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for the saving Nativity of Our Immaculate Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary 224 1. Indeed, every time is convenient to begin a saving way of life; and showing this, the great Paul said: “Behold, the time is acceptable, behold, the day of salvation. Let us put aside dark deeds and do bright deeds; For let us walk gracefully in the days” (Rom. 13:11–13); not calling any particular hour or day favorable for salvation, but (says that) after the appearance of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, every time is favorable for this. Because, as with the rising of the sensual sun, the time comes for people for bodily activity, as David said: “The sun has risen, and man will go out to his work and to his work until the evening” (Ps. 103:22-23); - so when the Sun of Truth shone for us in the flesh, after His appearance, every time seems favorable for spiritual work, which the same Prophet showed in another place - after he said about the Lord’s coming: “The stone that heedlessly built, This became the cornerstone”, - he brought: “This day, which the Lord has created, we will rejoice and be glad in it” ( Ps.117:22, 117:24). But with the sensual sun, which seems to be interrupted by the night, “man will go out,” they say, “to do his work until the evening”; The Sun of Truth, being unsetting, and, according to the words of the Apostle, “having no change or change in the shadow” (changes and shadows of change. James 1:17), provides the favorable time for spiritual work uninterrupted. 2. If it is necessary to select a time that is more favorable from the others, as, for example, there is a time of sowing and a time of harvest, a time of planting and a time of gathering fruits, and a time of any other thing, so in relation to doing good you will find that the hour is arranged differently in relation to this. Now is the time of autumn, and in it the preferred place is occupied by this month (September), which serves for us as the first month and the beginning of the year 225, when the work of our salvation began, which we celebrate today. Because today, by the grace of our proclamation and re-creation, we celebrate this first sacred festival and triumph, with which everything new began to come true, and the unchangeable to replace the temporary by the law, and the spirit - the letter, and the truth - the shadows. 3. Because today a new World and a wonderful Paradise have opened, in which the New Adam was incarnated and from which was born for the sake of the reunification of the ancient and the renewal of the whole world; The New Adam, Whom you cannot deceive, but Who Himself outsmarts the deceiver (the devil) and gives freedom to those who, due to deception (their devil), subjected themselves to the slavery of sin. Today an amazing Book has been prepared on earth, not a copy of words, but capable of carrying the Most Living Word; and the word is not carried in the air, but is heavenly; not - doomed to disappearance, but - snatching away those who listen to Him from destruction; not from the movement of human language, but from God the Father, which is eternally born. Today the Animated and Not Made by Hands Tabernacle of God and the Verbal and Spiritual Icon are visible, truly, to us “the Bread of Life sent from heaven” (John 6:32–33). Today, as the Psalm says: “Truth came up from the earth” (Ps. 84:11) - the true Beauty of what exists from the beginning of 226 human nobility, - “and truth came from heaven,” That Truth 227, Which expelled the very chief of unrighteousness and the very beginning of untruths, as unjustly condemned and righteously condemning, and having bound the mighty in evil and his vessels who stole and melted them and revealed them capable of containing Divine righteousness; and thus, by faith in Him 228 having justified the captives of sin, She accepted them for eternal abiding with Himself; the prince of evil, having tied with insoluble bonds, will be betrayed to eternal and dark fire. Today the “Rod from the Root of Jesse”, predicted in prophecy (Is. 11:2), has grown, from which “Color will come forth”; A flower that is not subject to withering, but also our nature - withered and therefore deprived of an unfading place of pleasure - again calling and leading to flowering, and giving it eternal flowering, and leading to heaven, and leading to paradise; The Rod is with the help of which the Great Shepherd directed the verbal flock to eternal pastures; The Rod - leaning on Which our nature, having laid aside its ancient decrepitude and infirmity, easily moves to heaven, leaving the earth below for those who have bowed down, as if deprived of support. 4. But what kind of New World is this, an amazing Paradise, an amazing Book, the Animated Tabernacle and Icon of God, the Truth (that shone) from the earth, the praised Rod of Jesse? - This is before Christmas and after Christmas, the Ever-Virgin Youth, whose Nativity from barren parents we celebrate today. Joachim and Anna, living with each other and being blameless before God, however, because they were barren, seemed worthy of reproach to the Israelites. Because since the hope of immortality was not yet inherent, then the succession of the family seemed a most necessary matter. Now, when this Virgin, born today, through Him who was born of Her in virginity, has given us eternity, there is no need for us to have succession through childbearing. But for the Israelites of that time, having many children seemed to be the highest virtue, and not having children was such a great evil that these Righteous Ones, instead of being praised for their virtue, were reviled for their lack of children. So, these Righteous Ones, being very saddened due to the reproaches, and remembering Abraham and Sarah and others who experienced deep sadness due to the lack of children, and then bringing to mind the treatment 230 that served as healing in such great sorrow, they themselves decided to resort to God with prayer. And so, the chaste Joachim retires to the desert and settles here and labors in fasting, sending up a prayer to God to become a father; and he did not weaken in prayer and did not leave there until he had received the fulfillment of his request. The co-chaste Anna encloses herself in a large garden nearby and here with a painful heart she cries out to the Lord: “Hear me, O God of my fathers, and bless me, as You blessed the womb of Sarah.” - And the Lord heard and blessed them and promised to fulfill their request, and He now brought His promise to fulfillment and gave them a Child, the most wonderful of all who had ever been, the very Mother of the Creator of all, who deified the human race and made the earth numb, and made the Son of God the Son of Man, and people - children of God, as she conceived without seed in herself and as the Flesh-bearer inexpressibly gave birth The One who created existing things from non-existent things and brought them into existence and does not allow this to crumble into non-existence. 5. But what was the reason that She came from barren wombs? – To resolve the sorrow and reproach of the parents, and also to prefigure the resolution of the sorrow and curse that befell the Forefathers of the human race that, thanks to Her, will occur. How then could nature dare to make common (and for other children) that womb in which the One stayed and from which came the One who had the Holy of Holies as Her home and the One who became the Abode of the Creator of nature? Because why (in this case) would not the Virgin Mother and the Mother of God appear before Her or after Her? - But just as before Her and after Her no one dwelt in the Holy of Holies, so likewise in these maternal wombs, neither before nor later was another fruit born. Since it was necessary for the Mother of God to be at the same time a Virgin, and then from the line of David and according to the time destined for our salvation, and this time was approaching and it was appropriate to prepare the Virgin, and at that time there was no one who was greater in virtue than this childless couple, nor who would be nobler in character and family among those who traced their family to David, then therefore these childless ones were preferred having many children; as if it were necessary for the all-virtuous Child to be pregnant from many-virtuous parents, and the Immaculate One would come from very chaste ones, and chastity, walking with prayer and asceticism, received the fruit - to become the parent of Virginity, and that Virginity, which incorruptible flesh produced the One who, before all ages, was born in Divinity from a virgin Father. Oh, the wings of this prayer! Oh, the boldness that she gained before God! Oh, these hearts, so immaculate as to offer such a prayer, which preceded such a thing and achieved such a thing! 6. But you, oh, sacred assembly, listeners of my words, my verbal flock and field in Christ, bring the Mother of God a gift corresponding to the day of Her Nativity, namely, the accomplishment of virtues and success in them: husbands and wives, old men and young men, rich and poor, princes and subordinates, and in general - all people and every age and rank and craft and art! Let no one among you be barren or unfruitful! No one is dry and incapable of receiving the spiritual seed, but, on the contrary, let him zealously accept the heavenly seed - the saving word - and on his own behalf help with deeds in order to bear heavenly and godly fruit! Let no one allow the beginning of good deeds to die out! 231 Let no one demonstrate his faith in Christ only in the tongue, because “not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven,” says the Lord, “but do the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21); and - “no one lays his hand on the head, and in vain turns back, he is ruled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). 7. Virgins and those who have taken vows of monastic life, and you who do good to the virgin community 232, ascend, and in general, all, through the languor of repentance, achieve to live with him 233 one life. Seek everything about God through the Virgin who has now been born for us, who in virginity gave birth in time in the flesh to the One who before the ages was born of a virgin Father; for Her and from Her, the one God incarnate, living, looking at His One, enjoying Him alone, rejoicing in hope, showing self-control in sorrow, showing obedience to the abbess, serving one another, taking care to maintain mutual peace, in concentration and prayer and contrition of the soul, constantly remaining in psalms and chants and spiritual songs, being immaculate and virgins in soul and body and in all feelings and thoughts and always revealing in everything a spiritual and virgin way of thinking and way of life. Because in this way, as the psalm says, following in the footsteps of the Mother of God, you will be close to Her and enter the church of the Heavenly King not made by hands, the bridal chamber of immortality, worldly and eternal. 8. And you who are in marriage, do not give yourself entirely to this world; because for your sake, this newly created truly worldly World, I mean the Mother of God, the Fruit of marriage, has opened today. Those who are in old age, show an age-appropriate way of thinking, and do not be (immature) youths in your thoughts and words and deeds, thinking carnally and living your life according to the flesh. Young men, imitate the wise and spiritual elders 234, honor and obey such, and do not be ignorant of what kind of old age is “honest” and how “youth is not deprived of the dignity of 235 honest old age.” If you are in ignorance, ask the Wise Solomon, and you will hear: “Grey hair is wisdom in man, and the life of old age is undefiled” (Wisdom 4:9). Those who have acquired an abundance of these earthly and fleeting and impermanent blessings and easily transferring from one to another, take care to acquire eternal life for themselves by giving them; “For it is not because of abundance that anyone eats his life because of his wealth” (Luke 12:15) 236 .. Those who are in need of the most necessary things, be rich in patience and thanksgiving to God, so that you may be numbered among the blessed poor, and you will inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). Princes, “judge righteous judgment” (Zechariah 7:9) and do not use force against your subjects; show them not so much a fair, but rather a fatherly attitude, remembering that you are of the same kind with them and are fellow slaves 237 . And do not go against submission to the Church and its teachings: because they are the affirmation of well-meaning people. Subjects, consider it your duty in relation to the authorities to fulfill only that which does not serve as an obstacle to the promised hope of the heavenly kingdom 238. 9. In general, everyone, just now bring to the Virgin now celebrated the most beautiful and most characteristic gift to Her: - your sanctification and purity of the body, acquired by abstinence and prayer. Look, everyone, how chastity and fasting and contrite prayer, coming together, revealed Joachim and Anna as the parents of the Vessel of God, a Vessel so chosen as to (be able to) carry not only the Divine name - as this later applies to Paul (Acts 9:15) - but also Himself, Whose “name is wonderful” (Ps. 8:1). And if we also firmly hold on to other virtues and prayers, diligently and constantly remaining in the church of God, then we will find the purity of heart that is treasured for us, which contains and reveals God to us (Matthew 5:8). So Isaiah calls it (purity of heart) and, thanks to it, the disposition from the soul to God, “the spirit of salvation received in the womb,” turning to God (with the following words): “For Thy fear, O Lord, I received in the womb, and sickened, and gave birth to the spirit of Thy salvation, which I created on the earth” (Is. 26:18). Do you see how barren and non-bearing souls become blessed? 239. 10. But the Prophet adds to the words spoken, saying: “We will not fall, but all who live on the earth will fall” (Is. 26:18), i.e. - revolving in earthly thoughts and passions. So, if we wish, brethren, to make our home not the earth, but the sky, and not to fall to the earth and into the sin that creeps on the earth, but we wish to constantly stretch to the divine heights, then we will fear God, retreat from evil, turn to Him through good deeds, strive through abstinence and prayer to erase bad habits in ourselves and change our inner thoughts for the better (more worthy), and our spirit salvation, in the words of the Prophet, to get sick and give birth, having the called Helper Who, for the sake of prayer and the godly way of life of Her parents, was granted to them today; Who also changed the parents’ sadness (to joy) and lifted the forefathers’ curse and stopped the illness of the Foremother, painlessly giving birth to Christ in virginity, to whom befits all glory, honor and worship with His Beginning Father and the Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. In Greek in the 1861 edition it is listed as number 42, pp. 1–16. In Byzantium, as in old Russia, the year began in September. Orig. – “from above,” which can mean “from the beginning” and “from God.” Here by “truth” we mean Christ. Who was unrighteously condemned to death through the machinations of the devil, and therefore, in view of this untruth, righteously condemned him and expelled him from his leadership and captured the souls of the people captive by him. See this in detail in the 16th homily. That is into God, whose righteousness has just been spoken of. “Afeggy” - non-luminous, ominous, black fire. Orig. - “let no one leave the beginning of good deeds to those who have not demonstrated themselves.” That is benefactors of women's monasteries. That is with the virgin community. We added this phrase on our own; orig. - “imitate like elders,” which were mentioned either in the apparently omitted text, or “like elders” refers to those elders who lead a lifestyle corresponding to an honest old age, which was mentioned at the beginning of the phrase. We added this word. “A man’s life does not depend on the abundance of his possessions”: Those. one human race and one people and together servants of God. Those. does not harm the cause of soul salvation. Those. parents of beautiful children. You might be interested in: