, having foreseen this many years before, predicted: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son” (Is. 7:14), and that: “I will approach the Prophetess” (Is. 8:3). How did the Prophet approach the Prophetess? - Just as the Archangel now approached Her; for what the Archangel now saw was what that Prophet foresaw and predicted. As for the expression: “Prophetess,” this refers to the Virgin, because She had a prophetic gift that would confirm to everyone who desires Her a song to God in the Gospel (Luke 1:46-55). So, they say, Isaiah approached the Prophetess - in a prophetic, of course, spirit - and (She) was received in the womb,” and before they began, she escaped parental illnesses and gave birth to a Son. The Archangel now says to Her: “Give birth to a Son and call His name Jesus (which translated means “Savior”), He will be great.” And Isaiah would again say this: “Wonderful is the Counselor, the mighty God, the Sovereign, the Prince of Peace, the Father of the age to come.” The Archangel now agrees with this, saying: “This one will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High.” Why didn’t he say: “he is great and the Son of the Most High,” but “he will be” and “will be called”? – Because he speaks only about the human nature of Christ, and at the same time revealing that He will be known by everyone and will be proclaimed to everyone as such; just as Paul later said: “God appeared in the flesh, was preached among the nations, and was believed in the world” (Tim. 3:16). But the Angel adds, saying: “The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David: and He will reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end”; and He whose kingdom endures forever and has no end—He is God. But He also has David as a father; this means that He is also a Man. Thus, He who is to be born is God and at the same time a Man, the Son of Man and the Son of God, who, as a Man, receives from God the Father an irreplaceable kingdom, as Daniel saw and foretold, saying: “In vain, until the throne was set up, and the Ancient One sat... and behold, on the clouds of heaven, like the Son of Man, who went before, and even until The old one came and was brought before Him: and to Him was given power and honor, and His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and will not be accepted by any other king” (Dan. 7:9, 3 et seq. 40). He will sit on the throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob: because Jacob, truly, is the Patriarch of all the pious, and David, the first of all kings, reigned piously and godly in the image of Christ, Who combined the patriarchal and royal ministry into one heavenly principle. The Blessed Virgin, when she heard these extraordinary and divine words to Her from the Archangel: “Lord with You” and “behold, you will conceive and give birth to a Son,” who reigns forever - the Son of the Most High, - she said: “How this will happen, I don’t know where the husband is.” For although you bring Me the Annunciation, which is very spiritual and higher than bodily passions, you nevertheless announce to Me conception, and pregnancy and birth, which follow in accordance with conception; but how will this be for me when I don’t know my husband,” She says. The Virgo says this not because she would not believe the words of the Archangel, but out of a desire to find out, if possible, how this will happen. Why does the Archangel announce to Her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You and the power of the Most High will overshadow You: in the same way, the One to be born will be holy and called the Son of God”; for You are truly holy and gracious, Virgin,” he says, “The Holy Spirit, in His turn, will descend on You, through a more sublime addition of sanctification, arranging and preparing God’s action in You, and the power of the Most High will overshadow You, strengthening You and together - by overshadowing and contact itself, creating human nature in You, so that the One born will be Holy, Son of God, the Power of the Most High, taking the form of a man; behold, Elizabeth, Your relative, being barren throughout her life, now in old age, by the will of God, miraculously bears her womb, for no word of God will be powerless. How did the blessed Virgin and Her divine and incomparable Spirit respond to this? - In turn, She resorts to God and extends herself in prayer to Him, saying to the Archangel: if the Holy Spirit, as you say, comes upon Me, even more purifying and strengthening My nature so that I can accept the Saving Fruit; if the power of the Most High overshadows Me, forming in Me as a man the One Who is the Existing God, and creating a seedless birth; if the Begotten is Holy and the Son of God, and God and the Eternal King, for with God not a single word will remain powerless, then - “Behold the Servant of the Lord, be unto Me according to Thy word.” And the Angel departed from Her, leaving in Her womb the Creator of all, who was combined with flesh, and through such combination (with flesh), Whom She served, who gave salvation to the world. And Isaiah, too, through what he saw and was blessedly privileged to experience, clearly destined this: for he saw that not directly Seraphim took coal from the heavenly, mental altar, but with the help of tongs Seraphim took it and with their help touched the lips of the Prophet, giving him cleansing. The same thing as that great vision of ticks contained what Moses saw, namely, a bush burned by fire and not burned. Who doesn’t know that this Virgin Mother is both the Bush and the Ticks, having in Herself incomparably received the Divine Fire at conception, during the service of the Archangel, who through Her united the Remover of the sin of the world with the human race, and through this indescribable combination completely cleansed us? 41. So, the Virgin Mother is the only border between created and uncreated (Divine) nature; and all who know God will recognize Her as the Place of the Incontainable; and all who praise God will also sing of Her after God. She is the Cause of those who came before Her (blessings and gifts to the human race) and the Representative of the present and the Intercessor of the eternal. She is the Foundation of the Prophets, the Beginning of the Apostles, the Establishment of the Martyrs, the Foundation of the Teachers. She is the Glory of those on earth, the Joy of those in heaven, the Ornament of all creation. She is the Beginning and the Source and the Root, prepared for us in heaven, of hope, which may we all receive through Her prayers for us, to the glory of Him who was born before the ages from the Father, and in the last times incarnate from Her - Jesus Christ our Lord, to Whom is due all glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. PG.151:165–177. Homilia XIV. In Annuntiationem immculatae Dominae nostrae Deiparae semperque Virginis Mariae. Lat. translation adds: “never having to be violated”_ Ezekiel 44:2: “This gate shall be shut and shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it.” St. Gregory Palamas quotes from one of the variant readings, which is unknown to us. Here is a comparison with Seraphim from the vision of the Prophet Isaiah, who, having taken coal from the heavenly altar in pincers, touched his lips with it, as a result of which the Prophet was completely cleansed. You might be interested in: