up to their height, and then avarice withers away; and he who endured every labor to gather wealth now throws it away with his own hands and distributes his riches to the sea. But question him immediately: "What are you doing, my man? Why are you mad? Why are you casting away your money to no purpose? The sea does not keep your deposits; it does not receive seeds like the earth to return much more; it does not receive seeds for the sake of returning sheaves. Why, then, do you uselessly lend to an ungrateful element? Why do you deposit your trust in faithless waves? Why do you commit a deposit to the sea, which returns nothing? You did not want to lend to God, yet you cast your riches into the vast deep?" What, then, does he answer immediately? "I prefer to save my soul than to gain the whole world." Now you recognize the saying, "What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:37). Now you have learned the word of Christ thus admonishing: "For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but suffers the loss of his own soul?" (Matt. 16:26). But did not the law teach you? Let fear at least teach you. Did not the doctrine of God teach you? Let the raging sea teach you. O action lacking consistency! O necessity teaching all! The sea by force receives everything; yet God, exhorting to the kingdom of heaven, barely obtains the smallest part? You trust the sea, which promises you nothing good, and you do not obey God, who promises and grants you a hundredfold? Do you wish that I set before you another image of such necessity? For it is necessary that we be profited by your soul from all sides, through both terrible things and good things. Consider, therefore, those who trade on the earth, who do everything and leave nothing undone to gain something, who dare to swear and use every perjury to add a coin to themselves: these certainly adulterate the laws of God. The prophets preach, and they close their ears; teachers cry out, and they mock the warnings. What, finally, happens to them? For not to all, but to those alone. For such a merchant often falls among thieves; and he who was panting after riches and was held by an insatiable love of money, immediately lays aside this disease and becomes generous; for he sees the sword with which he is being attacked by the thief, and he discards his affection; the thief rushes upon him, and he finally is found liberal and hands over his own with entreaties. What, then, does he say to the thief? "Take everything, and only spare my soul and life." Hear this also: "And now you know what a man shall give in exchange for his soul." You give to the thief whatever he wants with entreaties, although he harms you in all things; but to God, who wishes to receive a small something as a loan, you do not lend, who nevertheless lavishly grants you all things, both earthly and heavenly; but do you not fear God as much as the thief? You fear a naked sword, but you despise the fire of hell which God threatens. Do not, I beseech you, do not let any of ours be such; for you are not such, being lovers of Christ; for you know all things that are to happen to men. Place your souls in safety before your departure from this life, and acknowledge Him who said in the holy Gospels: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt. 5:7). To Him therefore, the merciful, nurturing, and non-exprobating God, let us offer glory, together with the Father and the most holy and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
ADMONITION
A Here you see a great series of spurious works, which we would willingly have left in darkness had not that most diligent and sagacious man, Henry Savile, published them. Had he examined them before editing, without a doubt he would have allowed them, or at least a great part of them, to struggle with moths and book-worms; for he rejected not a few in a like manner, as you may see in Vol. 8, in the notes on page 857. But as very many were brought to him from the libraries of Europe and the East, he published them to the world's knowledge without applying so much examination, urged on by the printers. Furthermore, such was the estimation of St. John Chrysostom everywhere that almost countless writers, when they [could not]—EPISTLE TO MONKS, FULL OF UTILITY AND VIGILANCE
B The divine Apostle says, "Pray without ceasing," and "without anger and disputations" (1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:8). And rightly did that holy man say, "Without disputations": for all disputation separates the mind from God, even if it seems to be good; but it is entirely of the devil, not to say it belongs to the devil. For this entire struggle is of the devil, that he may separate and segregate the mind from God and drag it toward worldly cares and pleasures; and he dictates within the heart precepts and good works, and certain other rational—or rather, irrational—thoughts, to which no attention should be paid. For the entire struggle of the soul is that the mind should not be separated from God, nor consent to impure thoughts, nor attend to those things which that crafty and ancient painter, the devil, depicts in the heart. Sometimes the devil forms figures, at other times habits and colors, and after all these things, faces as well: and the deceived and miserable man, standing in one place, thinks he is elsewhere, and it seems to him that he is looking at certain people and speaking to persons, and ordering businesses, which are diabolical deceptions. Therefore, one must be on guard: the mind must be governed and reined in, and every thought and the operation of the evil one must be chastised through the invocation of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And where the body is, there let the mind be, so that between God and the heart there may be found nothing intermediate, nor any wall, nor fence that might obscure the heart and separate it from God. If, however, it should ever snatch away the mind, one must not linger in those thoughts, lest consent be reckoned as an act before the Lord on the day of judgment, when the Lord will judge the hidden things of men. Be idle, therefore, always, and persevere before the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us, and seek nothing else but mercy from the Lord of glory. While you seek mercy, seek it in a humble and contrite heart, and cry out from morning until evening, if possible, and throughout the whole night: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us"; and compel your mind to this work even unto death; for this work requires much violence, because "Narrow is the gate and strait is the way which leads to life" (Matt. 7:14), and the violent enter into it.A Do not detach your heart, I beseech you, from God, but persevere and guard it, keeping always in mind our Lord Jesus Christ, until the name of the Lord is planted within your heart; for you must think of nothing else but the magnification of Christ within you. I beg you, do not ever stop the rule of your prayer; but whether you are eating, or drinking, or going along your way, or doing anything else, cry out without ceasing: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, so that the very name of the Lord Jesus Christ may stir you up to battle against the enemy. For the soul that uses violence can find everything in its memory, whether good or evil. But first, it must see the evil within the heart, and then the good. B Memory has the power to humble a man; memory has the power to expose the sin dwelling within us; and memory has the power to consume it. Memory has the power to move every power of the enemy in the heart, and memory has the power to conquer and uproot it, bit by bit. For when the name of our Lord Jesus Christ descends into the depths of the heart, it humbles the dragon that holds the pastures, and it saves and vivifies the soul. Therefore, persevere unceasingly in your heart, crying out the name of the Lord Jesus, so that the heart may swallow the Lord, and the Lord the heart, and the two become one. But this work is not of one day or two, but of much time and season, and it requires struggle and labor, until the enemy is cast out and Christ dwells within. For our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the spiritual things of wickedness, as the Apostle says (Eph. 6:12). C Thus ought the one who prays to pray, gathering and concentrating his whole mind, calling upon God with a soul in pain; and he should not draw out long phrases, nor extend the supplication to any length, but say a few simple words; for it is not in the multitude of words, but in the vigilance of the mind that being heard lies. And this can be seen from the case of Anna, the mother of Samuel. The one who prays, therefore, ought not extend long phrases, and should pray continually—the prayers which Christ commanded through Paul—with few pauses. For if you extend the speech to a length, having often grown negligent, you have given the devil great opportunity to approach and trip you up, and to lead the mind away from what is being said; but if you make the prayers frequent and dense, and occupy the whole time with their density, you will be able to perform the prayers with much vigilance. Do you wish to learn watchfulness, prayer, and vigilance and composure? Go to Anna and learn what she did. They all arose, he says, from the table; and she did not turn to sleep, nor to rest. D Whence it seems to me that even while sitting at the table, she was light, and not weighed down by any foods; for she would not have shed so many tears. And not because she raised a bright and great voice—but because she cried out greatly within her heart; for her voice was not heard, it says, and God heeded her. Neither is there such need of the voice as of the mind, just as there is no need of the stretching of hands as of the soul in tension, nor of the posture, but of the disposition. Even if you are outside the church, cry out and say, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, even if you are not moving your lips, but crying out with your mind; for God hears even the silent. Place is not sought, but the manner; for wherever you may be, pray—you are a temple, do not seek a place. There was a sea in front, Egyptians behind, and Moses in the middle, speaking nothing; and God says to him, Why do you cry out to me? So you, too, when a temptation is put upon you, take refuge in God, call upon the Master Jesus. For is He a man, that you should go to a place? God is always near. While you are yet speaking, He will say, Behold, I am here. You have not yet finished the prayer, and He grants the petition. For if you have a mind that is clean of absurd passions, even if you are in the marketplace, or on the road, or on the sea, or in an inn, or wherever you may be, you will be able to call upon God and obtain your petition. Often, he says, I asked, and did not receive. Invariably, because I asked wrongly? Or faithlessly, or with a wavering mind, or for things not profitable to you; but if you often asked for profitable things, yet did not persevere. For it is written: "In your patience possess your souls" (Luc. 21:19); and, "He that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved" (Matth. 10:22). For unless you ask with toil and much expectation, you do not receive. For one must first desire, and having desired, seek from truth in faith and patience the things profitable to each one, being judged in nothing by the conscience as acting carelessly or slothfully; and then you receive, when God wills. For He knows your profitable things better than you do, and perhaps for this reason He delays, by training your expectation of Him, so that you may know what the gift of God is, and guard what is given with fear. For everything that one acquires with much toil, one strives to guard, so that by losing it, one may also lose one's much toil, and by seting at naught the grace of the Lord, may become unworthy of eternal life. For what did it profit Solomon, to receive the grace of wisdom quickly, and then to lose it? Do not, therefore, be faint-hearted, if you do not quickly receive your petition. For if the good Master knew that you would not lose the grace by receiving it quickly, He was ready to provide it even before the petition; but now, in His care for you, He does this. For if the servant who received the talent, and guarded it safe, because he did not trade with it, was condemned; much more will he who has lost it be condemned. Watch yourself, and look to yourself from every side; have a sleepless eye of the mind for your own protection: you pass in the midst of snares; hidden nets have been set by the enemy on every side. Therefore, look around at everything, so that you may be saved like a doe from the snares. For she is uncapturable by the snares, due to the sharpness of her vision; whence she is also named for her sharp-sightedness. This, however, must be known, that we cannot succeed in the keeping of any other commandment, nor in love itself toward God, nor toward our neighbor; at other times the mind is led astray about other things; but even the exercise of what is pleasing to God according to the Gospel of Christ is successful in the retreat from the concerns of the world, and in the total alienation from foolish distractions.
The vanity of the world
. So also the Lord, after the sincere and un-wavering disposition, testified to the disciples, saying: "You are not of this world" (Joan. 15:19). And on the contrary, He testified that the world is unable to receive the knowledge of God, nor to contain the Holy Spirit. For, "Righteous Father," He says, "the world has not known you" (Joan. 17:25); and, "The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive" (Joan. 14:17). One must, therefore, be loosened from the bonds of the concern for life, since he who is truly to follow God; and this is accomplished through total retreat and forgetfulness of old habits. Having done this, it behooves one to guard one's own heart with all vigilance, lest one cast out the thought of God, or pollute the memory of His wonders with the imaginations of vain things; but through a continuous and pure memory, to have the holy thought of God imprinted upon our souls, like an indelible seal. For in this way is the love of God gained by us, at once stimulating us to the work of the commandments of the Lord, and itself being preserved by them in turn toward the enduring and the infallible. And this the Lord shows, now saying, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (Joan. 14:15); and now, "If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love" (Joan. 15:10); and even more pressingly, "As I have kept my Father's commandments, and do abide in his love" (Joan. 15:10). But he who corrupts the precision of the commandment in his work is clearly weak regarding the memory of God. And [the state of] not wavering also assists the soul, as does living in seclusion; for it is harmful to have a mixed life. Therefore, in order that we may not receive irritations through ears or eyes, and in order that we may be able to persevere in prayer, let us first live in seclusion; for in this way we may also overcome the former habit, in which we lived as strangers to the commandments of God. And, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself" (Matth. 16:24), when could one be able to fulfill these? For we must deny ourselves, and take up the cross of Christ, and thus follow Him. But self-denial is the total forgetfulness of the past, and the retreat from one's own will. If, however, we leave behind for ourselves any earthly memory in some corruptible substance, here, the mind being buried as if in some mire, the soul must needs be unseen by God, and unmoved toward the desire of heavenly goods, and of the goods laid up for us in promises. And, in short, one is not permitted even to be concerned about the necessary things themselves, such as food and clothing, so that...755 SPURIA. In truth, it is not even permitted that a man should care for necessary things, such as food or clothing, lest we be held fast by evil thorns, by the cares of the world, which prevent the seed sown by the husbandman of our souls from bearing fruit; for our Lord Jesus Christ says: "These are they that are sown among thorns, who are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity" (Luke 8:14; cf. Matt. 13:22). For neither shall we give time to sins, nor shall we leave a place for the enemy in our hearts, if we have God dwelling within us through frequent remembrance. And the attention of the mind, and the habit of not being puffed up, will easily be present in children by right education, if they are observed frequently by their governors, as to where they turn their minds and what they revolve in their thoughts. For the simplicity of youth, being without guile and deceit, easily reveals the secrets of the mind. But so that a boy is not frequently caught doing forbidden things, A he averts his thought from illicit things, fearing the shame of reproof.
And God said, "Let us make man in our image" (Gen. 1:26), speaking of the interior man. But you will say, "He does not speak of thoughts: He says man is to the image of God; but how could thought be man?" Hear the Apostle saying, "For though our outward man is corrupted, yet the inward is renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16). I recognize two men, one apparent, and one who is hidden within the apparent. We have, therefore, an interior man, and we are, as it were, double: and then we say rightly that we are men inside, though not at all outside, because we have in the rational soul that which is perfect. Therefore the body is an instrument of the soul of man, but properly the human being is that which pertains to the soul. That command, "Let them have dominion," does it speak to the body or to the reason? Is the dominion in the soul or in the body? But in what is dominion, if not in the power B of reason? For by as much as a man lacks the strength of the body, by so much does he excel in the faculty of reason. He did not say, "Let us make man in our image and let them be angry," for passions were not assumed to the image of God; but reason is the mistress of the passions. Dominion has been given to you over brute creatures, so that you might govern brute passion: if therefore you govern beasts, why do you not govern the interior beasts? If you govern exterior things, why do you leave the interior ones without government? You have been created a prince, therefore: do not have puffed-up thoughts, neither be light and inconstant in mind. If you cast down those things that fly exteriorly, you ought also to cast down yourself, who thus lightly puff yourself up. Do not therefore, being inflated, exalt yourself above what is, do not be wise beyond what human nature C bears, neither be inflated by praise, nor seek glory, nor think yourself to be anything great; for you will be like an unsteady bird, tossed hither and thither. Rule your thoughts, so that you may be the master of all; for the dominion given to us over animals ought to train us so that we might rule ourselves. Just as a house, a city, or doors are of no use unless there are those present to guard them, and who know when it is necessary to close and when to open, so neither do other good works profit a monk, unless reason is the doorkeeper of his desires, to which it is entrusted to either close or open the heart, with accuracy and much prudence, so that it may know what things it ought to cast out and what to introduce. And if any thought should surge violently, it is necessary to suffocate it within, and not to permit it to break forth into words; but to dry up this root, D and to have a safe door with diligent custody, allowing evil desires not even to be born, and, once born, to strangle them.
On the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos
Let us celebrate today the feast of the royal mysteries: the whole of creation, gathered together, exults. Heaven led those who were hastening to the celebration by the ministry of the stars; the earth ran to worship through the shepherds; Isaiah walked with the vivid step of prophecy, that he might show the Virgin to the assembly; Jeremiah, though reluctant, yet walked, showing the very Lord of the assembly and saying: "This is our God" (Baruch 3:36). Zacharias ran, bringing joy to the assembly, revealing the command of the Lord's advent and saying: "Rejoice, O daughter of Sion; behold thy King cometh to thee, meek, sitting upon a beast of burden and a young foal" (Zach. 9:9). Mary and Joseph placed the most precious pearl in the manger: and the Magi, seeing and being amazed at the beauty of Nature, indicated this to Herod as a worthy king. When he heard this, pretending a murderous adoration out of deceit, he hastened to see the pearl: but because he was unworthy, he did not obtain what he desired; and as if deluded, he pondered what he should do. But the angels of incorporeal nature, performing dances in that celebration, said: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace" (Luke 2:14). The subject matter of the feast surpasses every tongue, so that it can scarcely recount the praises of Mary: to whom the angel sent cried out: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee" (Luke 1:28). But she, troubled, looked at the speaker with a stern eye; and being stunned by the vision, she pondered those words in her mind, what indeed this salutation could be, saying: "O stranger, you stun me by addressing me with a strange voice. Are you ignorant of the custom of those who salute? Do you tempt me, or am I someone easy to capture? That 'Hail' is indeed common to all who salute; but that 'full of grace' is strange, especially to those who profess chastity with piety." Wherefore, with an austere countenance and angry gaze, with threats, she rejected the speaker: "Depart, depart, O man, from my thresholds: is this how you started when you came? You do not please me, even if you think otherwise. You wish to deceive me, as Eve the mother of the race: you shall not overcome the beauty of my countenance, nor the internal affection which I have toward my poor spouse. Before the old man comes, flee from my house: depart hence, lest that old man rebuke you: for he is jealous. It is advantageous for you that you depart: for if when you are speaking to me, you promise such things as surpass human nature..."
you shall cause grief for yourself, and for me mourning and tears." But he uttered the "Hail, favored one, the Lord is with you" without ceasing. The Virgin, observing the persistence of him who was present, lent her ear A, wishing to learn more accurately the concern of him who spoke; and when she had heard the "Hail, favored one," she waited for what would follow. He added: "The Lord is with you." Scarcely had the Virgin heard, "The Lord is with you," when she secretly summoned to her presence with haste the one who had spoken. "You have brought the Lord with yourself," she said; "enter within, and for what reason you have come, tell me quickly." And the angel said: "Behold, you shall conceive in the womb, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel: this one shall be great, God the Strong, Prince of Peace, Potentate, Father of the age to come." And the Virgin said: "There are no nuptials yet, no bridal chamber yet; and is the birth here already? You have nothing to say. If you are in need of something as a stranger, take it and go, and do not prophesy out of season of what you do not know. B Yet, even if I were to conceive a son, it would entirely be from Joseph." And the angel said: "Be not deceived: this one shall be great." And the Virgin said: "Which great one? My betrothed is poor, and I am exceedingly needy; assets I have not, we are lacking in funds, we are not notable in lineage, and after these things we are dragged off to the census. Surely the collector will collect the didrachma; and do you say, 'He shall be great?' Cease, cease from promising such things." And the angel said: "Do you not believe the lesser? Then even if you are unwilling, accept the greater: He shall be called the Son of the Highest." And the Virgin said: "Now go out from my house, lest Joseph hear, and report to the priests, and he who is deprived of wedlock cut off your neck with an axe, since you are speaking to me nearby and in the vestibule of my cell. Do you promise to bring me a bridegroom from heaven? And what nature in heaven is desirous of marriage? All the heavenly spirits are incorporeal; how then shall the incorporeal mingle with bodies?" And the angel said: "From a body and an incorporeal (nature), the Son of the Highest shall be called." And the Virgin said: "Whence then shall he have a father, as you say, he who is about to be born of me?" And the angel said: "This indeed is, O Virgin, the most paradoxical thing: that you shall not know a man, and you shall give birth, C as I tell you, and the child shall not be found fatherless; and he shall come forth from your womb, and shall not strain the portal, and you shall not lose the state of being a virgin, and you shall suckle that which is born of you, and you shall carry the infant in your arms, and you shall see him sitting upon the Cherubim. To this one who is born of you, the Lord God shall give the throne of David his father, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for the ages, and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:52). And the Virgin said: "As you do not wish (it), you have fallen in your speech. Your own mouth accuses you, and your lips have become your own refutation: for a little while ago you said, 'He who is born shall be called the Son of the Highest'; and now you say, 'Son of David.' What is this argument? When you wish, you lift my mind to the heavens; but when you wish again, you bring it down to the earth. To which statement should I give credence, the first or the second? For you say, 'The Lord shall give to him the throne of David his father, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.' No king has ever existed who was immortal, no one has escaped the common end; death removes all as their master; worms render account for all; no king has escaped the portal of Hades; he holds all, he keeps all in graves; no one has leaped over his nets, no one has escaped his snares. Did not Saul, the first, inaugurate the diadem of the kingdom? Did not David, who was made manifest from the frontier? Did not Samuel, D the one who opens the gates of Tartarus, break the bolts, and raise up many bodies of those who had fallen asleep? For since one immortal was born from an immortal, he shall put death to death through his own death. Wherefore be no longer faithless, lest you come under judgment. For the one of whom I speak to you has already leaped into your womb through your hearing, performing the dedication of your womb." And the Virgin said: "In order that I may agree to these things, first satisfy me: how is it that the one who is about to be born of me, as you say, is both the Son of the Highest and the Son of David, and (also) fatherless; and how have you proclaimed two fathers?" And the angel said: "First learn, and then argue: when I say to you, 'Son of the Highest,' I have signified the one born impassibly from the Father before the ages; and when I say to you, 'Son of David,' I have spoken because you are from the father David. Having received this assurance, then, keep my words; for I am a servant of him whom you are about to bear." Having said these things to the Virgin, the angel left her. And she reasoned with herself, saying: "Shall I report it to Joseph, or shall I rather hide the mystery? If the one who came has lied meanwhile, I provoke the tongue of the old man against myself." And as the Virgin pondered these things, the womb, swelling, grew, and the infant danced within. Mary was concerned about this, and casting myriad veils over her womb, she wished to escape the notice of Joseph; but she could not hide a city set upon a hill. The appearance of the womb pricked Joseph, and with a side-glance he weighed the womb of the Virgin. He wanted to revile, and was compelled to be silent; he wanted to revile, as if she had sold the treasures of her virginity; but the former life prevented (him). Finally, he was tormenting his own soul with distresses: "Woe is me," he said, "what shall I do? The face is a virgin's, the deportment is a virgin's, the eyes are a virgin's, the laughter is a virgin's; but the womb is not that of a virgin, but of a mother; the talk is a virgin's. Woe, woe! I can no longer bear to witness it. Shall I then make the matter public, shall I refute Mary? For the shame is common. Shall I cry out with a shout, lest I be called father of a child without seed? There is no accuser of the maiden, since the one carried in the womb does not have the one who sowed the seed. 844 Perhaps for me, both to be silent and to speak are dangerous. What then shall I do? Shall I call her and ask, or shall I show (my concern) before questioning? But the writing testifies: I shall rather refute (her). Did she not do it?" Having therefore called her with a severe countenance, he sat as judge of the judge in the womb. "Tell me," he said, "with accuracy what has happened to you; do not hide the matter from me; there is no one here to listen to the words; I know how to keep mysteries; no one learns the matter, only assure me. Whence comes this which is seen in you? Point out to me his father, and I will free you from the fault; for you shall be deemed worthy of pardon, as a woman overcome by desire." And the Virgin answered him: "If you seek his father, you shall never find (him); but if you think him fatherless, you have failed in that as well." And Joseph said: "You have not been able to lie about anything, Mary; for how can he be fatherless and not have a father?" And the Virgin said: "If you seek who he is, Joseph (for you are ignorant), if I tell you the truth, I am not believed. You see the womb, and do not see the hidden Lord; you consider the belly, and do not consider him who was born of the Father before the morning star, and who is dwelling in me. If I tell you what the angel said to me, you will say that 'You testify of yourself, and your testimony is not true.'" And Joseph said: "Bring those who heard, provide those who were present, lead forward witnesses who speak the truth." And the Virgin said: "If you seek these, you shall never find (them); for he who was sent to one through one spoke solely in private; no one was present, since no one was to be the father of the one being born." As the Virgin was not believed, Mary, having surmised this, came to another thought, saying: "The womb betrays me, the child within exults and accuses me; what then shall I do? Shall I close my lips in silence, and be judged invisibly by the angel? Where are you now, you who uttered the 'Hail, favored one'? In what places do you dwell? Speak, so that I may arrive there and hang upon your neck, until you come and assure Joseph, whose son it is that is dancing in the chamber of my womb. I cannot bear the one who regards me with suspicion, who is grumbling; and I know not in what place you are tarrying; come, and make a defense on my behalf." As Mary was saying these things, the angel with speed (came) to Joseph.
immaculate is the vessel, a treasure without blemish, an alabaster jar unspotted, a birth without seed, a maiden without a husband, a virgin without a bridal chamber, a rock not hewn, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed, a field not sown, a branch not planted, a birth not conceived by thought. If you do not believe me when I say this, wait for the time of the birth. But if Mary weeps and groans like other women, He who is born of Mary is a man and not God. Joseph answers: If these things are as you have said, O archangel, *Why did the nations rage, and the peoples meditate on empty things?* To whom the angel: If you wish to learn, understand quickly: for the Lord said to Him who is born: *You are My Son, this day I have begotten You* (Ps. II, 7). Amen.
On that which is said: "Whatever you bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven" (Matt. XVIII, 18); and on the parable of the hundred sheep, and on the saying of the Evangelist: "If two shall agree," et cetera; and on that which is said: "How often, if my brother sins against me, shall I forgive?" (ibid. vv. 19, 21)
The fountain of water, having one nature, provides a remedy for thirst to many and diverse creatures. For both herds of cattle and flocks of sheep run to it to drink, and troops of quadrupeds and approaching kinds of wild beasts hasten there and drink, and a multitude of birds flies to the same place and draws water, so that it may quench the heat of thirst. And it is not only for brute beasts that it provides use; it also supplies drink abundantly to rational men: in short, every nature of reptiles, winged creatures, quadrupeds, and rational men draws water from one source. Such, beloved, is the nature of the divine Scriptures, even though it is one. For because it springs from the one wisdom of God, it imbues with wisdom the many and diverse hearts of men. From it teachers draw wisdom, disciples are instructed, the good odor of the Churches flows, the thirsty receive drink, the darkened are illuminated. That these things are so, is easily learned from the Gospel just read. For what does the Lord say? *Amen I say to you, whatever you bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven.* It is one voice, which, divided in various ways according to the use of each person, is adapted to the aged, to the young, to women, to virgins, to men, to disciples, and to masters. B *Whatever you bind upon earth shall be bound also in heaven.* To you He has given the power of binding and loosing: you have bound yourself with the chains of avarice, loosen yourself through the commandment of mercy toward the poor; you have bound yourself with the goad of pleasures, loosen yourself through temperance; you have bound yourself with the perverse faith of Eunomius, loosen yourself through an orthodox confession. Teachers, bind the doctrines of Eunomius, Arius, and Macedonius, and loosen for us the evangelical meanings of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; bind the demons who fight against the faithful through prayers sent up to God, and loosen the Gentiles who are being converted in baptism, breaking the chains of their own sins; bind by excommunication those who have sinned after baptism, and loosen them when they have done penance, and receive them again as brothers: for that saying is true: *Whatever you loosen upon earth shall be loosened also in heaven.* For the apostles also did this. Paul once bound him who had committed fornication at Corinth, and afterward loosened him when he repented from the heart; Peter bound him who after baptism wished to buy the gift of God with money, and afterward loosened him when he fell down from the heart C. Finally, they bound many who were sinning and not repenting, but others who were repenting they loosened. Peter bound Ananias and Sapphira, who were tempting the Spirit of the Lord, and he loosened Tabitha from death when he raised her from the dead; he loosened Cornelius the centurion who believed, and he bound Simon Magus in Rome, who was playing with magical arts; Paul bound Elymas the magician when he blinded him with a word, and he loosened the girl from the Pythonic demon; Judas bound himself with the rope of betrayal, and Peter loosened his own denial through repentance; Paul bound himself while he was persecuting the Church, but afterward he loosened himself on the road when he recognized the way of truth. The prophets also bound and loosened many things. Elias the Thesbite bound the clouds of rain, so that they would not provide rain to the impious, and he loosened them again when King Achab fell down before him; his disciple Eliseus loosened Naaman the Syrian from leprosy, and bound Giezi, who had lied for the sake of money, and through a curse brought leprosy upon him; Daniel loosened the dream of Nabuchodonosor, and bound the arms of the Chaldeans armed against them; he loosened the temple of idols, by overturning Bel and killing the dragon, and he bound the mouths of the lions devouring blood. The three children also bound the power of fire, not being burned by it, and they loosened the king’s command, not worshiping his image. More than all of these, our Lord Jesus Christ bound and loosened. For He loosened the enmity that had arisen between us and God, and bound the prince of evils, the serpent, through whom the enmity had arisen; He bound all the demons who were fighting against man, and He loosened all men who were agitated by them; He bound the flaming sword brandished against us, and He loosened the thief on the cross, whom He brought into the delights of paradise; He bound the fratricide Cain, condemning him to tremors, and He loosened the tremors of the paralytic, with the use of his limbs restored; He loosened Isaac from the binding of Abraham, and for him bound the ram held in the thicket of Sabec; He bound Judas, who loved silver, and He loosened the prince of publicans, Zaccharus, who distributed his money to the poor; He bound the Jewish swine, whom He handed over to demons, and He loosened the bound ass and her colt, having sent His disciples; He bound the unfruitful fig tree with its roots withered, and He loosened the woman who was bowed down, saying to her: *Be of good heart, daughter* (Matt. IX, 22), *thou art loosened from thy infirmity.* He loosened Peter, who was bound in chains, and bound the homicide Herod, handing his members over to be eaten by worms; He strengthened the orthodox Church founded upon the firm rock, and loosened the tabernacle of the heterodox, built upon shifting sand; the Jews also bound Christ, but Christ loosened their temple, He overturned Jerusalem, He dissolved their legal requirements, He abrogated circumcision, He destroyed their synagogues, He snatched from them the law and the prophets, and He scattered them like chaff through all the cities and regions. The devil also bound the Lord when He was put upon the cross, but Christ burst his insatiable belly, his voracious teeth; through His own firm rock He loosened his nerves, He crushed his clothing, He cast down his hair, He brought upon him eternal and dark mourning and lamentation, because he led man, who was moving in joy, into the mourning of sins. He extinguished his impudent eyes, He covered with shame his disgraceful face, He pierced him with sharp spears, He transfixed him with a triple sword, He dissipated his hope, He searched out his hidden nests, and scattered his treasure chests in every wind; He laid low his monstrous offspring of demons and grandchildren, He burned with inextinguishable fire his man-made idols, He cast his bed into the abyss, He tore asunder his dark wings, He opened all the gates of hell, and having loosened all the captives and having taken them with Him, He ascended like a giant into heaven to the Father, as the prophet says: *He shall exult like a giant to run his way: His going out is from the end of heaven, and His meeting even to the end of heaven.*