Homily on the venerable and glorious Dormition of our Most Holy and Most Pure Lady Theotokos

Essay rights. Nicholas Kavasila's “Homily on the venerable and glorious Dormition of our Most Holy and Most Pure Lady Theotokos” (13 chapters) is included in the cycle of “Theotokos Homilies.” In the teaching about the Mother of God, the author moves away from the traditional Christological aspect, focusing on its anthropological side, which was a response to the ideas of Renaissance humanism about the autonomy of the human mind, its independence from God. It shows the true dignity and rebirth of man through the Virgin Mary, especially emphasizing the conscious, voluntary and effective participation of the Mother of God in the Incarnation. Her will and faith were as necessary for the implementation of the Economy as the participation of the Triune God. The humility of the Mother of God and Her obedience to God united in the Person of the Most Holy Virgin the human will with the Divine will. Human freedom appeared in accordance with the freedom of God. In the Homily for the Dormition, the author calls the Virgin Mary “the new earth and the new heaven,” the source of all good, holiness and beauty, surpassing not only human but also angelic nature. He claims that all the Old Testament shrines were only prototypes of Her perfection. The central place in the work is occupied by the idea of ​​​​the exceptional righteousness of the Virgin Mary, who alone of the entire human race brought a worthy soul to God. While all people “turned away” and were “indecent,” She alone became the “purification and propitiation” for the entire human race. The author calls Her the “Holy of Holies” and the “altar,” which is far superior to the Old Testament, since He was overshadowed not by the cherubim, but by the “Power of the Most High.” Her blood became the blood of God, although the natures remained unmixed, which was a miracle of the union of the Divine and the human. The author emphasizes that in the saving passions of the Son, the Mother of God shared with Him dishonor, sorrow and suffering, Her heart was pierced by a sword, as the Lord predicted. Simeon the God-Receiver. This participation in the death of Christ made Her the first participant in His Resurrection. The Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is presented not as an ordinary death, but as a solemn transition: Her soul united with the Soul of the Son, and her body was raptured into Heaven. This event completes the earthly journey of the Mother of God. Her glory surpasses in holiness all the Angels, Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim, for She directly assumed the Divine Hypostasis Herself. *Title of the work in Greek – Εἰς τὴν πανένδοξον κοίμησιν τῆς ὑπεραγίας Δεσποίνης ἡμῶν κα παναχράντου Θεοτόκου. 1. I think everyone knows that there is nothing more significant than our [verbal] work today, if everything in it is done as it should be. I am so much below the point of even trying to consider [the recalled event] here in a proper way that I even believe that although all people are debtors to the Virgin for these [Her] deeds, they cannot even hope to achieve the greatness of the subject in words. So hardly anyone will accuse us of insolence. And where is the place for insolence? It would not be in accordance with common sense to start talking about great things and prepare for defeat. After all, it is unlikely that anyone will blame the laggards where no one has [completely] succeeded. And how can you defend yourself in something that no one accuses? So, having measured [my] voice with the greatness of the event, I will move on to the hymns, adding [more] this: I rose [with a speech] not to teach the listeners, lest any of them should be deprived of the benefits of the One Who is Glorified [now] - everyone here knows about this common good - but in order to contribute to the good of the soul through the possible mention of the reason for my salvation. For the same reason, I think, everyone offers a hymn to the Most Holy [Theotokos], and there is no one who has not taken up this task, some more, some less successful in offering [praise]. After all, She deserves many praises, not only for what came into being through Her, but also for what was given to people before [the incarnation]. 2. And the prophets, in their inspired speeches, sang of the blessed Virgin, and all [from the ages] shrines: the tabernacle, the ark, the tents of Moses, and the rest of which the Jews were proud, foreshadowed the miracle of the Virgin. After all, these shrines existed and began to exist only to describe Her and to point people to Her in advance. But what am I saying? All the praises that people have ever heard and our race has ever offered, every single one of them must be attributed to the Virgin. After all, no, truly there is no good, neither large nor small, nothing that could be called good, which would not have been brought [to this world] by the New Mother and the New [from Her] Child, not only at His birth, but also before He was born. After all, if we do everything in order to grow rich in God and if this is the limit for all good things for us - and this would be unattainable for people without the gifts of the Virgin - then why should not everything that is praiseworthy in the human race be directed to Her, the beginning of praise? For the cause of all our blessings is union with God, and the beginning of this union is the Virgin. And therefore for the [human] race She is the many-sung beginning of all beauty, all holiness, all hymns, and to Her alone all praise ascends. However, it is appropriate to attribute to the Blessed Virgin the fact that people remained alive and generally remain people. And not only they, but also the sky, and the earth, and the sun, and the universe through the Blessed Virgin - like a plant through its fruit - acquired well-being and existence in general. And if we praise a tree according to its fruit, and the one who experiences joy in the tree will usually praise the fruit, then who will not understand that from all things there is all honor, thanksgiving and adornment, “if this is virtue and praise” (Phil. 4:8) - according to the word of the apostle. Paul - befitting one Virgin? So we can say that the judgment of God, calling [the creation] good and very good (cf. Gen. 1:31), was a praise to the Virgin. 3. Thus, from ancient times, [Her] praise began. That the Blessed [Virgin] is the fruit of creation, as well as the offering of the entire Universe, is clear from the following: if everyone has in themselves as a fruit that which makes nature not inferior to the one who gives birth and reveals new, as it was originally, then [we ask] who recreated people? Where does the new creature come from? Who changed this Universe? Those very new recreated citizens whom heaven received were transported from earth [there] by the Virgin. The earth received as its inhabitant a new man, the Lord of Heaven Himself. After all, she did not produce the ancient fruit of sin, thorns and thistles, but a new flower of righteousness - the Virgin. Thus, Ta not only removed decay from human nature and presented to all people the possibility of rebirth, but also bestows even greater joy, namely, that the sky and the moon, and the earth, and the stars themselves will become alien to all decay. After all, creation cannot be freed from corruption before the children of God gain freedom. The redemption of this freedom gave birth to the Virgin - the First Born from the dead. Then the earth will be freed from corruption and the desired will be fulfilled - the alms of incorruption, waiting for which - according to the word of St. Paul - “the whole creation groans together” (Rom. 8:22). So the prophet says, turning to God: “The earth will be satisfied with the fruit of Your works” (Ps. 103 according to LXX), meaning this [wonderful] Fruit, that is, the Virgin. Virgo is secretly called the aspiration of the earth. After all, She herself - according to what was said - will be satisfied with the appearance of the glory of the Savior (cf. Ps. 16:15). If Scripture gives people the name of the earth, then it is clear that through Her the fulfillment of their prayers for the coming of the day that the prophets expected was accomplished. After all, that bliss from which we had come and which we had lost, we so desired, and [to return] which none of us, neither of the angels nor of the people, was worthy of - and we found ourselves further and further from the possibility of returning to our previous position, and groaned, desiring it alone - that bliss alone was returned to us by the Blessed [Virgin] and fulfilled the aspiration, and She so firmly united with people the One and Only Desired One, having found Whom there is nothing more to look for, what has been imparted to it not by the external circumstances of our lives, but by our very nature. And She showed this benefit not only to people, but also to [the entire] world, and although heaven was set as the limit of benefits, She also crossed this limit, “the heavens were covered with greatness” (cf. Hab. 4:3). After all, She served the Angels, the Principalities and Powers themselves, for the good, and for them She emitted light, and gave them the opportunity to become wiser and purer, and better than before to cognize God’s goodness and wisdom. After all, the manifold wisdom of God through Her was revealed to the Principalities and Powers; and “the abyss of divinity and wisdom and knowledge of God” (Rom. 11:3) as if through the eyes or light of the Blessed One, everyone saw. She was the only guide for every soul and every mind to the achievement of divine truth. 4. So the Virgin made a new heaven and a new earth. Moreover, She Herself is the new earth and the new heaven. Earth, because it [came from the earth]. The new one, because it was not like its ancestors in anything [sinful], the old one did not inherit the leaven, but, according to the word of St. Paul, She herself became a new test (cf. 1 Cor. 5:7) and laid the foundation for a certain new generation. Who does not know then that She is Heaven? New, because it is far [from] all decay, as having become alien to all corruption, and because recently at the end of these days. It was given to people according to the Divine promise, which Isaiah announced: “I will give you a new heaven and a new earth” (Is. 66, according to LXX). If you want, then the Virgin is also earth and heaven, supernatural and extraordinary (wonderful), for, having arisen from the earth, She surpassed the sky in both purity and greatness. Greatness, for He Whom the sky could not contain, She had as an inhabitant in Herself; purity, because that which people could [never] become witnesses to, neither with the heavens torn apart nor with the heavens open, thanks to it becomes unhinderedly accessible. Moreover, She also guides those who strive to God until She reaches [heaven]. The following must also be deduced: if She had not been left as a mediator between God and people, it would not have been possible for those below to be partners with the world above. It is written that the sky could not bear the Divine ray, but when it passed, it opened up. After all, when the Spirit descended on His Equal Son, John “saw the heavens opening” (Mark 1:10). This Blessed One, when the Spirit was upon Her, only enjoyed even greater peace, which, as the apostle says. Paul - “beyond all understanding” (Phil. 4:7) and became a prenatural residence for the Hypostasis of the Savior Himself, a Hypostasis that knows no Limit. And she accepted Him with such ease that she carried Him in her womb and gave birth without illness. So what the prophet calls the heaven of heaven, the only one befitting the One God, saying “Heaven is the heaven of the Lord” (Ps. 113 according to LXX), this is what is said about the Blessed Virgin. It is also said: “and the heavens are unclean in His sight” (Job 15:15). God's neighbor, the Virgin, is not only pure from defilements, but also beautiful. And not just, but absolutely beautiful, because it is said: “You are all beautiful” (Song. 4:7 according to LXX). It is not from people that you were chosen, but God Himself proclaims you Blessed, and not simply, but with admiration: “How beautiful you are, my neighbor” (Song 4 according to LXX). However, “all human righteousness,” says Scripture, “is in the sight of God worse than any defilement” (cf. Isa. 64:6) and deserves the name of wickedness. From this it is obvious that the righteousness of the Virgin did not fit within human boundaries, but went beyond them, not just a little or much, but so much so that you can touch the image [of this righteousness], but it has so far surpassed the general nature that you will not find even half the way [to it]. 5. As a result of this, She covered all human wickedness and showed people worthy of living with God, and the earth of the Savior’s residence on Her. “They all turned aside and became equally useless” (Ps. 13:4), there was no one who could help the race in danger [of perishing] or hold back the flow of sin. After all, neither priests, nor judges, nor the whole body of prophets, nor others who clung to God, from whom one could hope for something better for the human race, none of them could serve the general [salvation] in any way and show themselves clean from guilt and curse, but hell accepted all of them descending from here. And it was already unattainable for us to return to our former life, since people could not have enough strength in themselves for this, and the good The angels, although they prayerfully asked for a better fate and sought to help us, but yielded to the enormity of [human] evils. The same One, Whom people needed, turned away from the wound [of the human race] as a result of sin. “And the Lord [from heaven] looked down upon the earth to see, and there was no one who understood, seeking God” (Ps. 13 to LXX), as in the body, when it was completely overwhelmed by illness, for those who wanted to begin treatment, there was no longer any place left from where health could be awakened. For He, being a lover of mankind, desired our salvation, but did not find anyone with whom he could rightfully begin good deeds. For such is the law of the Divine justice, that sometimes He bestows blessings that make our nature better, even to those who do not desire it; the same blessings that perfect our desire and will, create us as a dwelling place for God, ask for peace from above, are so majestic and so surpass all human hope that He does not give them to everyone, but to those who were first ready to bring the appropriate favor. As a result of this, before the descent [into the world] of the Savior and the associated Sacraments, which brought back our will that had fallen away from Divine love, a certain human righteousness was required, not only balancing all this filth, but also with an amazing addition, by virtue of which nature would be kept from abomination and cleansed from the shame of sin, the insolence of the common enemy would be tamed, and God would stretch out his hand to people reconciliation. 6. It happens that the Virgin brought this wondrous righteousness for the whole world, became a cleansing and propitiation for us, and sanctified the entire [human] race. And just as a stream of light or fire, wherever it reaches, transmits [itself] everywhere, so She gave away to everyone from Her radiance. And just as light gives beauty to visible things, although it is not present in all, but it was given to the solar disk, in the same way human beauty, all the greatness of nature and the grace with which it was adorned until man lost God, and which it would have had if he had preserved the Divine Law, and all the righteousness he had, and what needed to be had, but was missing [all this] was united in one Blessed [Virgin] and “everything” [became] “justification” (Rom. 5:18) as the ap. speaks of the Savior. Paul. She was a kind of treasury, a source, the very essence, I don’t know how else to say it, of human holiness. Therefore, of all the people who have been from eternity, She alone dwelt in the Sanctuary as a kind of preliminary and purifying sacrifice, before the great sacrifice [of the Savior], offered for the whole race, so that “when Jesus entered the Holy of Holies as the Forerunner for us” (Heb. 5:20), there before the Savior “in the interior behind the veil” (Heb. 6:19) the Blessed Virgin offered Herself to the Father. The Savior, having died on the Cross, completely reconciled the Father with people; The Virgin, having offered herself to God, helped reconciliation by bringing its Organizer for the people and making this Messenger (Heb. 3:1) a brother for those for whom He will intercede before God as already of one nature with Him and His own. “Therefore He had to become in every way like the brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest before God” (Heb. 2:17). And this One, being in One Hypostasis both what we are and God, became the common Limit of each nature; and hence the union of God and people, and reconciliation, and peace itself, and everything that relates to this. The blessed one, being a person, from here having received her race and having a prenatural righteousness, drawing closer to God alone, through her humanity exalts people, and moves God to love for people, attracting Him with Her beauty. And the Savior accepted the punishment for what we were guilty of. He did not know anything about Himself that would be subject to responsibility, for “He committed no sin” (1 Peter 2:22), but He took upon Himself our sins and suffered for us. And the wounds of the Only Guilty One for all the most gravely sinned people became sufficient for liberation from condemnation. And the Blessed Virgin, the only one of all people who brought a worthy soul to God, was able to serve to help others. Therefore, to her alone, out of all the multitude who ever received broadcasts from Heaven, God said: “Rejoice!” After all, there was no one who, being freed from charges, could be free from punishment. God has appointed everyone to mourn and be sad. And people were subject to this punishment because they truly violated the law of joy and peace. As for the Blessed One, the fact that She was honored to hear “Rejoice!” and was called gracious and blessed, it is clearly shown that She could not be accused of anything for which human nature was responsible. 7. We, who needed many cleansings, also needed a new sacrifice for us, immaculate and holy. If the altar, which was the mark and image of Her benefits, [was called] the Holy of Holies, then what name is appropriate [for what became an altar] in reality? After all, [that] altar was not just as inferior to the Virgin as the marks and image [inferior] to the truth, but much more and even, as it were, infinitely. There were “cherubim overshadowing the purification” (Heb. 9:5), as the apostle said. Paul, this All-Singing One, was overshadowed not by the cherubim themselves or anyone higher than them, but by the One Whom the cherubim serve, [He who is] “the Power of the Most High” (Luke 1:32), as the Divine Gabriel announced. After all, sacrifice is more sacred than purification, since it receives its holiness from sacrifice; and the sprinkling of blood brings sanctification to it. The blessed Virgin is so much more holy than any sacrifice that it is impossible to express it. After all, the blood of this new sacrifice was not received by the altar and not consumed by the fire, but God Himself took it for Himself and put on “robes of salvation and clothing of joy” (Is. 61 to LXX), protecting people from all suffering. And He was not ashamed of this covering, but truly calls it His glory and His kingdom. And truly, when, having put on this robe, He partook of human existence, then, says [Scripture], the Kingdom of Heaven became “near the door” (Mark 13:29). The angels asked the Savior about this royal attire: “Why is Your robe red?” (Is. 63:2). In it “the Lord reigns” (Ps. 65:10), as Scripture says. He put on this power and this glory. In this robe and in this belt he defeated the strong man, tied him up, and tore those struck with trepidation from his hands and saved him intact. And, according to the words of the ap. Paul, the flesh of the Savior became “for us to be saved by the power of God” (Cor. 1:18). Oh, new Sacraments! O admirable righteousness! O soul, who has chastised her body with such chastity! Oh, the body, which has not seen the natural, ascended along with the soul. Oh, mind [filled] with the light there! What will I say, what will I say (cf. Dan. 10:17), says the prophet in difficulty. God, Whom no place can contain and no creation contains, even if it had increased countless times, this Virgin clothed Him with Her blood, and, moreover, became a beautiful robe for the Beautiful King, although God was not united with the flesh in the same way as the body with clothes, and human nature did not become involved in the Divine ray in the same way as clothing with royal bliss. Indeed, with regard to the incarnation of the Savior, there was no merging of natures with each other, but each remains unmixed with the other and retains all its properties. For the rest, [hypostatic unity] is as much superior to that image as complete union and perfect separation. This connection cannot be an example for others and an example cannot be given for it, but it is completely special, the first and only: the blood of the Virgin becomes the blood of God. How can I say this? With what was taken [from the Virgin] he entered into such perfect communion that it becomes equal, co-eternal, and co-divine with His Divine nature. The Virgin has ascended to such a height of holiness! That which relates to Her surpasses all understanding! 8. She was human; came from people; was involved in everything characteristic of our family, but did not become the heir to the same way of thinking as us and did not find herself bound by the same habit of vices, but resisted sin and corruption, putting an end to wickedness. Thus She became the holy firstfruits and guide along the road leading to God. After all, She had such a disposition of soul as if She were alone in this world, there were no other people, no other creature had been created, but She alone was near the One God. She did not pay attention to anything created and did not care about anything, but as soon as she appeared among people, she withdrew from them for her better part; and having passed through the entire creation, earth, sky, sun, stars and the whole face that abides near God, she did not stop before uniting with God, Pure with Pure. And She became before God more sacred than sacrifices, more honorable than altars. Prophets, righteous men and priests She became as much holy as the sanctifier exceeds the sanctified in regard to holiness. After all, no one was holy before the Blessed One appeared, but it was She, the first and only one who completely abandoned sin, who appeared holy and holy of holies and, if anything can be called, the highest; and for others she opened the gates of holiness, having adequately prepared herself to receive the Savior, and through this all the prophets, priests and everyone in general who found themselves worthy of the Divine Mysteries could become saints. After all, the first and only Fruit of the Virgin brought holiness into the world, and Blessed Paul speaks about this: “Jesus entered as a forerunner for us” into the Holy Place [of Holies] (Heb. 11:26). If, before the Savior came to us, one can hear that many received this designation [of holiness], then this is only because they participated figuratively in the Sacraments. After all, Moses, according to the testimony of the ap. Paul, before Christ was reproached, “counted the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt” (Heb. 11:26). Also, Baptism and the giving of spiritual bread and water to the Jews took place before the bread came down from heaven and before the Holy Spirit was [on them], “because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:39). This was also done for the purpose that [people] should properly prepare for true holiness and be able to perceive that ray from which salvation shone, to which the following words of the Savior correspond: “For their sakes I consecrate Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth” (John 12:19). As for those ancients who lived before the appearance of the Savior, they received sanctification in certain images and shadows. “All these who were testified to faith did not receive what was promised, ... so that they would not be made perfect without us” (Heb. 11:39,40), as the apostle says. Paul. 9. And what can we say about the prophets, who, if they had not received the gifts of the Virgin, could not free themselves from the shackles of hell? Truly more holy is the blessed Virgin of the Angels, Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim themselves. After all, if God is the reward for holiness, a reward that, although given equally to everyone, is received to a greater extent by those who have shown greater zeal, then the Virgin necessarily prevails in holiness for the deeds suffered. Holiness is measured by closeness to God. It is said [in Scripture] that the Cherubim surround God and receive the light emanating from Him, but they do not dare to look. The Virgin, in a new and ineffable way, accepted within Herself the One Who is not contained by any place. And not some kind of brilliance and glory, but She Herself perceived the Divine Hypostasis. And how much more clearly than to the Cherubim God appeared to the Virgin, much more than it is possible to express how much more she is, necessarily, holier and more sacred. Likewise, those things in which Divine Wisdom is predominantly revealed, She prevails in purity and holiness. After all, in the visible world, what is located near the [source of] light is seen purer than the rest. And although God is equally present in everything, one can point out the difference in His appearance to creatures. If this is so, then who will deny that the Virgin is holier than all people and Angels? And if through the Angels people were given the Covenant of God, the Old Law [“...through the Angels the word proclaimed was firm...”. - says the ap. Paul (Heb. 2:2)], and all other signs of justice and power, then the Virgin not only announced God within these limits, but showed people the Hypostatic Wisdom of God Himself, not in signs and images, but directly God Himself, the Savior, and [revealed] not only to people, but also to the Principalities and Powers, so that now she would become known, as the apostle says. Paul, “...to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places is the manifold wisdom of God” (Eph. 3:10). And he did not say, “... so that she would become more famous than before, when, albeit imperfectly, she was known,” but simply “so that she would become known,” showing, I think, that the knowledge that existed before the Blessed Virgin was so vague that it is in no way possible to compare it with other knowledge grown by [the Blessed Virgin]. And, as it befitted, she shone forth the Sun of Truth not only for people, righteous and unrighteous, evil and good, but also for the most worldly Powers. So, the Virgin is so much higher than all creations, insofar as what was done by the Savior as the economy of our salvation cannot be compared with anything else that exists. After all, if She made the Angels so perfect in comparison with themselves that, according to the judgment of the Apostle, their former bliss cannot be compared with the subsequent one, then let us evaluate Her superiority as it really is. After all, if “the lesser is blessed by the greater” (Heb. 7:7), then what is the difference between doing good and receiving good deeds? Therefore, the prophet saw the Virgin as the Throne of God, [the Throne] “high and exalted, around the Throne stood the Seraphim” (cf. Is. 6:12). And they didn’t just stand there, but with fear and trembling, not daring to look directly at him. It is also written that they never fall asleep and there is no end to their praises to God. And all this is all the more true for the Blessed One, the more She received the Divine Light. And I say this not only in relation to what happened after Her departure from here, but also about Her stay in this world, for She does not fall asleep, just like the Powers that stand before God, and shows preferential zeal for God over others in order to enjoy all the Divine gifts. Therefore, what befits other saints [already] after separation from the body, necessarily to possess virtue and goodness, is [acquired] by the Virgin even before leaving the body. 10. And, of course, it was in accordance with [Her dignity]. After all, a body that could be so far [from its usual destiny] has undoubtedly surpassed its name. It was no longer a spiritual body or anything similar to it, but, according to the words of St. Paul, “spiritual body” (1 Cor. 15:44), for the Spirit began to dwell in him and changed all the limits of nature. In addition, that which does not allow the saints to change internally while present was inherent in the Blessed Virgin in abundance. After all, the saints, being filled with every desire to be close to the limit of what they wanted, despite the fact that all the power of the mind was directed to the contemplation of what truly exists, could not give room to another [desire], nor turn their gaze and mind [from It], even if everything visible was exposed to them. Who does not know that all this, to a degree exceeding rational understanding, was inherent in the Virgin, and that She alone accepted God in an indescribable manner? From this it is clear that even before Her repose She certainly possessed this wondrous virtue and supernatural goodness. And she was a sharer of future blessings, and in the present century she reigned in the kingdom prepared for the righteous, and she lived a life hidden in Christ, open to Her, a stable life among the fluid. After all, the Blessed One had to possess everything named in some new way, before which the laws of nature would recede. She herself showed this by singing the Divine blessings she received: He who is mighty has done great things for me (Luke 1:49). 11. Oh, new rewards! Oh, their equal works! After all, after the awards and crowns, I mean the Sun of Truth, Whom She accepted and with Whom she united, She, instead of the joy that was set before Her (cf. Heb. 15:2), experienced illness and sorrow for our sake. She became an accomplice to the Son in dishonor and reproach, in the poverty experienced by Him, and in every experience that, near the betrothed parent [Joseph], He endured with patience, sharing the fate of the Son for the good of my salvation. She was near Him both at the beginning of miracles and when He corrected [our] nature. She had compassion for Him, who suffered ill will from those whom He had favored, so that She Herself did not remain outside the hatred with which He was hated. She was the first, out of abundance of love for mankind, to move the Son to do good deeds [to the human race], even before the time when He said: My hour has not yet come (John 2:4). By this He clearly showed what freedom of address He gave to His Mother, so that She could change the boundaries of times that He Himself had set. What great sorrows did the Virgin share in when the Savior endured terrible passions for us and submitted to death? What kind of arrows were you pierced by? After all, even if Her Son were just a man and no one else, nothing more bitter could have been caused to the Mother. Now He is both the Son and Her One, and Himself One, [born] miraculously, who did not cause grief either to Her or to anyone at all, but brought such benefits to everyone that they surpassed all expectations. What must the Blessed One have felt in Her soul, seeing in such troubles the Son, the Benefactor of all human nature, “Meek, Humble in Heart” (Matthew 11:29), Who “did not cry or lift up His voice” (Is. 42:2), To whom no one could impute any guilt, drawn by these wild beasts, naked, struck with lashes, as in tyranny, contrary to all laws and rights, condemned by the most criminal voices [of judges] to the most shameful death - to die among notorious villains? I think there has never been such sorrow in people. After all, if it is necessary to mourn the unjustly injured, then there is nothing that would be further from justice than the death of the Savior. Indeed, none of us suffered completely unjustly, for, even though he was not aware of anything of what he was condemned for, he did what he could have rightfully been accused of. But the prophet says about the Savior: “He did not create sin” (Is. 53 to LXX). Then, if it is impossible not to be hurt by the misfortunes of loved ones, then let us remember that no one was as close to anyone as the Virgin to the Savior. Therefore, the Virgin endured grief that exceeded the strength of nature and greater measures of description, such as no other person - the Righteous Mother, who saw the unrighteous judgment. 12. It was necessary that She should constantly participate in the Son in His providence for us. And just as She gave Him Her flesh and blood, and on Her part became a participant in His blessings, so She equally shared in all sorrows and sorrows. He, being nailed to the Cross, was pierced in the ribs with a spear, and Her heart was pierced by a sword, as the divine Simeon proclaimed. And those dogs added other common [torments] to the Son and Mother, remembering His previous words, calling Him a flatterer and trying to convict Him of deceit. So She, having become the first participant in the death of the Savior, as a result of this, first of all, became a participant in the Resurrection. After all, She was honored to contemplate and greet the Son, who crushed the power of hell and was resurrected, and accompanied Him as he ascended to Heaven as long as this was possible, and after His ascension, She replaced Him with the Apostles and other companions of the Savior with common benefits with Him, “filling up the lack of Christ” (cf. Col. 1:24) better than anyone else. But who else, if not the Mother, should have done this? It was necessary that this all-holy soul be separated from the all-holy body. It resolves and unites with the [Soul] of the Son, with the First Light - the second. The body, after a short stay in the earth, itself, together with the soul, departed [from here]. She had to walk along all the paths along which the Savior walked, to shine forth alive and dead, to sanctify nature in its entirety and again receive its rightful place. Therefore, the tomb accepted Her for a short time, and then Heaven delighted this new earth, the spiritual body, the treasury of our life, most glorious of the Angels and most holy of the Archangels. And the Throne was returned to the King, paradise to the tree of life, the disc to the Sun, the tree to the Fruit, the Mother to the Son, worthy in everything of Her generation. 13. What word will be sufficient to tell about Your righteousness, O Blessed One, about the Savior’s gifts to You and Your totality of people (to all people)? None, even if someone “spoke in the tongue of men and angels” (1 Cor. 13:1), as the apostle said. Paul. It seems to me that She [already] has a share in the eternal bliss prepared for the righteous, but, of course, the Virgin knows and proclaims this to her. After all, “no eye has seen, no ear has heard” (1 Cor. 2:9), and “the world cannot contain it” (cf. John 21:25) - as the great John testifies. Only there can one rightfully see Your miracles, where there is a new heaven and a new earth, where the Sun of Truth is, which does not set and is not covered in darkness. The speaker of Your deeds is the Savior Himself, and those who applaud are the Angels. Only there can you meet a voice worthy (of You). It is impossible for people to accomplish this, but we begin to speak about You insofar as this contributes to the sanctification of the tongue and soul. After all, just one word referring to You, or a remembrance [of You] restores the soul, cleanses the mind and makes us from the carnal to the spiritual, from the sinful to the saints (from those far from holiness to participate in it). Oh, the fullness of the blessings known to us in this life and those that we will recognize after leaving here! O Virgin, who became at the beginning of bliss and holiness and opened the way for others! Oh, the salvation of people, the light of the world, the path to the Savior, the gate, life, and other worthy names that, for the sake of the salvation accomplished by the Savior, can be applied to You. He is the Author, after all, You are the co-author of my sanctification and all that I received from the Savior through You and from You Alone. Thy blood [in that Blood] which washes away the sins of the world; from You is the Body in which I received sanctification, in which is the New Testament, in which is all hope of salvation. Your womb is the kingdom of God. But, O highest of all praises and every attached name, accept the song, do not neglect zeal, grant that the best of You can be thought and sung both now, in this life, and after, in eternal life. Amen. You might be interested in: