Слово на Успение Пресвятой Владычицы нашей Богородицы. Святого Андрея, архиепископа Критского

We must add what is missing to what we have narrated in order, so that the word is complete and free from omissions. In the previous words we spoke about the virgin tabernacle of the Mother of God; It remains to be said what the funeral song was and what was sung in it. And let no one reproach me for taking upon myself what exceeds my strength (for I composed this word, prompted by the promise given, never forgetting humility). Let no one be surprised if a word contains something known only to a few. So, a countless crowd of God-bearers gathered; and all the ranks of the worldly Powers, flying invisibly from above, gathered for a wondrous spectacle; the inspired souls of the saints, whom the book of Song of Songs in the spiritual sense calls virgins (Song 1:2), were there, forming faces around the bed (for it was fitting that the godlike souls of the departed be present with the Queen of nature, precede Her descent, accompany Her in a solemn procession and sing the original songs). Lying open was the body of the Mother of God, luminous and containing the entire fullness of the Divine Word, which, being visible on the bed, filled all creation with the fragrance of the world. Those chosen from among the godly wise, partakers of the Holy Spirit, out of abundant joy about the divine consolation, began to sing alternately (who could do what they could - one one thing, the other another) from inspired funeral hymns. However, those songs were not such as we can imagine: the Holy Spirit taught them to pronounce and gave them to hear. Everything that those who sang songs said and listened to, incomparably surpassing our earthly art, was in no way different from the sounds of the angels triumphing in heaven. It is not for us to describe their height, depth and endless beauty, even to those who have not tasted such sweetness: rather, we must honor them with silence, as surpassing our understanding. We will proceed only to that in which success is pleasant and error is not dangerous, which will not upset the bookish, and will not be difficult for the ignorant... God put such an end to the covenants with us; this is the crown of Divine prophecies, this is the ineffable advice of eternal care for man. This is the blessed image of the Divine prototype, the support of every ascent to the Divine, the most holy tabernacle of the Creator of all, the God-pleasing cup of wisdom, the pure treasury of life, the inexhaustible source of Divine enlightenment, the unshakable power: because She who surpasses all in purity was not possessed by passions. Truly, She became, as it were, a dwelling place for the miracles that had happened before; and the last part of this is what is celebrated now (although everything was predetermined before all time, for, of course, in the Divine Council, the end of life was long ago appointed for each of us). None of the earthly beings are able to comprehend the mystery of the Virgin that is now taking place. How are the bonds bound by crime broken? How was the corruption sown by sin destroyed by Christ, who died earlier? How did nature itself emerge from condemnation to death and accept the dispensation of immortality? Oh, wonderful me! O Divine Trade! Nature gave birth voluntarily to death through disobedience; She gave birth to Him who took away death through obedience. Here is an inexhaustible source of immortality: come, you mortified ones, draw from it. Here are the eternal rivers of life: come, all of you, become immortal. O Daughter of Adam and Mother of God! O husbandless Mother and childbearing Virgin! O Creation, Temporarily Created in You, and not retreating from His invisibility! All the heralds of the Spirit sang about You. The first Moses, seeing You - Kupina, said: as I pass by I will see this great vision (Ex. 3:3). The Godfather David prayed to Christ for You, saying: Arise, O Lord, You and the ark of Your holiness (Ps. 132:8). He sang about You, prefiguring Your outcome: the rich people will pray to Your face: for behold, he says, all the glory of the king’s daughter is within: robes of gold and speckled (Ps. 45:13-14). Prefiguring You, the holy book of Songs mysteriously indicated: who is this that rises from the desert, like a stalk of smoke burning myrrh and frankincense from all the incense of the myrrh-bearer (Song. 3:6). The same book was written about You again: Behold Solomon... make his pillars of silver, and his worship of gold: his rise is scarlet, a stone is laid within him, love is from the daughters of Jerusalem (Song. 3:7-10); and again: daughters of Zion, come out and see King Solomon in the crown with which his mother crowned him, on the day of his betrothal, and on the day of the joy of his heart..., seeing her daughters and pleasing her, queens and concubines, and praising her: for the stench of her robe is more than all the aroma (Song. 3:11; 6:8; 4:10 )· Seeing You, Isaiah exclaimed with divine inspiration: Behold, the Virgin will conceive in her womb - she will be the root of Jesse; and a rod will come out of the root of Jesus, and a flower will come out of its root (Isa. 7:14; 11:1). For Your sake, the great Ezekiel foretold: this gate to the east will be closed, and no one will pass through it: for the Lord God will enter through it, and it will be closed (Ezek. 44:1-2). And the man of desires prophetically called You the Mountain, saying: and the stone without hands was cut off from the mountain (Dan. 2:34) - broken off, not cut off; taken away, but not divided, that is, by the perception of our humanity. You are that majestic work of terrible dispensation into which angels desire to enter (1 Pet. 1:12). You are the most beautiful dwelling of God who came down to us, You are the earth truly desired: for the King of glory desired Your beauty and loved (Wis. 8:2, 5) the riches of Your virginity and, having dwelt in You, dwelt with us (John 1:14) and through You reconciled us with God and the Father. You are the treasure of the secret hidden from centuries (Eph. 3:9). You are truly a living book of the spiritual Word, without a word written in You by the Life-giving reed of the Holy Spirit. You alone are truly the book of the New Testament written by God, which God first concluded with people. You are the thousand-strong chariot of God, who brought the Incarnate thousands of those controlled by Him. You are Mount Zion, a fat mountain, a strewn mountain, where God is pleased to live (Ps. 67:16–17). Oh, Divine church and earthly man! A dead pillar and a life-giving pillar, not giving light to carnal Israel, but guiding spiritual Israel with Divine light to true knowledge. The all-bright cloud and the overshadowed mountain (Hab. 3:3), not overshadowing the ungrateful people of Israel, but illuminating the chosen people of God with Your Motherly illumination. The virgin land from which came the new Adam and the oldest of the old! Which tomb will hide You? What land will receive You, whose purity surpasses the nature of heaven and earth? What aromas will be poured onto Your body, fragrant, immaculate, exuding incorruption, salvation? You, truly, are all good, and there is no vice in You (Song. 4:7). You are the new peacekeeper of the inexhaustible world. You are the incense of intelligent aromas, You are the color of incorruption, the earth that brings incense, the life-giving ark, the light-like lamp, the richly woven purple, the royal robe, the divine robe, the golden robe, the high throne, the gate that exceeds the heavens of heaven, the Queen of the entire human race, Who is above everything except the one God. What hands will bury you? In what arms will we carry the Bearer of the Inconceivable? What funeral prayer will we perform over You? With what songs shall we sing of Your exodus? In what words will we express the greatness that has been about You? Therefore, instead of all this, we bring to You a voice: “Blessed are You among women and throughout generations. Blessed are You in heaven and glorified on earth. Every tongue glorifies You with thanksgiving, confessing You as the Matter of life. The whole earth was filled with Your glory, everything was sanctified by the world of Your fragrance. Through You, the sorrows of the foremother were transformed into joy. Through You all the angels sing with us: “Glory in the highest, peace on earth”! The tomb cannot hold You: for that which perishes and is destroyed does not darken the Master’s body. Hell cannot own You: since the royal soul is not touched by slaves. So, go away in peace; depart from the created dwellings, pray to the Lord for all creation. Hitherto, while You lived with people, a small part of the earth had You; and since You were transformed, the whole world has You as a common propitiation. Rejoice with indescribable joy in the eternal light: there is true life, an all-bright kingdom, the immense face of angels; Enjoy, moreover, the kindness of Your Son, inexhaustible joy, ageless bliss. There are streams of eternal sweetness, sources of eternal life. There is the limit of everything that we have hoped and hope for; there is the final end, beyond which there is nothing. There they worship the Father, glorify the Son and glorify the Holy Spirit, the indivisible Being of the One in the Trinity of the Divine.” This and more excellent things were said and sung by the inspired men: for I (earth, ashes and decay) do not know what to say more. I know well that the Mother of the Word will accept this short word and give us what we are worthy to accept: for the All-Holy One, as one who is many-gifted, loves to reward the great even for the smallest things. You, most illustrious congregation (I call on you to finish the word), come and sing funeral songs, solemnly marching before the virgin body, and with all possible honors we will crown the One who gave rise to the holiday. But, to make this more solemn, may the whole assembly of heavenly and earthly appear now, and may they perform with me the original song and funeral praise, begun with these words: “The camp of God has departed from the tents of Kedar to the immaterial tabernacles”! The door of the heavenly gates has risen to receive the heavenly kingdom in royal majesty - the Most Heavenly Door of God. In a white robe, receive Her, angels; praise, heavens; glorify, earth-born, and exclaim: city of God, the great King (Ps. 47:1, 3)! Ride, earth; proclaim the glory of the virgin, the miracles of burial, how She was transferred, so that the empty tomb would be honored. Gather your sons, O Judah, and preach the Queen who came from Judah. Dare, do not be afraid; Celebrate your festivals, O Jerusalem; sing in the Davidic way, say clearly: in the exodus of Israel from Egypt (Ps. 114:1). Mother Zion, chosen by God, sing the funeral, but do not weep in desperate sorrow: for the triumph of this day is joyful and not lamentable. Gethsemane, welcome the new Queen; carry out the necessities for the burial, and cover the coffin with incense. Firmly guard the shrine, since it will be a common venerable acquisition for angels and people; tell subsequent generations about the repose, yielding the spirit of the Mother of God to the higher spirits, while distributing sanctification to us, as from an eternal source, from this body. Let us flock to the Mother of God all together: the faces of the fathers and patriarchs, the spirits of the prophets and the ranks of priests, the council of martyrs, the souls of the righteous, the ranks of the saints, all dignity and age, kings and rulers, rulers and subordinates, young men and virgins, old men with young men, sing (Ps. 149:12). Tell the Mother of God: “How blessed is the house of David, from whose womb you sprang, O Mother of God!” Mothers and virgins, glorify the one Mother and Ever-Virgin; brides, preface the unbrided and incorruptible, the only one without illness who gave birth to the Incomprehensible. Barren and widows, praise the One who did not know her husband and who changed the laws of infertility. Rejoice, maidens; preceding the imperishable birth of children; bless, nations, bless, languages; sing to the Mother of God, all tribes of the earth; magnify with singing and cymbals. Take, Mariam, the tympanum and go out before the virgins. Move the lyre, David, lift up your voice and sing praises to Your Queen. Call the virgins, gather the choir of singers, let them flow behind the bed and before the bed. Behold, the new ark of the glory of God, in which is the golden frame and the vegetated rod of Aaron, and the tablets of the covenant (Heb. 9:4). This is the chapter about which the prophecies of the prophets spoke (Isa. 7:8). Here is the ladder that Jacob, who had learned the Divine secrets, saw, near which he saw the angels of God ascending. Here is the door of heaven, about which he said: how terrible is this place: this is not the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:17) The yoke of legal slavery no longer lies on Israel, for Christ with His hand signed freedom for us, as on a charter, on the Body, which is from the Mother of God, bestowing service in the spirit. Having passed through the heavens (Heb. 4:14), the Great High Priest, Christ Jesus, as if in the church, always mysteriously entering the virgin sanctuary for our sake, eats and is devoured, and, sanctifying Himself for us, sanctifies those who sanctify Him. These are the sacraments of Your divine Dormition, Mother of God! These are the funeral songs of the sacred deposition of Your Mother of God tabernacle! Here is a short word we have compiled for You. If there is anything in him worthy of Your greatness, thanks for it to You, Who gave and accepted zeal; if (which is absolutely necessary for everyone who decides to talk about You) to endure, it turns out to be below your dignity, You Yourself show condescension, having compassion in the name of closeness to Your Son and Provider of everything. We have compiled this, to the best of our ability, for You, All-Blessed Mother of God, having been taught by Your Divine prayers about Your mysteries. But who will give us a voice and power of speech corresponding to the height and greatness of the glorious thoughts about You? O Lady of all men, Giver of life, Holy of holies and all that is holy, Champion of those who have placed their hope in You! Accept these praises from us, who, thanks to You, have received the light of truth. For us, who glorify You, O Mother of God, give such reward for this little thing that we may have Your prayerful request to Your Son and our Lord, King and Lord, which is dearer and brighter to us than valuable wealth. Through such a prayer request, even when we sin, we will be pardoned by God, and, living virtuously, we will receive the most useful things; through him we will consider the weapons of the barbarians as the arrows of infants; through him, finally, every Christian good is accomplished and likeness to God is achieved. Here, beloved, is the explanation of the sacrament, although it does not live up to expectations, but it does not lack zeal on our part. You could seek the highest and most mysterious things from the Word, who for your sake was exhausted and took on flesh, and who united with you out of love for mankind, in order to deify all of you in spirit and consume the worst with the best, lift you up from the earth with Himself and place you in the seats of your fathers. You always ascend to them through life and pure contemplation, learning from Divine words and morals; and, as powerfully as possible, seeing God and being seen by Him, strive to have Him appear to you in the lightnings of unceasing contemplation and in ascensions in virtue, so that you may be perfect in both, that is, in action and contemplation, ascending into a perfect man, to the measure of the age of the fulfillment of Christ (Eph. 4:13). To him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen 169. Curs. Compl. Patrolog. Migne, series graeca, volume XCVII, col 1089–1110; compare “Celebrant” - rukop (9th century) Moscow Synodal. librarian (284–CCLXXI), l. l. 380 rev¬–387. You might be interested in: