Слово на праздник Введения Пресвятой Девы Марии во храм. Святого Германа, патриарха Константинопольского

Again a solemn meeting and joyful feast of Our Lady: the ascension of the Immaculate Bride, the first accompaniment of the Queen. This is the surest sign of future glory for Her; here is the beginning of Divine grace that will overshadow Her in the future. There, where once a year the priest entered to perform the mystical service, She is brought there by Her parents to dwell in the venerable shrines of grace. Who has ever known such a thing? Has anyone seen or heard, now or before, of a wife being led into the inner Holy of Holies and inhabiting places where access to husbands was hardly allowed? Isn't this obvious evidence of the greatest and most extraordinary actions that can be revealed on Mei? Isn’t this the most obvious sign? Isn’t this an indisputable proof for Herself? Let the doubters appear before us: where could they have seen anything like this? where did they see the Virgin by vow, in the third year of her life, as a pure gift, brought behind the third veil (so that She would remain there incessantly), accompanied by virgins, perceived by the hands of priests and prophets? Let those who imagine themselves to be wise tell us why, although other wives gave birth, not one of them ever had a daughter introduced into the Holy of Holies, and was not accepted by the prophets? Those who saw such great and glorious things on Her could not say with confidence, as they later said about the son of Elizabeth: what will happen to this child (Luke 1:66)? Of course they could. Those who think otherwise follow the paths of destruction and will fall into the abyss that they have dug for themselves. We, the chosen people of God, young men and old men, men and wives, come cheerfully as fathers to the Mother of God; let us see how the Most Holy Virgin appears in the church from Her parents through the priests, how the living church of the Lord takes up residence in an inanimate church, how the Prophet Himself with His own hands receives and brings Her into the Holy of Holies, without telling Her parents that He does not want to take on such a task due to its complete newness, but introduces the Virgin precisely into the Holy of Holies, so that She would always remain there and be raised in the place where he himself could only be once per year. The Prophet did not say anything like this, but, as if foreseeing the future (for he is a prophet), in fear and hope, he accepted Her with the same readiness with which after him Simeon accepted Her Son. Then, hugging the Young Lady and holding her in his arms, He turned to his mother with the following words: “Oh, woman! where is your family? How did you yourself, and the first, decide on such an act when you do not have a similar example to follow? And meanwhile you bring the Young Lady to the Holy of Holies with the intention of informing Her of her upbringing here. What is your name, and what are you planning in your soul, tell me.” "I, Anna said to the Prophet, myself belong to the high priestly family from the tribe of Aaron and the descendants of the prophets and the king. I am not only part of the branch of David and Solomon, and those who followed immediately after them, but also a relative of your wife Elizabeth. When, according to the prescription of the law of God, I was betrothed to my husband, I remained barren for a long time, without offspring. Not finding any remedy for my misfortune, I I turned to God - the only one who can do everything - to the One who, even in the most difficult circumstances, showed us the way and way out, and diligently prayed to Him, in contrition of heart and with tears exclaiming: “Lord, Lord!” You, Who very quickly look upon souls sad and oppressed by grief, why did You want me to differ from the nature of my ancestors? Why have you made me a byword among my generation and a reproach to the head of my tribe? Why did You make me subject to the solemn oaths of Your prophets, giving me a barren womb? Why did You leave Me to be a laughing stock for those I know, a disgrace for slaves and a reproach for my neighbors? Look and hear, Lord! have pity, Saint! Make me like the birds of the air, the beasts of the earth, and the fish of the sea, for they too bear fruit before You, O Lord, so that I, created in Your image and likeness, may not be lower than these foolish ones.” Saying this and the like, I added: “To You, Lord, as soon as You give me a child, I promise to dedicate it, so that it may remain in Your sanctuary, as a sacred offering to the church and as a precious gift given to me from You, the all-merciful dispenser of perfect blessings.” Fixing my eyes on grief and striking my breasts with my hands, standing in the garden under the open sky, I raised these words to God who is in heaven. In a similar way, my husband prayed to God for forty days, being in solitude on the mountain and fasting. Having heeded the prayers of me and my husband, the merciful Lord sent His angel, who announced to us about the conception of this Daughter of mine. And immediately, by the will of God, the womb conceived (for it did not dare, before the mercy of God, not to conceive): the hitherto closed womb opened its womb and kept within itself the deposit received from the Lord until, by the will of God, what was received was born into the world. Therefore I will give You my prayers, which my lips have spoken, and my mouth has spoken in my affliction (Ps. 66:13-14). Then I called the virgins, invited the priests and brought relatives, addressing everyone with the following words. "Rejoice with me, all of you, since now I am a mother and a fruit-bearer, not in order to bring Her to an earthly king (for this is not proper), but in order to bring Her by vow, as a gift, to the King of Heaven. Therefore, accept, Prophet, my beloved Daughter as a gift to God - introduce and place Her in the sight of the holy (Ps. 77:54), in ready dwelling (Ps. 32:14) of God, not caring at all about Her until the Lord who called Her deigns to reveal why She was brought here.” Hearing such words, Zechariah did not hesitate to answer Anna: “Blessed is your root, worthy of the highest praise. Glorified is your womb, beloved by your husband Anna. Blessed is your fruit, God’s chosen one! " Then, with great joy, he took the Maiden, hastily led Her into the Holy of Holies, as if saying to Her: “Enter, fulfillment of my prophecy; enter the fulfillment of the commandments of God, the seal of the covenant of the Lord. Enter the fulfillment of His instructions; enter the mirror of all the prophets, enter the reconciliation of those who have long been at war, enter the renewal, the light of those who sit in darkness; enter the extraordinary Divine gift. Enter, O Lady of all generations, enter into the glory of Your God. on earth, and then to the mountain, which is not accessible to mortals.” So, probably having told the Young Lady, the priest left Her in that sacred place where She should have been. She remained in the inner Holy of Holies until the next age, feeding on divine food and drink from the angel. And then, by the will of God and by the inspiration of the priests, She is given a different lot - a husband, the righteous Joseph, and receives this holy Maiden from the church from the hands of the priests themselves to drive away from Her the serpent - this culprit of evil, so that he would not come any closer to Her - the still pure Maiden, but would, as it were, pass by the betrothed. In the house of Joseph the treemaker, the Holy Virgin was observed by the Founder and Creator of everything, God, until the holy sacrament, hidden from all centuries, was fulfilled over Her, and the God-Man, similar to mortals, came from Her. It is appropriate to talk about the event that followed this at another time; Now, in our speech, let us return to what we assumed—let us return to the glorification of the present day of Introduction. Come, O Lady Theotokos, come to Your inheritance: rejoicing and rejoicing, enter the house of God. Come, majestic, ever-blooming, awaiting from day to day the descent of the Holy Spirit upon You, the hidden glory of the highest conception of Your Son, as Gabriel predicted to You. Descend and give help, protection and protection to those who have gathered for Your festival. By Your constant intercession, deliver them from all need and misfortune, from serious illnesses and all kinds of troubles, and from the future terrible rebuke of Your Son. Like the Mother of God, they were taken to their resting place, where there is light and peace. Let flattering lips be mute, speaking against the righteous iniquity, pride and humiliation (Ps. 30:19); let their image be humbled in Your city (Ps. 73:20); let them be ashamed and troubled for ever and ever, and be put to shame and perish. And let them know that Your name is Lord (Ps. 82:18–19). You are one - Mother of God. We glorify You with faith, God's Bride, we honor You with love, we bow before You with fear, always magnifying You and calling You blessed in honor. Blessed indeed is Thy father among men, and blessed is Thy Mother among wives. Blessed are Your house, blessed are Your relatives: blessed are those who have seen You and served You. Blessed are the places You visited, and blessed is the time in which You appeared. Blessed is Zechariah, who took You in his arms; blessed is Joseph, to whom you were betrothed. Blessed is Thy bed, blessed is Thy tomb! For You are the gift of gifts and the highest height. Oh, Lady! You are my only consolation in God, the radiant light of the darkness of my soul, the support of my powerlessness, the covering of my nakedness, the wealth of my poverty, the healing of my incurable ulcers, the drying of my tears, the calming of my sighs, the hope of my salvation! Hear my prayers, have mercy on my sighs, look at my tears. Touched by my tears, as the Mother of God who has mercy on all, look at my heart with compassion. Look and hear my prayer; Fulfill the yearning of my soul, settle me in the land of the meek, in the village of the righteous, in the land of the saints. You are everyone’s intercession, true joy. Make me worthy, I pray, to rejoice in the unspeakable joy of the King and Lord born from You, in His true dwelling, in unceasing joy, in His endless kingdom! Oh, my Lady, my life and help, my word and weapon, my hope and strength! Grant me to enjoy indescribable and immense gifts in this heavenly dwelling of Your Son. For You are the Mother of the Most High; Therefore I am confident and I hope. For this sake, do not reject my hope, Most Pure Lady, but fulfill it, O Bride of God, who inexpressibly gave birth to the aspiration of all - our Lord Jesus Christ, the true God and Lord, to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship with the beginningless Father and the life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen 27. See Curs. Compl. Patrolog. Migne, Tom. XCVIII, col. 309–320; compare “The Triumphant” – hand-crafted. Moscow Synod. librarian IX century (284–CCLXXI), sheet 47 vol.–51. You might be interested in: