Слово в день Сретения Господня. (О Богоприимце Симеоне, и Пророчице Анне). Св. Мефодия, епископа Патарского и мученика 107

The Lord of the law and the prophets had to do everything according to His own law, and be not a violator, but a doer of the law, and at the same time, connect the beginning of His grace with the end of the law. Therefore, the highest of the law, the Mother, obeys the law, and the Most Pure One observes the fortieth day designated for the unclean; free from the law obeys the law, and offerings are made for Him who sanctified us - a pair of clean birds, coming as a sign of innocence. Thus, having risen from the piles of Bethlehem, the ark of God (which repaid the debt to the law of the fortieth day not by duty, but by grace) stopped on the mountains of Zion; and she received into the purest depths, as on a high throne, the King of all, surpassing human nature, co-throne with God the Father and the Son inseparable from Him, and presented Him there with the purest flesh received from Her. The sacred Mother enters the church to reveal a miracle alien to the law, the longed-for Son, who opened the womb of virginity and did not damage the keys of virginity, who stands above the law and fulfills the law, who was before birth and appeared after birth, incarnated from Her above the law of nature. The one who exceeds the church enters the church, clothed with double glory, that is, the glory of pure virginity and indescribable procreation, the blessing of the law and the holiness of grace. Therefore, the seer says: and the house of His glory was filled, and the Seraphim stood around Him, and called to each other, and said: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of hosts! the whole earth is full of His glory (Isa. 6:3). The blessed prophet Habakkuk sang the same thing beautifully, saying: in the midst of two living creatures you will be known: when you come near in the summer you will be known: when the time has come to appear (Habakk 3:2). See how clearly the Spirit speaks! The words: in the midst of the two living creatures you will be recognized - denote the overshadowing of His Divine glory, which was under the law in the inaccessible (Holy of Holies) above the purification of the ark, between the images of the Cherubim, as God says to Moses: there I will reveal myself to you (Ex. 25:22). And the words: when the summer draws near, you will be known, denote the glorious knowledge of our invisible Savior God, as the sacred monk Paul says in one place: when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son. Who was born of a woman and was made subject to the law, in order to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5). Is it necessary to explain the following words: when the time comes, you will be shown? You will be shown, they say, in the church, as in a royal seat, by the Most Pure Mother who gave birth to You, in the splendor of Your incarnation. Expressing this with greater clarity, the Prophet cried out like this: The Lord is in His holy church: let the whole earth move before Him (Psalm 10:3; 96:9). In truth, the sacrament that took place with You is terrible, Virgin Mother, spiritual throne, glorified and worthy of God. You have shown an amazing miracle for those in heaven and on earth. Blessed are You among women, God-blessed: for through You the earth was filled with the sacred glory of God, as in the psalms it is sung: Blessed is the Lord God of Israel and the whole earth is filled with His glory, awaken, awaken (Ps. 72:18-19). And the tops of the gates were shaken, says the Prophet, by the voice of those shouting (Isa. 6:4), which signifies the veil of the church, which overshadowed the Ark of the Covenant, which represented You, so that the truth would be revealed to me and so that through the preceding images and likenesses I could learn with fear and trembling to honor and worship the sacrament being performed with You, and at the same time, so that I would be this shadow of the law restrained from the daring and shameless, irreverent contemplation of Him Who stands above all in His incomprehensibility. And truly, if the prototype of Your holiness was given such honor by God that no one except the priests could approach or have access to its contemplation, since a curtain separated and guarded the entrance there, as to the queen; then what and how great veneration from us, the most humble, should be due to You, the true Queen, the true animated Irk of the Lawgiver of God, who has become truly a capacious heaven for the incontainable God? For when You, Most Holy One, appeared to the world as a luminous day and revealed the Sun of righteousness, then the terrible darkness was dispelled, the power of the tyrant was destroyed, death was destroyed, hell was overthrown, and all enmity disappeared before the world, and destructive diseases retreated from the salvation that appeared, and the whole universe was filled with the light of pure truth. So, when, according to the words of the righteous David, the God of gods appeared in Zion (Ps. 83:8), and the splendor of His beauty appeared in Jerusalem (Ps. 95:6), and the light shone on the Righteous and on the upright in heart with joy (Ps. 96:11), then the Sanctifier and Lord of those who are sanctified called by the Holy Spirit a teacher and minister of the law to serve and testify to that which is being accomplished. Therefore, Elder Simeon, throwing off the infirmity of age and clothed with the strength of hope, hastened to meet in the face of the law the Giver of the Law, the autocratic Teacher, the God of Abraham, the protector of Isaac, the Holy One of Israel, the mentor of Moses, who promised to reveal to him, as if from behind (Ex. 33:23). The divine incarnation of the rich in poverty, the eternal in infancy, the invisible in the visible, the incomprehensible in the comprehended, the greatest in a small form, located in the church and in heaven, seated on the royal throne and on the chariot of the Cherubim, unceasingly abiding in the valley and mountain, existing in the form of a servant and in the form of God the Father, obeying and reigning over all. He was all filled with desire, all with hope, all with joy, and he became no longer himself, but the One who was the object of his hope. The Holy Spirit told him, and even before arriving at the church, he, inspired by the eyes of his mind, admired, as if already possessing what he wanted. Prompted by such feelings, he quickly ascends the steps and enters the ancient sacred church, but, not caring about the church, opens his sacred arms for the Lord of the church, saying and together chanting the following words, befitting the desired triumph: “I desire you, Master, God of the fathers and Lord of mercy, who has granted with your own glory and power, providing for everyone, and by the mercy of condescension towards us, as if through reconciliatory mediation, I seek You, the Creator of all; I long for You, the reliever of the suffering; You are the Creator and Redeemer of the world. You are our God, and You are our holy church, and You are the lawgiver of laws, and You are the first God, and before You there was no other God, born of God the Father (Isa. 43:10), and after You there will be no other Son of the Father, of One Son and equal in honor: to know You is complete righteousness, and to recognize Your power is the root of immortality (Wis. Sol. 15:3). You are the corner stone for our salvation, precious and chosen (Isa. 28:16; 1 Peter 2:6), foretold to Zion; Everything is subordinated to you, as the culprit who brought everything from non-existence, who gives a strong structure to the unsettled, who holds and preserves what has been created, the Creator of various creatures, who rules everything with His omnipotent and wise right hand, who puts all disorder in order and unites everyone with inextricable bonds of harmony and peace. By You we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28); Therefore, O Lord my God, I will exalt You, I will praise Your name: for You have done marvelous things, the decrees of ancient truth (Isa. 25:1), clothed with glory and majesty (Ps. 104:1). Truly, what is more glorious for a king than brilliant purple and a bright diadem? Or what is more majestic for the merciful God of the humane incarnation, illuminating with his bright rays those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death (Luke 1:79)? Rightly, the temporary king and Your servant called You the King of the ages, saying: You are more beautiful than the sons of men (Ps. 45:2-3), as God and man among people: for You, at Your Divine incarnation, girded Your loins with righteousness (Isa. 11:5), as in Yourself the truth and the truth and the joy of all. So, rejoice today, O heaven, with me: for God had compassion on His people; sprinkle, O clouds, righteousness to the world (Isa. 45:8), and, O foundations of the earth, proclaim peace to those in hell; the resurrection of the dead appeared; Let the earth also proclaim mercy to those who live on it, for I am filled with consolation and overflowing with joy (2 Cor. 7:4), because I have seen You, the Savior of men.” When the elder rejoiced in this way and rejoiced in Divine joy, then the Holy Mother of God clearly fulfilled what was figuratively described by the prophet Isaiah (6:6). She, having received in the embrace of Her holy hands, as if with tongs, the life-giving and ineffable Coal, which had taken flesh from Her most pure and immaculate altar, gave It to the righteous, saying, it seems to me, and together admonishing thus: “Receive, venerable elder and most beautiful of priests, accept the Lord, and enjoy your unfading hope; accept, most valiant, inexhaustible treasure and inexhaustible wealth; accept, wisest one, into your arms the inexplicable strength and incomprehensible strength that strengthens you; take, servant of the church, boundless greatness and incomparable strength. Unite with embraces, dear one, with an original life and live; embrace, O most righteous one, incorruption and be renewed; this is not a daring thing; Do not doubt, most sacred one: enjoy what you want, dear one, and admire what is given to you, or better yet, who gives Himself; Be enlightened, most reverent one, by the Sun of truth, shining through the pure mirror of flesh. Do not be afraid of modesty, do not be afraid of His meekness, most blessed one; Do not be afraid of humility and do not be amazed at His humiliation, most devoted; readily cleave to Him and do not hesitate to obey. What is spoken and proposed is not a daring thing; don't resist, wise one. The fire of the grace of my Lord does not burn, but enlightens, O most righteous one. Let the bush (Ex. 3:2), which symbolized Me in the flame that did not burn it, convince you, teacher of the law. Let the dew-bearing cave (Dan. 3:21) convince you of the economy of this sacrament. In addition, let My womb, which contained the Incontainable One, teach you, from which the incorporeal Word was incarnate. The sound of the trumpets no longer frightens those who approach (Exod. 19:16), and the smoking mountain no longer inspires fear in those approaching, and the law no longer mercilessly punishes the one who touches it boldly (2 Samuel 6:6): for what is now happening is a work of love for mankind, what is now appearing is a work of God’s condescension. Receive with gratitude God who has come to you: for He will destroy your iniquities and cleanse your sins. Let the purification of (the whole) world be foreshadowed in you: in you and through you let the grace-filled justification be foreshadowed to the nations. You are worthy to be the life-giving firstfruits. Have you used the law? - enjoy grace too. Are you tired of writing? - be renewed in spirit. Take off what is old and put on what is new. You yourself, I think, don’t know this.” After all this, the righteous man, having courage and obeying the admonition of the Mother of God, who served God for the people, accepted the Ancient of Days in infancy into the arms of an old man (Dan. 7:13), blessed God and said: now you are releasing Your servant, Master, according to Your word, in peace: for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations. light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel (Luke 2:29–32). "I have received from You carefree joy: accept me, rejoicing and glorifying Your mercies, O Lord. You have given me joy; I give You spiritual gratitude. I have known the power of God’s love: for for me God, inexplicably and incorruptibly born of You, became man. I have known the indescribable greatness of Your care for us: for You sent Your own Son My own to help us. I learned the instruction of Solomon, who says: love is strong as death (Song of Songs. 8:6): for through her the sting of death will be broken, through her the dead will see life, through her death will know its death, having lost its power over us - through it the author of evil, the serpent, will be captured and overthrown. You have shown us, O Lord, Your salvation (Ps. 97:2), giving us the growth of peace, and we will no longer wander. Thou hast revealed to us, O Lord, that Thou hast not completely despised Thy servants, O Good One, and has not forgotten the works of Thy hands: for Thou hast taken pity on our plight, having abundantly poured out upon us Thy characteristic and inexhaustible mercy, having accomplished our redemption through Thy Only Begotten and Immutable and Consubstantial Son, deeming us unworthy of Thy greatness and goodness. entrust to the servant the benefit and salvation of Thy servants or leave to the servant the reconciliation of criminals with You; but through the Consubstantial Light You have given light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death (Isa. 9:2; 42:7; Luke 1:79), so that in Your light they may see the light of knowledge (Ps. 35:10), and through the Lord and Creator You have been pleased to restore us to incorruption; and through him who expelled us from the sweet paradise, he granted us a return to paradise; and through Him who has power to forgive sins (Mark 2:10) You have blotted out the handwriting on us (Colossians 2:14); and through Him who sits with You on the throne and is inseparable from Your Divine nature, You have granted us reconciliation with You and bold access to You, so that the promise of so many and so great benefits, confirmed by the handwriting of the supreme Master and the true and sovereign God, would be certain for those who have received mercy and have been granted grace. The Prophet predicted this, saying: do not intercede, lower angel, but the Lord Himself saved them: He loves them and spares them: and they receive them, and exalt them (Is. 63:9). And all this is not by works of righteousness which we have done (Tit. 3:5), and not because we loved You (for our earthly ancestor, awarded the sweet life of heaven, having despised Your Divine and saving commandment, was recognized as unworthy of this life-giving dwelling and made all his descendants miserable, passing on to him the destructive fruits of sin), but You Yourself, Lord, out of ineffable love for Your creation, had mercy on us, and He took pity on our rejection, and showed compassion on our corruption, in order to have mercy on us. Therefore, we, the descendants of Adam, have celebrations, because the Creator of Adam voluntarily became the new Adam, and the favor of the Lord our God appeared on us (Ps. 89:17), so that we saw God face to face and are saved. Therefore, Lord, I desire forgiveness from You. And I saw Your salvation: may I be delivered from the burden of heavy writing. I saw the eternal and irreplaceable King; may I be delivered from slavish and painful bonds. I saw the Lord by nature and the Redeemer: may I be worthy of His free bonds. Deliver me from the yoke of condemnation and subject me to the yoke of justification. Deliver me from the yoke of the curse and the killing scripture (2 Cor. 3:6) and join me to the blessed number of those accepted into adoption by the grace of this true, equal and equally helpful Son of Thy! “With such brief words,” he says, “let thanksgiving to God now be limited. And what will I tell you, Mother-Virgin and Virgin-Mother? Your work is not human, and Your praise is above man. But my sad bewilderment is eased by the praises of the Spirit to you; therefore, bringing Yours to You, I will adorn Your sacred and divinely crowned head with a crown from the immortal meadows. With paternal songs of praise I will turn to You, Daughter of David and Mother of the Lord and God of David: for it would not be worthy or appropriate to decorate You, who shines with your own glory, with alien decorations. And so, accept, most benevolent, the gifts that are precious and peculiar to You alone, the highest of all kinds and the most honorable of all visible and invisible creatures. Blessed is the root of Jesse, and blessed is the house of David, in which You have grown. God is in your midst and you will not be moved: for the Most High has sanctified His habitation (Ps. 45:5-6). In You the covenants and oaths of God to our fathers received a glorious ending: for through You the Lord God of hosts was revealed to us. The impregnable bush, which prefigured Your godlike image, is unpalatable (Ex. 3:2) contained God who appeared to the Prophet, as He deigned to be revealed. The solid and indestructible stone, which prefigured the universal grace and fence that flowed from You, from its dry depths abundantly produced saving medicine for the thirsty people in the desert (Ex. 17:6). And the priestly rod (Num. 17:8), which brought forth uncultivated fruit (Heb. 9:4) - the guarantee of a continuous priesthood, showed a true sign of Your supernatural birth. What else? And the great Moses, having spent a long time on the mountain, did not he imagine the unknown mysteries that take place with You, pure one, in prototypes mysterious about You? Having received the command to build the ark in the image and likeness, He carefully fulfilled the command, although something sad happened before its descent (Ex. 32:7), built it in the size of five and a half cubits 108, and, covering it with Cherubim, made it a receptacle of the law, very clearly foreshadowing You, Mother of God, who immaculately conceived and ineffably gave birth to an imperishable fetus at the end of five and a half revolutions of the world 109. For the sake of You and the immaculate acceptance from You by God the Word of the flesh, abiding with Him forever, unchanged and inseparably, and the golden stash (Heb. 9:4), as a true prototype of Yours, kept within itself the unchangeable and constant manna, which otherwise changed and spoiled in one day. And the prophet Elijah, as a seer and competitor of Your purity through the action of the Spirit, was adorned with a crown of fiery appearance (2 Kings 2:11), having been placed above death by Divine will. And his successor Elisha, taught by a wise teacher, prefiguring You, who had not yet existed, as if already present, supernaturally provided help to those in need with signs of (future) truths, either through a new cup containing healing salt, correcting unhealthy water, as a sign of the restoration of the world through the sacrament performed on You, then with unleavened flour, a prototype of (Your) seedless birth, destroying mortal bitterness in food, then by supernatural actions in the Jordan exceeding natural actions, and thereby foreshadowing the descent of our Lord into hell and the miraculous deliverance of those in corruption (2 Kings 4:20-41; 8:10). For everything yielded and submitted, being overcome by Your Divine image. However, why should I spread my speech too much, delaying its flow with various transformations, when before our eyes lies the truth that has been accomplished on You, which can be enjoyed best and most usefully? So, leaving spiritual stories and miracles of saints in all generations, I turn to You, O Most Memorable One, at this present celebration. Blessed are you, all-blessed and all-desired! Your most God-gracious name, Mother of God and enlightener of the faithful, is filled with the blessings of the Lord. You embrace, so to speak, the inalienable; You are a root of the most beautiful color (Isa. 11:1). Mother of the Creator, nourisher of the Nourisher, containing the Almighty, bearing Him who holds all things by word (Heb. 1:3). You are the gate of the coming God according to the flesh, the pincers of the cleansing coal (Isa. 6:6), the small receptacle that contains everything in its depths, the fleece of the incomprehensible dew (Judges 6:37), the life-giving one, desired by David (2 Samuel 23:15), the well of Bethlehem, from which the drink of immortality flowed. - purification (Ex. 25:17), from which God appeared to people in human form, is the pure robe of one who dresses in light, like a robe (Ps. 103:2); You gave to the one who needed nothing flesh, which He did not have, so that He, the Almighty, could become what He deigned to become. What is more glorious than this? What's higher than this? He who fills both heaven and earth (Jer. 23:24), to whom all things belong, became in need of You: for You gave God flesh, which He did not have, You clothed the Almighty in the magnificent full armor of flesh, through which He became visible and accessible to me, and I can approach Him and look at Him, and through which all the fiery arrows of the evil one will be quenched (Eph. 6:16). Wonderful and beautiful, Mother and servant of God! It is wonderful and wonderful to have the Lender of all as His debtor! We are all debtors to God, and He becomes Your debtor. He who said, Honor thy father and thy mother (Exod. 20:12), having deigned to accept this upon himself, all the more will he observe his good will and his own commandment towards the one who served His voluntary birth, and will divinely glorify the One whom he called Mother without a husband, having himself been born without a father. So it will be, it will be! The praises we bring to You, the most holy and wondrous dwelling of God, are not the words of fruitless eloquence, and not the fruit of worldly flattery and servility - this is a glorification of You, the God-praised and mammal of God, Who gives mortals the beginning of existence through birth, as evidence of real truth. However, we and future generations will not have enough time to properly please You, Mother of the King of Ages (1 Tim. 1:17), as the Holy Prophet says in one place, instilling in us Your incomprehensibility: how great is the house of God, and how vast is the place of His dominion! He is great and has no end, high and immeasurable (Baruch 3:24–25). In truth, this word about Your greatness is prophetic and truly not false: for You alone were worthy to become like God in the works of God. You alone gave birth to God in the flesh, the only begotten and co-eternally begotten of God the Father. This is how those who believe in the right faith confess in truth. Let us finally turn, wise men, to the elder God-Receiver and pious teacher (Simeon) and let him go, having received Divine absolution and having given us the coveted teaching about God; Let us ourselves continue the word, steadily directing the path towards the intended goal with the guidance from above, so that we do not remain completely fruitless and useless for what we should do. So, when the priesthood and prophecy were called to this sacred event and two God-named righteous men appeared before this glorious and virgin throne, i.e. Simeon and Anna, representing the actual images of the two nations (the elder of Israel and the decayed law, and the widow of the widowed church of the pagans): then the elder, personifying the law, asked for absolution, and the widow, personifying the Church, presented confession and spoke about Him to all who were waiting for deliverance in Jerusalem (Luke 2:38), as all this, very timely and supernaturally said by both of them and corresponding to the sacred rite, is set out in Scripture. It was proper, in truth it was proper for the elder, who knew what was said in the law: Hear Him, and whoever does not listen to Him will be cut off from his people (Deut. 18:15, 19), to desire a peaceful release from the leadership of the law (for it would be an insult and insolence if, in the presence and during the conversation of the king, the armor bearer began to say the opposite, and the listeners began to listen to him). It was also necessary for the widow, who had received gifts beyond reason, to solemnly give thanks to God, so that what was done here would be in accordance with the law. Finally, it is necessary to explain why, among the prophetic types, which are shown to have a close relation to these extraordinary celebrations, it is said that the house was filled with incense (smoke); and this was not accidental, but significant due to the thrice-holy voice, as the Prophet says, which the inhabitants of heaven called out to (Is. 6:4). If you, wise one, pay attention to what is being told, you will find the reason for this. By hearing, the Prophet continues, by hearing you will hear, but will not understand: and by seeing, you will see, but will not see (Isa. 6:9; Acts 28:26). So the ungrateful Jews, having seen the glorious miracles that God performed on earth, according to the hymnist David (Ps. 46:9), - seeing continuous and unceasing signs both in the depths and on the heights (Ps. 7:11), as Isaiah predicted (and what exactly? - A mother is above nature and birth is above reason, an earthly mother, and a Heavenly Son, the extraordinary Mankind of God and celibate childbearing, which could be more glorious and amazing among creatures?) - having seen all this, they treated it as if they had not seen it, closing their eyes and not turning to praise; therefore the house of vanity was filled with their smoke. At this vision they also heard, standing above all that was visible, a most righteous elder, a trustworthy man, a man worthy of imitation, an inspired man, a teacher of the law, honored by the priesthood, adorned with the gift of prophecy, who had prolonged his life with hope in Christ and (hitherto) put aside the debt of death, rejoicing, praising, transformed with joy, completely out of himself with wonderful inspiration for God (2 Cor. 5:13), changed into an Angel by a wonderful change, raising up thanksgiving from the abundance of joy and proclaiming light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles and the glory of the people of Israel (Luke 2:32). However, they did not want to listen to what they heard and marvelous for the inhabitants of heaven themselves, therefore the house of their vanity was filled with smoke; and smoke is a sign and evidence of wrath, as it is written: smoke rose from His wrath, and from His mouth a consuming fire (Psalm 17:9), and in another place: and in a disobedient people the (fire) of wrath was kindled (Sirach 16:7). Pointing to this, the Lord in St. The Gospel says to the Jews: Behold, your house is left to you desolate (Matt. 23:38), - and again: having sent his troops, the king destroyed their murderers and burned their city with fire (Matthew 22:7). These are the actions of Jewish unbelief, contrary to the Trinitarian doxology. Meanwhile, as the boundaries of the entire universe were sanctified, and the greatest house of the Church was filled, as if with the water of the sea overflowing in abundance, with the glory of the Lord from the thrice-holy doxology (Isa. 6:3, 4), what was announced was fulfilled over them: and with their end was connected the beginning of the prophecy, which meant, as said by the Spirit, the herald of truth, the future disastrous change with them in the example, in the following words: (and it was) in the year in which King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord (Isa. 6:1), where the apostate Uzziah is taken as a model of all apostates, of whom he is, as it were, the head, who, for his recklessness, received punishment, according to Divine definition, imprinted on his forehead, as if on a copper statue, showing everyone this reward for disgusting wickedness. Therefore, the divinely wise seer of what is (now) happening, in contrast to the rejection of the ungrateful synagogue, pointed to the grateful Anna, whose very name signifies the Church, justified by the grace of Christ God in baptism: for (the Hebrew name) Anna means “grace.” However, let us stop here, as if at a harbour, the crusader ship of the word, having properly assembled the sails and made a few greetings to the city of the great King (Ps. 47:3; Matt. 5:35), together with the people of the Church, as if remaining in spirit and celebrating together with the venerable fathers and brothers who were there. Rejoice, city of the great King, in which the mysteries of our salvation were accomplished. Rejoice, earthly heaven, the city of Zion, finally faithful to the Lord (Isa. 1:26). Rejoice and shine, O Jerusalem, for your Light has come (Isa. 60:1); Ever-present Light, Eternal Light, Immaterial Light, Light consubstantial with God the Father, Light that exists in the Spirit and in which the Father resides, Light that has enlightened the ages, Light that has illuminated the transcendental and those in the world, Christ our true God. Rejoice, holy city and chosen by the Lord, celebrate your holidays with joy, which will no longer be subject to decay. Rejoice, most happy city: for glorious things have been proclaimed about you (Ps. 87:3); your priests will be clothed with salvation, and your saints will rejoice with joy (Ps. 132:16), and your poor will be satisfied with bread. Rejoice and be glad, O Jerusalem: for the Lord reigns in your midst (Isa. 12:6). The Lord, who entered into our nature with pure and immaterial Divinity and was inexpressibly incarnate from the virgin womb, the Lord who was not united with anything other than the composition of Adam, deceived by the serpent. Having not received Angels (Heb. 2:16), who fell away from the glorious rank and state bestowed upon them at the beginning. The Lord showed condescension, being the Word of God, always abiding with the Father; and not for the calling or restoration of criminal demons who have fallen away from the Light, as the most wicked accomplices of the evil one think. He came into the world. But, as the divine Paul says, having accepted the seed of Abraham and through him the entire human race, the Creator and Creator of all immutably became human, so that through His communication with us and the union of us with Him, the access to us of sin, which little by little loses its power and disappears, like wax from the Divine fire, which the Savior came down to our earth, would cease (Luke 12:49). Rejoice, O Catholic Church, located throughout the entire universe, and triumph with us. Do not be afraid, little flock, of the troubles of the enemy: for the Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32) and (the power) to trample on the neck of your enemies. Rejoice and be glad, once childless and barren for piety, but now having many children of faith (Isa. 54:1). Rejoice, you too, people of God, chosen race, royal priesthood, holy people, people taken as His inheritance; proclaim the perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9), glorify Him for His mercy. Rejoice forever, our endless joy. (Blessed Virgin); I turn to You again. You are the beginning, middle and end of our celebration; You are the precious pearl of the kingdom, the true fat of every sacred sacrifice, the living altar of the bread of life. Rejoice, treasure of God's love; Rejoice, source of the Son’s love for mankind; Rejoice, overshadowed mountain of the Holy Spirit (Habakk 3:3). You shone, the longed-for parent of the Light of the (spiritual) Sun, with unapproachable rays of fiery love, giving birth at the end (of time) to the One born from the beginning, revealing the hidden and ineffable sacrament, the Son of the invisible Father, the Giver of peace, who marvelously humbled himself more than any humiliation. Therefore, we pray to You, most excellent of all and worthy of maternal honors and boldness: constantly remember, All-Holy Mother of God, about us who boast of You and honor Your ever-living and indelible memory with divine praises. And you, venerable elder Simeon, the first recipient of our pious confession and preacher of the resurrection of the faithful, also be an intercessor for our race before the Savior God, whom you were honored to accept into your arms. For together with you we glorify Christ, who rules over life and death, saying: “You are the true Light from the true Light, the true God from the true God, the one Lord before the incarnation and after the glorious incarnation, God in Himself, and not by grace, for us (made) and a perfect man, King in His essence, not having a king above Him, for us and our salvation Who appeared blameless and pure in the form of a servant. Being incorruptible, You came to destroy corruption in order to make all things incorruptible. To You belongs glory and power, majesty and splendor forever and ever. The Ark of the Covenant was two cubits and a half long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. Exodus. 25:10. That is, about 5500 years after the creation of the world. In a slight reduction. See Curs. Compl. Patrolog. Migne, series graeca, vol. ХVIII, p. 347; compare composition prof. Evgraf Lovyagin - "Saint Methodius, bishop and martyr, father of the Church of the 3rd century. Complete collection of his works, translated from Greek." St. Petersburg. 1877, countries. 116–136. You might be interested in: