Слово на Рождество Пресвятой Богородицы. Преподобного Иоанна Дамаскина

Now creation brightly celebrates, accepting the new heaven - the Virgin. The Virgin was born on earth - the animated palace of the King of Heaven. The Young Lady was born, shining brighter than the rays of the sun. From the barren the Child, the most sacred church of virginity, shone forth. Who doesn't hurry to the holiday? Who wouldn't bring holiday gifts pleasing to the Virgin? The best gift for those who lead a virgin life is chastity, for spouses - continence, for the rich - generosity, for the poor - gratitude, for rulers - meekness, for kings - justice, for priests - reverence, for everyone - justice in everything. And when such gifts are brought and celebration is associated with them: then come - let us leap for joy, sing songs of thanksgiving, together with David, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us shout to God our Savior (Ps. 95:1). A church has been built for the Creator of all to receive Him; A hospitable home has been prepared for the Creator, the Word; for the Sun of truth a bright cloud is spread; for the one who dresses the sky with clouds, the basis of the woven garment is made; the one who connects with the times of time and summer is shown the bridal chamber. Rejoice, virgins, for today is the birthday of the Virgin. Leap, mothers, for the Virgin is the fruit of the mother. Barren wives, be complacent, looking at the One who was previously barren, and then gave birth to the Divine Child. И отроковицы да не оставляют ликования, празднуя рождение Той, Которая одна есть венец и царица отроковиц. Blow the trumpet on the hills, shout on high, preach in Jerusalem, as we are commanded through Hosea (Hos. 5:8). May David the Father of God rejoice; may Isaiah, the chief among the prophets, rejoice: the first, because from his loins, in accordance with the oath promise, comes the Queen, from whom God promised to set his fruit on his throne (Ps. 131:11); the latter - because his prophecy was fulfilled: a rod will come out of the root of Jesus, and a flower will come out of its root (Isa. 11:1). The Virgin is the rod from which came the eternal color - the unartificed Christ. But why do I order this or that to rejoice, and do not express joy in a short word? Let the heavens above rejoice, and let the clouds sprinkle righteousness: let the earth vegetate, and let mercy sprout, and let righteousness vegetate together (Isa. 45:8). Why? Because the tabernacle appeared to the God of Jacob; because the holy place is shown to the All-Holy Word. Let Jacob, the most glorious of the patriarchs, exclaim: how terrible is this place: this is not, but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven (Gen. 28:17). O ineffable events! Oh wonderful things! What does this new news mean? What does this amazing and ineffable parable mean? If heaven and heaven do not suffice for You (1 Kings 8:27), as Scripture says: then what earthly dwelling will be sufficient for God? I will not fill the heavens and the earth with food, says the Lord (Jer. 23:24)? And where is there a place that can embrace such a great Being, exceeding any concept of capacity, since the infinite does not lie in quantity? Heaven is My throne, says the Lord, and earth is My footstool (Isa. 66:1). What kind of house can be built for the questioner (God)? Or what place could be found for His rest? But it was found and appeared. How, or in what way? This is the question. Wait not long, beloved, and you will receive the desired permission. When God, in His infinite goodness, wanted to bring man from non-existence into existence, then first the sky was spread out, the earth was established, the sea was contained within its limits, and everything that was needed to fill the earth and sea was brought into perfect order. Then the person, like a king, is placed in paradise to practice virtue. And if he had not violated the commandments, he would not have been expelled from a place convenient for the continuation of life. Having no need for clothing, if he had not opposed God's intentions, he would not have descended into a state subject to very many imperfections, so that instead of one God, he worshiped many gods. So, when all people - I will say briefly - were subjected to corruption, then the merciful God, not wanting the creation of His hands to be destroyed, creates another, new heaven, earth and sea, in which the Incontainable One deigned to be contained in order to recreate the human race. This is the blessed and glorious Virgin. Oh miracle! She is heaven, because from the inaccessible treasures the Sun of truth emerges. She is earth, because from the undefiled loins of netheny she grows the class of life. She is the sea, because from Her depths She wears out a spiritual pearl. So, a new creation of the Incomprehensible has already appeared; The royal palace of the All-Tsar has been prepared; a reasonable dwelling for the Inconceivable has been arranged. How majestic this world is! How worthy of wonder is creation, adorned with the growths of virtues, fragrant with the flowers of purity, shining with the rays of contemplation, having in abundance all other blessings; in short, it is worthy that God should dwell among people! True, the first world is quite amazing. When the stars were created, says the Lord, all My angels praised Me with a great voice (Job 38:7), and they sang. But nothing is as befitting of God as the blessed and wonderful Virgin. To verify the truth of this, listen to what the long-suffering Job says: the sky is not pure, and the stars are not blameless before God. But what is purer than Virgo? What is more pure than Her? God, the highest and purest Light, loved her so much that through the invasion of the Holy Spirit he essentially united with Her and was born from Her as a perfect man, without changing or mixing his properties. Oh miracle! The most loving One was not ashamed to make His servant His Matter. O condescension! The Most Good One did not deny being born from His creation, having loved the One Who is more beautiful than any creature, choosing the One Who surpasses the heavenly Powers in Her dignity. It is about Her that the wonderful Zechariah says: Show off and be glad, daughters of Zion; I will come from behind, and will dwell in your midst, says the Lord (Zech. 2:10). About Her, as I think, the most blessed Joel exclaims like this: be of good cheer, O earth, rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has magnified what He has done for you (Joel 2:21). It is the land on which the most sacred Moses received the command to throw off the shoes of the law (Ex. 3:5), which was the shadow of the grace that replaced it. She is the earth on which He is founded according to the flesh by the Spirit, who founded the earth on its firmament (Ps. 103:5). She is the earth that has not received seed and feeds with its fruits the One who gives food to everyone. She is the land on which the thorns of sin did not grow; on the contrary, through the plant that came from it, it was completely uprooted. It is not the land that was previously cursed, and whose fruits are filled with thorns and thistles, but the one on which is the blessing of the Lord, and in which the fruit of the womb is blessed, as the Holy Scripture says (Luke 1:42). Now let's see where the always living branch of virginity directly came from: who is Her father and who is her mother. This is Joachim and Anna, the glorious and all-honorable couple of the Word, a union that is more sacred than all marriages, because if the branch surpasses everything, then will not the root be very similar to it? However, the plant, which has good roots, is so majestic and beautiful, was barren. The purest source, but not pouring out a stream: the disaster is grave, the circumstances are deplorable and sorrowful. What then? They cried out to the righteous, and the Lord heard them, and delivered them from all their sorrows (Ps. 33:18). So from afar, David, inspired, depicted this. She called - says - the righteous. It seems to me that this couple represented the face of all humanity. Therefore, they saw humanity as alien to the knowledge of God, they saw the world as widowed due to unbelief, since - according to the Psalmist - everything has turned away, and together it has become without keys (Ps. 13:3). Griefful disorder, sad sterility! Crying out the righteous, that is, in your own garden. Because from the garden came sad sin, and there God said to the foremother of all: I will multiply your sorrows and your groanings: in sickness you will give birth to children: and to your husband will you turn (Gen. 3:16). What were they crying out for? For the fruit of the womb, that is, they asked for the fruitfulness of the knowledge of God and probably prayed like this: “Adonai, Lord God of Hosts! You know the reproach of childlessness, you know the sorrow of barrenness. If You mercifully look upon the humility of Your servants and give Your servants a child, then we will bring him as a gift to You.” The Lord, quick to mercy and slow to anger, heard them, giving them the name Mary, such a glorious and great price for the redemption of Eve: The daughter became the mother’s medicine. Here is the new earth of Divine re-creation, the all-holy firstfruits of our race, the root of the branch proclaimed by God, the joy of the progenitor! O good deed! O generosity! Isn’t it true that the sun itself shines more radiantly now, as if feeling great joy? All creation, as it were, exalts itself, in the hope of liberation from corruption, at the birth of She who will seedlessly conceive the Liberator of the world. Look at what follows. Listen carefully, beloved, and take the time to explore. Melt milk, says Scripture, and there will be oil (Proverbs 30:33). The place of prayer of the righteous (Joachim and Anna) is favorable. Having prayed in the garden, they gave birth to a garden, much more blessed than the first. There the whispering serpent easily seduced Eve; here Gabriel the Archangel, who announced the joyful event to Mary, although he confused her, did not seduce her. There, the obedience rendered to the serpent acquired a sad death; здесь, напротив, слова Ангела принесли людям жизнь всегда радостную. There is a sad definition for one who gives birth after disobedience; here is the invasion of the Holy Spirit, joyful for the One who, according to the prophetic words, escaped serious illnesses (birth). What a change of affairs! What news of events! Ancient mimoidosha, and - I must say - it was all new (2 Cor. 5:17). A real bright celebration, according to the most accurate study of it, serves as the beginning of the economy and the coming of God to people. You have, beloved, the solution to the question. You received the promised debt. Say the words of Isaiah with Isaiah: O Lord my God, I will glorify Thee, I will sing praise to Thy name, for Thou hast done wonderful works, the ancient counsel of truth (Isa. 25:1). Soon you will see the Blessed One entering the Holy of Holies, since She is already dedicated to the Most Holy God, then in the womb she conceives the Inconceivable One. Oh, miracle! In a small body dwells He who contains a handful of everything. How can you, an opponent of Christ, call Him indescribable (I’m deviating a little from the subject)? “Because although He, you say, is similar to us, He is higher than us.” But so what? Difference and dissimilarity, not in human appearance, but in Divine nature. So, for example, according to humanity He fed on the milk of his mother’s breasts, but according to Divinity he brought life to the Mother. Like us, he spoke in an articulate voice, but, being above us, he commanded with Divine authority - and miracles happened. Like us he walked on earth, but, being taller than us, he also walked on the sea. Crucified in flesh on the cross, like us; but, being above us, he drove out hostile forces with the cross. One belongs to limited nature, since it is like us; and the other is unlimited, which is above us. Neither of the two natures, with a significant connection, destroyed the natural properties of the other, but each of them remained within its own limits. And you, being afraid to describe or depict (for this is the same thing), you confuse natures with the Acephalites, and reject the economy with the Manichaeans. Your madness would be less (I will tell the truth) if you adhered to the teachings of the Jews than when you, calling yourself a Christian, rebel against Christ: he, not accepting the incarnation of God, does not portray Him and acts in accordance with himself; and when you, accepting the incarnation, do not depict, then you act inconsistently with yourself and become ridiculous to the Jew himself (not to mention dishonor). But it’s enough to talk to these people; we have gathered not to define dogma, but to celebrate. Having made a brief greeting to the Virgin, and mainly with those names that are given to Her in Holy Scripture, we will finish our humble speech. Hail Mary, boundless, according to the boundless greatness of glory. Even if someone attributed countless praises to You, they would not praise You worthily. Rejoice, lady, as the Mother who has received the dominion of the Lord of all: Who will say. that everything serves You, will not deviate from the truth. Rejoice, myrrh of the sea, bearing flesh dead to sin in the salt stream of life; From You comes He who is sweetness and all desire, and Who says in Songs: There is plenty of myrrh with Your spices (Song. 5: 1). Rejoice, bush, miraculously engulfed in fire, inaccessible to sin (just as the bush that appeared to Moses was inviolable), and by His Divine birth made heaven approachable to earth-born. Rejoice, ark, God-built dwelling, ruler of the newly created world, from whom comes Christ, the new Noah, filling the upper world with incorruption. Rejoice, rod, God-planted plant, one of all child-bearing virgins, the seedless flower of the God of all and the Highest Priest. Rejoice, stamna, golden vessel, separated from every vessel; from You the whole world receives manna - the bread of life, baked by the fire of the Divine. Rejoice, tabernacle, heaven of the Divine, surpassing the structure of the visible heaven; Through You, God personally spoke with people, and eternal cleansing came into the world. Rejoice, censer, golden vessel; You carry within you the Divine coal, and from You the fragrance of the Spirit has flowed, expelling fetid corruption from the world. Rejoice, meal, a mixture offered by God, communion filled with all the benefits of virtues for the One who says in the Songs: You are a worn-out cup, not deprived of vengeance (Song. 7:2). Rejoice, church, the pure built house of the Lord, about which David says: holy is your church, marvelous in righteousness (Ps. 65:5-6), from which Christ, having built himself a church, that is, a body, made mortals churches of the living God. Rejoice, sanctification, a fountain poured out by God, filled with all holiness, from which came the Holy of Holies, cleansing the world from filth. Rejoice, place of the Lord, a land traversed by God, containing in the incarnation of Him Who, according to Divinity, is not limited to any place; through You the simple became complex, the eternal became temporary; undescribed - described. Rejoice, house of God, shining with Divine beauties, with an inalienable threshold of purity, You are filled with the glory of the Lord, and you are brighter in spirit than the fiery Seraphim. Rejoice, Virgin - the gate facing the east, from which came the east of life for people, reducing the west of death: a bush traversed by God, bearing the keys of virginity. Rejoice, heaven is a dwelling that is more glorious than the place surrounding the world; You shine with the light of virtues, like stars; from You has arisen the Sun of righteousness, making a day of salvation for men and knowing no west. Rejoice, throne exalted in glory, animated seat; You yourself represent the seat of God and provide God with better peace than rational powers. Rejoice, Cherub - fiery mind; You are filled with Divine thoughts, like eyes, and you attract great gifts of grace to Yourself; Through You the non-evening light passes to people. Rejoice, unmarried Mother, alone among mothers is the pure Mother and together the Virgin - the newest miracle of all miracles. Rejoice, Virgin, who gave birth to the Son - one childbearing virgin among virgins, the Virgin and together the Mother - the most amazing miracle of all miracles. Rejoice, royal seal, imprinting the King of all creation incarnate from You in a body similar to Yours: for as she gives birth, such, of course, is what is born. Rejoice, sealed book, alien to all vain thoughts; through You the Lord of the God-given law, by Himself, is known virginally. Rejoice, scroll of the new sacrament, completely new in incorruption, in which the Word, which had no form, was depicted in human writing, that is, incarnate, becoming like us in everything except sin. Rejoice, sealed fountain, spring of incorruption, which poured out Christ, the source of life, while the seals of virginity remained intact; By receiving His communion we have received immortality, and we again enter the ageless paradise. Rejoice, enclosed helicity, fruitfulness incomprehensible to virgins; Your fragrance is like the fragrance of an entire floor, blessed by the Lord who came from You. Rejoice, unfading rose, endlessly fragrant, which the Lord, having smelled, rested and through which, having blossomed, He destroyed the smell of the world. Rejoice, fragrant cloud, fruit born from a barren woman and having Divine beauty; You say in Songs: put me in the apple shop: for I am wounded by love (Song. 2:5). Having taken the fruit of Your purity, Christ prepared an incense that was imperceptible to the world. Rejoice, kryn, from which the born Jesus clothes the kryn of the field: the fragrant flower garden of the spirit, from which Christ without seed put on unspun clothing, superior to Solomon’s clothing. Rejoice, color, which in the beauty of all virtues is superior to any variety of flowers; from You comes a flower like You, on whom the seven spirits rest, as the Scripture says (Isa. 11:2). Rejoice, O nard, flowing and watering the fragrant flowers of purity, the evaporation of which serves as a pleasant smell for Him who says in the Songs: My nard gives its stench (Song. 1:11). Rejoice, stakta (myrtle balm), who from the virgin balm poured out the stakta of consecration, or milk, to Christ, and who sings in the Songs: knitting stakta my beloved to me, in the midst of my breast he will dwell (Song 1:12). Rejoice, cinnamon (cinnamon), coming from the spiritual paradise, the fragrant color of purity, the smell of which is pleasing to Him who says in songs: your summer plants are a garden of thorns with apple fruit, reeds and kinnamon with all the trees of Lebanon (Song 4:13). Rejoice, daughter, Youth dedicated to God, whose purity is desired and whose beauty is amazing to Him who said in the Songs: Why are your groans adorned in your shoes, daughter of Pressure? Your belly is like a stack of wheat, surrounded by grain (Song. 7:1,2). Rejoice, sister, the same name of the beautiful brother and most beloved to him, as He says in the Songs: you have attracted our heart, my sister bride, you have attracted our heart (Song. 4:9). Rejoice, bride, whose betrothed is the Holy Spirit, and whose groom is Christ, who says in the Songs: You are all good, my neighbor, and there is no vice in you. Come from Lebanon, O bride (Song 4:7). Rejoice, myrrh, priceless composition of virtues; You are fragrant with all purity, from You came the Lord, who is like You, for it is said: Thy name is poured out with ointment (Song. 1:2): with it the royal priesthood is anointed. Rejoice, censer, place of prayer offered before the Lord for the whole world; You are filled with the fragrance of the Spirit; About You, someone exclaimed in surprise: Who is this who rises from the desert, like a stalk of smoke that burns incense (Song. 3:6)? Rejoice, pure gold, tested by the fire of the Spirit in the furnace of God and not having any uncleanness of evil, from which the lamp was made, and the table, and everything that according to the law was made of gold, in an allegorical meaning is applied to You, who has gold and many names. Rejoice, unrotten tree; You did not allow the worm of sin to decay, and from You a spiritual altar was built to God, composed not of rotting wood, but of a pure womb. Rejoice, royal purple! From Your virgin blood You have woven a purple robe for Him who says in Songs: The braiding of Your head is like scarlet. Why did you adorn yourself, and why did you delight (Song 7:56)? Rejoice, holy fine linen; You hid the lofty, Divine thoughts in Your mind and did not open the entrance to nasty seductions. What will this be like, You said, without a husband (Luke 1:34)? Through You, a purple and gold robe has been prepared for the Priest of the highest powers. Rejoice, hyacinth, wave of virginity, having a fiery appearance; God has mysteriously made a garment of flesh out of You. Rejoice, light cloud; You make earthly and heavy things light, like an airy tabernacle, and You contain the bread of life as in an altar; The Lord rests on You, as Isaiah foretold (Is. 19:1). Rejoice, immaculate, inviolable adornment of virginity; You gave birth to the immaculate Word and from You virginity shone forth. Rejoice, pure one; You alone can boast that you have a pure heart; a mountain truly pleasing to God, from which the new Israel is cleansed better and more firmly than the ancient. Rejoice, unartificed, like mothers, abounding in milk to nourish the Child, from whom He who nourishes all draws virgin milk. Rejoice, undefiled, alone worthy of God to dwell in You, and having Divine dignity by Your birth; therefore all the heavenly powers bow down to You. Rejoice, fleece, symbol of Gideon's victory; Eternal dew flowed figuratively from You - He Who Himself says: Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world (John 16:33). Rejoice, place of God, who has contained in your womb the One who is incontainable in everything, who contains everything in a handful even when he is in Your hands. And even if this is expressed in words, it is not clear; even if it is understood, it is inexplicable. Rejoice, Mother of God, one servant of her own Son, and moreover by nature; after You there is no virgin mother, when blessed virginity has reached its former incorruption, which was in paradise. Rejoice, thou who has accepted God, light-like element of Divine infinity; Your small womb embraces the limitless, embracing all ends. Rejoice, Mother of God, in the proper and true sense, the awe-inspiring union of people with God; through You the heavenly is united with the earthly, the human with God, the Divine with man. Rejoice, chamber adorned with virgin gifts for Him who says in the Songs: I came down into My heirloom, My sister bride (Song. 5:1). His union with the flesh is spoken of in the following words: come forth 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 (Song 3:11). Rejoice, lamb, barren for marriage and giving birth from Divine conception; From You came the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Rejoice, bright cloud, prayerfully overshadowing the new Israel in the desert of life; Grace-filled decrees have been heard from You; from You has arisen the Sun of righteousness, illuminating everything with the rays of incorruption. Rejoice, lamp, golden and solid vessel of virginity; the lamp of this lamp is the grace of the Spirit, and the oil is the holy body, borrowed from pure flesh; hence comes the non-evening light - Christ; You have shone with eternal life on those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. Rejoice, O Blessed One; You - both in your deed and in name - are more desirable than any joy; from You Christ came into the world - unceasing joy, the cure for Adam’s sorrow. Rejoice, paradise, a place more blessed than Eden: in this paradise every plant of virtue grew green again, and the tree of life appeared; By partaking of it, we return to our former life, while the flaming weapon gives splashes, as it is written. Rejoice, city of the great King - I will say in the words of David - in which the kingdom of heaven is open, and the earthly ones, who are listed among the citizens, rejoice; in which are heard great and amazing stories for all tongues and minds, in Christ Jesus, who through You had mercy on me; for which I, poor and foolish, had to glorify Your countless perfections. To Him belongs all glory and honor and worship - with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen 201. Curs. Compl. Patrolog. Migne, Tom. XCVI, col. 680–698; Wed Selected words in honor of St. Mother of God. Moscow. 1886, countries. 28–42; Christ. Read 1841, part III, countries. 392–415. You might be interested in: