Слово на Всечестное Успение Пресвятой Богородицы. Св. Германа, патриарха Константинопольского 170

The borrowed one usually blesses his benefactor, the saved one acknowledges the help of his deliverer; and he who is unable to repay with deeds considers it necessary to thank the patron, albeit with words. Therefore, I dare to glorify You, Mother of God, although wondrous miracles have happened on You, surpassing word and reason. Having accepted boldness, I send to You Your words, spoken by You in joy. Look at the humility of Your servant, lift up your humble lips, and fill me, who hungers to praise You, with the blessings of Your mercy, so that, guided by Your help, my mind unabashedly magnifies You. For all generations of men, as You yourself truly said, please You, who is not worthily exalted by anyone, Who always condescends to the stupidity of Your praisers. What should I say first, and what should I save for later? Shall I sing the praises of Your life in the flesh with the earth-born, or give glory to Your ascension? Both are awe-inspiring. But let us dwell in a word on the triumph of Your passing and begin a hymn to the real subject - Your honest and glorious repose, the Mother of God. Having departed from the earthly, You clearly passed on to the heavenly, however, even before You were not unparticipated in the heavenly and, having passed away, did not leave the earthly: because, Mother of God, You surpass the heavenly ranks, and are the highest of all earthly creatures; because You, truly, have adorned the heavens and glorified the earth. As soon as the human race was created, the angels were commanded to guard its life - to guide and observe it in unshakable faith in God, for it is said: set the limits of the tongues according to the number of the angels of God (Deut. 32:8); and: the angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear Him, and will deliver them (Ps. 33:8). But since people then lived in idolatry and polluted the air with the stench of sacrifices, the angels withdrew from communication with people, and God took His Spirit from them. When in recent times You gave birth to the Word of God the Father, then immediately after this birth the angels looked down on the earth, glorifying the God born by You with a song of praise, and proclaimed the increase of glory in the highest, exclaiming that peace had come to earth, that there would no longer be a mediastinum of enmity between angels and people, between earth and heaven; but a consistent way of life and one common glorification of the One and Trinity God will be brought by angels and people. And the Father, testifying to the carnal, fatherless conception of His Only Begotten Son, calls out to Him: Today I have given birth to You (Ps. 2:7); and also: from the womb before the morning star I gave birth to Thee (Ps. 109:3). Oh, inspired words! If, before being born of You - the Virgin Mother, He was the Only Begotten Son of God, then how does the Father say to Him: today have I given birth to You? From here it is clear that the word - today confirms the bodily coming of the Only Begotten to people, and does not speak of the non-existence of His Divinity; the expression “begotten Thee” denotes the God-originating and co-presence of the Spirit in the Father. For since the Spirit is not alien to the Father, and the Son, by the good will of the Father, dwelled in You - the Mother and the Virgin, then the Father assimilates to Himself the action of the Most Holy Spirit, which is why, having re-created with the Holy Spirit the bodily procession of His Son from You, the Father says to the Son: Today I have given birth to You. And with the words: from the womb before the morning star I gave birth to Thee, - he assures of the same thing, i.e., just as he proclaims the true, pre-temporal, co-eternal existence of the Divinity in the Only Begotten with the Father, so His incarnation at the end of time, the invisible incarnation from You, Ever-Virgin, shows. For by the expression: from the womb before the star, Scripture shows that Light from Light, the Only Begotten was born without beginning from the Father before all creation, visible and invisible; Your womb is also called womb, in order to show the carnal coming of the Only Begotten from You. And the words: before the stars, in this case, mean the night before dawn (for the day is called the day): this is because You gave birth to Light for those who sit in darkness at night; Thus, before the star, the hour of Your birth is indicated: for, it is said: the shepherds in that country kept watch and kept watch at night (Luke 2:8). Such is the glory that has been added to heaven through You, O Mother of God; and if it had not increased, the angels would not have exclaimed: “Glory in the highest,” when the time had come for Your ineffable procreation. And how enlightened the human race is! Through Your immaculate flesh man became an inhabitant of heaven, and the shepherds united with the angels; the angels bowed to the humility of the Born, and people rose up, became wiser, knowing the pre-eternal by birth, and not by creation, one in essence between the Father and the Son. So, if heaven and earth had You, the Most Holy Mother of God, as their adornment, then could it be that, when you departed, You left earthly creatures deprived of Your care? Let us not have such a thought. Just as, while living in this world, You were not a stranger to the heavenly abodes, so after your departure You did not withdraw from communication with people, since You appeared as the heaven of the Most High God through Your capacious womb for carrying Him, and became for Him a spiritual earth through the capacious service of His flesh, so from here it is easy for us to conclude that, just as, living on earth, You were constantly with God, so also having departed from humanity life, did not leave those who exist in the world. Although we, who are accustomed to worship You by faith, call the spectators who enjoyed Your presence blessed, because they had the Mother of the belly as their companion; however, You, as if physically present among us and among human affairs, with Your image delight the eyes of our souls and attract them. And just as in the flesh You were with those who lived much older than us, likewise cohabit with us in spirit. Your great protection to us is proven by Your communication with us: we hear Your voice, and Your ears listen to the voices of us all; and, recognized by You in intercession, we always recognize Your protection. There is truly no obstacle for You and Your servants to know each other, because You have not abandoned those whom You have saved, You have not abandoned those whom You have gathered: for Your spirit always lives, and Your body has not undergone the corruption of the tomb. You, Mother of God, visit us all (although our eyes cannot see You, O All-Holy One) and look with love at all Your servants, depending on who shows himself worthy, and the flesh does not hinder the power and action of Your spirit: because wherever Your spirit wants to breathe, as pure and immaterial, incorruptible and undefiled, cohabiting with the Holy Spirit, and chosen Deity of the Only Begotten. You, according to what is written, are beautiful (Song. 2:13), and Your virgin body is all holy, everything is immaculate, everything is the dwelling of God, and therefore is free from dissolution into dust. As human, it has been converted to the higher life of incorruptibility, but it is whole and glorious, completely alive and does not fall asleep; why was it not possible for it, as a vessel pleasing to God and an animated church of the Most Holy Only Begotten Deity, to be kept in a closed tomb. Therefore, we believe, Mother of God, that You are with us. · Truly, and again I will joyfully say, truly, You have not departed from the human race, although You have passed away. Life is incorruptible! You have not moved away from this corruptible world, but are drawing closer to those who call on You. You are found by those who faithfully seek You, which is clearly shown by the spirit of life, constantly breathing, and the body free from corruption and destruction into dust: for how could the resolution of the body into dust and ashes subdue You, when You freed the human race from death and corruption through the One born of You? So, You departed from earthly things, so that the mystery of the terrible incarnation would not be ghostly confirmed, so that through Your departure from the earthly and temporary they would believe that He who was born of You is God, who came as a perfect man from the true Mother, subject to the necessary laws of nature, definitely God’s command and the very requirement of the time appointed for life - from the Mother who had the same body as other wives and could not escape the attack of the death common to people, just as Your Son, the God of all, tasted a similar death in the flesh, having accomplished wondrous deeds in His life-giving tomb and in the life-giving tomb of Your Dormition, since both did not receive bodies in a ghostly manner and did not produce corruption at all. Yes, and it could not be that you, having become a vessel that received God, would crumble into the dust of decay: for since He who diminished Himself in You was God from the beginning and the eternal Life, then You, the Mother of the Life, had to become a concubine of the Life and accept the Dormition as a dream, and repose as an awakening. Just as a child desires and seeks his mother, and the mother loves to spend time with her child, so God arranged that You, who acquired a child-loving heart for Him, ascended to Him; and it was right that, out of love for You as a Mother, God should make You His cohabitant and interlocutor. Thus, having died for the transitory, You moved to the imperishable eternal dwellings, where God dwells, being with Whom You, Mother of God, do not move away from dealing with Him. Corporally, You, the All-Singing One, were a resting place for Him, and He mutually became a resting place for You, who departed, for it is said: this is My rest for the age of the century (Ps. 131:14), that is, clothed in the flesh in which He put on from You, Mother of God, He not only remained in this age, but will appear in it to judge the living and the dead. Therefore, You, who became eternal peace for Him, free from corruption, He took to Himself, wanting, so to speak, for You to be close to His words and womb; therefore, with filial love, He gives what You seek from Him, and fulfills with Divine power what You ask of Him, blessed forever. Amen 171. See Curs. Compl. Patrolog. Migne, series graeca, vol. XCVIII, col. 339–348; compare “Celebrant” of the 9th century. - hands-on Moscow Synod. librarian (284 – CCLXXI), l.l. 403 rev.–406. You might be interested in: