(De Saint Dimitri of Rostov)
never boring here, let me repeat! The birth of this child did shine in the world the light of knowledge, light brighter than the stars and sun, these diapers are taller than the clouds, the manger in which Christ is the God that nothing does not contain, is larger than the heavens. Turn our eyes toward the spiritual childhood of Christ on earth puisqu'apparaît to renew our antiquated nature, the One who created them centuries and prepared for us salvation, for all eternity!
You will find a newborn, Angel said ... But according to David's prophecy about the coming of the Messiah was expected rather to see Christ come into the world as a giant himself is like a bridegroom coming out of her bridal chamber - the womb of the Ever-Virgin - He jumped for joy, like a giant to go His way (Ps.18: 6). And yet we find is a real cause of wonder, since the birth of Christ is the strange and supernatural: his childhood in fact nothing like what was experienced by other small children. Those are born weak, unconscious, helpless, ignorant, and it is after some time that the force and reason begin to emerge and grow in them. But our Lord Jesus Christ is born with such power and right. That is why the Angel announces sign yet seen in this world: a small child born with an invincible force and wisdom inconceivable. The Church, the Prophet Isaiah, do not pass this force also silent when she sings her mighty God, Lord, and Prince of the World (Is.9, 6).
It says somewhere that the lion is known by his claws. Thus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, is also known for his Young claws, He is the Lord strong and mighty, mighty in battle. But what then is the great power of this baby? Listen! As soon as the news of the birth begins to spread, and Herod is troubled Jerusalem with him! The child does not speak yet and it already scares those we trumpet the names of all the earth! It is still in its infancy, and he is already afraid to armed executioners! It is only in a manger, and he shook him who sits on a royal throne!
Some physicians highly experienced claim that infants will become glorious and famous people like kings and valiant general, already evident by their young claws the sign of their power and their future exploits. Pericles said, was not born yet it frightened the Greeks already in visions and dreams. Alexander had not seen the day that all called him the son of Ammon and prince of the kingdom. Ants put grains of wheat in the mouth of the young Midas asleep, predicting the countless treasures of the future king of Phrygia.
Similarly, when He is still a child anew, our King and Master manifest His power through signs and his deeds to come. It gives a taste of wealth prepared for those who love Him when He gets a faraway land of gold, frankincense and myrrh. He manifests His future victory over death and the Devil and His triumph over hell when he throws Herod and all Jerusalem in trouble and tremor. This power was to go to his humanity, which at the time he himself said "All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth (Mt.28, 18) He already evident by a sign making angels and shepherds his servants, and princes of the East His worshipers. All the kings of the earth will worship (Ps.71: 11), David prophesied, and now it already appears as the ruler of the three kings of the earth who offer him their gifts. It is with great lyricism that the hierarch of the Church of Hippo addresses these events: "These are the signs of Thy Nativity, O Lord Jesus Christ! Even before the waves of the sea does lie beneath your feet when you walk on water, before the winds subside by Your order before the dead do not rise by Your word, dim the sun when you die, the earth trembles You will rise when the tomb, that the sky does not open when you go up there, even before all the wonderful things you're doing, you are already recognized as the Lord of the world in the early years of your flesh, worn by mother's arms! "What power in this little child, what strength in our Lord Jesus Christ who in childhood is clearly the God Almighty and the Lord!
In truth, God's power made perfect in weakness. We are already seeing in the limbs of the little child the great power of Jesus Christ ! The Church has actually compared the Lord who is born a lamb, and she sings in the Akathist to the Mother of God: "The shepherds heard the angels sing the coming of Christ in the flesh, and, running towards him as to their pastor, as they gazed at the immaculate lamb grazing on the bosom of His Mother, and He sang this hymn: Rejoice, Mother of the Lamb and the Shepherd! "Christ is born of a virgin as a lamb, but what force in this Lamb, what power! An invincible power indeed!
In his vision of the Apocalypse St. John the Theologian contemplates various monsters - dragons out of the sea, the abyss of desert creatures to look terrible, with multiple heads and terrible open mouths full of deadly poison. All, it is written, rose up against the Lamb (Those led a fight against the Lamb). The outcome seems inevitable: the most insignificant of these animals delight to devour the lamb, without even leaving the more monstrous the opportunity to fight. Yet such is the strength of the Lamb He resists their ardor animal, which soon collapsed and broke up (the Lamb will overcome them because the Lord is Lord of lords and King of Kings). Great indeed is the power of the Lamb! And the Lamb, we will have recognized, is the Son of God, dragons and other monsters, meanwhile, are the demons and their servants. But the thing worth thinking about ... Why the Angel, which describes the struggle of the Son of God against His enemies, do not call does it not by his real name, which was brought from heaven to the all-pure Virgin at the Annunciation, and given to the Lord on the occasion of his circumcision? Why does he not say that animals fight with Jesus Christ rather than the Lamb? Because Christ defeated His enemies as His Nativity, without waiting for his name - like a lamb, he relies on the hay, but it breaks without waiting dragons spiritual head like a reed or a vase of earth. It is also written in the prophecy: "Give Him Prompt for name-Middle Booty Plunder, because before the child can call his father or mother, he will receive the power of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria! (Is.8 0.3 to 4) As this Lamb Newborn Is not even a lion is said already to Him: The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered! He does not expect to have the strength or power of the giant Samson. Even before the nurse breast, he overcomes his enemies. Before hearing his name from the lips of his mother all-pure, it erases the book of life unworthy of the name. Before reaching the stature of the man, He casts the mighty from their thrones. The Lamb overcomes them for He is Lord of lords and King of kings. Here the strength of the Lamb, behold the invincible power of the Divine Child who is born!
But Lamb also born with intelligence, not only with the strength and power. It is our great Lord, great is His power and there is no measure Her intelligence Ps 146.5). What other child than It can we apply the words (Ps.118, 100): I had more intelligence than the old? Usually, infants do not understand! And when they grew up, education is needed so they can understand something. But the Divine Child was already Wisdom in person before His Nativity, also maintains he does best after it the profound wisdom of God. A few years old, He is the wisdom, the Lord and the Ancient of Days (Dan.7, 9). Young child, he was born, but as said the prophet Isaiah, He is the Eternal Father (Is.9, 5) epithet unsuitable for young children but with men. Nobody ever called the father a baby at the breast. However it is so, without hesitation, that the Prophet describes Christ, to show that this little child has the same intelligence and even wisdom that the Father, the Ancient of Days. Like a wise father to his children, that's how this works for us celestial child born of the all-pure Mother of God. So today really is born to us the Savior, and we let ourselves be convinced by this sign: from his childhood, he shows himself as our Father ...
Listen again how the newborn is our Father. Just in this world, the Savior did come back from death to life, as the father of gospel reviving the prodigal son who had died by throwing himself on his neck and kissing. For the son, the paternal kiss is a sign of forgiveness of sins that caused the death of his soul (death indeed enters the soul by sin). As day follows night, the life-giving light of the grace of God rises upon the soul after the dark night of sin. And this is what happens today in truth, Christ Our Savior embraces us with His Nativity He dawning life of grace on those who were slain by sin.
Our Savior embraces us so by His Nativity, as it appears in the Song of Songs, where it is a matter of being in love with an impetuous desire of God: "What He kisses me with the kisses of his mouth! "(Song 1, 1) And if we want to know what this person wants the kiss of God, listen to St. Ambrose:" It's our nature, our flesh that wants to happen on the Incarnation of the Son of God. She wishes such love, such a friendship . She wants to see him face to face, as a friend sees his friend, to testify on his mouth a holy kiss. And the saint added, "As we understand that flesh impregnated from Adam's deadly venom of the snake and the stench of rotting in the transgression! Having learned from the mouth of the prophets that God would come to shake the lies of the serpent and dump the grace of the Holy Spirit, she pleads: Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! And St. Chrysostom to plead: "I, the Church of the Gentiles, I did not want me that He speaks through Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah and other prophets. I want Himself Let him come talk to me in person and kiss me with the kisses of his mouth I hear Jeremy say the chorus of man is deceitful above all things, and evil, who can enter? Jer. 17.9) I want him to come in person and kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! I hear Amos prophesy the Lord stood near a wall, a plumb line in his hand (Am.7, 7). He himself is I'm looking for Him to come and kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! "These words of the holy doctors show that the kiss given by God in our nature is nothing but the incarnation of the Son. A kiss in the mouth based on the mouth by the Incarnation of Christ, the nature of God is based on the nature of men and unites it. For His Nativity, Christ our Savior sends the paternal kiss, fulfilling the prophecy of David, justice and peace have kissed (Ps.84: 11). According to the commentary of Euthyme, justice means the divine nature of Christ, because only God is a righteous judge. As for peace, it means human nature, because the Lord is really sweet. The two natures are embraced in Christ in Him they are united in perfect harmony.
For the kiss of His nativity, our Savior gives us life, He tears at the death of sin and leads us to life in God's grace. We read in the Book of Kings (2Rois4) that the woman asked the Prophet Elisha Shunammite who was on Mount Caramel to visit her resurrect her dead son. The Prophet did not move immediately. He first sent his servant Gehazi to ask her staff upon the face of the child, but there was no voice nor reaction. Then the Prophet came to see the dead person, he placed his lips on the mouth of the deceased, whispered, and the young child opened his eyes ... See how life was made by contact from one mouth to another mouth, like a kiss! In truth, it was a kiss that the Prophet laid on the child's mouth, and death was resurrected. This event foreshadowed the Incarnation of Christ. Death, which came into the world by sin, Adam was delighted that, as a young child, began to live. And human nature, like the woman Shunammite importuned God Lord, incline your heavens and come down! (Ps. 143.5) Make shine your face and we shall be saved! (Ps.79: 4) But the Lord God did not come in person - He first sent His servants the prophets with the stick of the law, to place it on the child, race of Adam. But the child did not get up pas, les hommes restèrent assis dans les ténèbres et l'ombre de la mort. Mais le Seigneur vint en personne par Son Incarnation, comme il est dit plus haut, Il appliqua la bouche de Sa divinité sur la bouche de notre humanité, et nous donna vraiment les baisers de Sa bouche. Et l'enfant se redressa, le mort se releva, Adam fut rappelé, Eve libérée, la mort mise à mort, et nous‑mêmes fûmes rappelés de la mort à la vie par la Nativité du Christ.
Ceci n'est pas sans rappeler un ancien récit : un homme bon, voyant son ami percé par l'épée empoisonnée d'un enemy is quick to provide care to heal the fatal wound. But now the doctors tell him that the evil is incurable. Not only the passage of the sword has left a gaping wound, but the poison in which the gun had been soaked destroy the flesh, infecting the whole body. Death is inevitable, unless someone buys the life of dying by his own health by putting his mouth on the wound to suck out the poison. Such a practice would allow the patient to obtain promptly the cure, but causing the death of one who would poison eradicated. But the man loves his friend more than himself, although his own life is in no way bitter. He prefers to see his friend so dear restore health rather than keeping his. Also suck there the poison by putting his mouth, healing his friend's death.
Thus the Lord our God is seeing us now wounded by the sword of sin that still wields the soldier of hell. Nobody could heal our wounds and let go of death without having previously eradicated the deadly poison. He had not found a doctor so perfect, until he himself the Almighty who sits upon the cherubim, the Creator, the great Physician of souls and bodies, the Lord God shall affix his mouth on the wound in our nature of love for mankind, or rather His Mouth His Son. The same effect is stated in Holy Scripture that the Holy Spirit is the Father's finger (the finger of God cast out demons, saith the Lord, Luke 11:20), it is also writes that the Son of God is the Father's Mouth (By the Word of God the heavens were consolidated, and the Spirit of His mouth all their power; Ps.32: 6). God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jn.3, 16).
The Mouth, God the Son, uniting with our wounded nature, today eradicates the poison of sin by taking it on Her. That eradicates the sins of the world carries on Him our sins and heals us by offering his health. By the kiss of the Incarnation, our Savior, wise father, in a skilful physician, a friend, we did rise, from his early childhood, to live in grace.
look back childhood of Christ! Upon His birth, the Saviour has an invincible power and wisdom inconceivable. Yes right to find the angel spoke to the shepherds of the presence of a small child as the sign of the coming of the Savior in the world! It is not there usually an infant, but a child strong, intelligent, powerful and wise. "And this will be a sign: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."
The swaddling clothes of the infant are also carriers of mystery. Ambrose says that Christ was wrapped in swaddling clothes to get rid of the hair shirts of death. Here is the mystery hidden in the swaddling clothes of Christ: they we cause to the heavy sackcloth of corruption whose death we were dressed. But with a holy curiosity scrutinize the words of St. Ambrose, and seek why it does not mention one, but several envelopes. Because he probably thought two layers that covered Adam: first the leaves of the garden he gathered himself, then the envelope of skin which God made for him and his wife. They cousurent fig leaves and girded himself (Gen. 3:7), God made man and his wife envelope of skin and clothed them (Gen.3, 21). These two garments represent death. The fig tree was, according to some doctors, the tree which Adam was not taste the fruit, about the skin, it evokes the leather of a slaughtered animal. The fig leaves are a sign of disobedience of Adam, the instrument by which he broke away from God, comes off like a leaf of a tree. Skin, meanwhile, is the sign of the love of the flesh, lust animal. And behold Christ, the new Adam, is wrapped in swaddling clothes to get rid of these two human hair shirts, the hair shirt of disobedience, and the hair shirt of animal lust. The diapers are so mysteriously holy obedience and purity.
That holy diapers are obedience, this is evident in the discourse of Ambrose, the holy Doctor: "Contemplate the mystery! Breast Virgin fate He who is both Lord and slave. Slave by his deeds, for he who is girded girded for diapers are used, and Lord to preside. And this good servant has earned a name above every name. What for some is the cause of dishonor to Christ was a source of glory. " Let us heed these words: He who is girded girded diapers to serve. Here is the obedience of Christ manifested in His swaddling clothes. One who acts and is thereby proves obedient. It should effect to be obedient to gird, as the Lord Himself has ordained in the Gospel: "Prepare my supper, and gird yourself to serve me! (Lucl7, 8) Our Lord then takes upon himself the rank of obedience, He who said: "I came not to be served but to serve". It is well girded nappies we serve, "Verily I say unto you, gird it, will make the table, and from one to another, and serve them" (Luc7, 37) By the service of obedience, the Lord heals the disobedience of Adam. The old Adam was disobedient, but the new Adam be obedient unto death. Thus, for the swaddling clothes of Christ's obedience is taken off the hair shirt of Adam's disobedience.
That the swaddling clothes of the Lord are mysterious purity, we will understand if we look at why the old Adam was clothed with a garment of skin, while the new Adam is wrapped in linen swaddling clothes as all-pure Virgin was made in advance, as evidenced by the Tradition of the Church.
often in men than the garment conforms to the spiritual state of the wearer. The attire and manifest the interior dispositions of the heart (cf. IPi.3, 4). On the appointed day, the haughty Herod was dressed in his robes (Acts 12.2 1). The garment he corresponded with his presumption? Of course it applications as dressed, he sat on the rostrum and spoke with pride to the people. Pride clothes externally manifested the pride inside. Formerly, however, the humble Queen Esther, who feared God donned his royal robes, ornaments of his glory, and to comply in a timely manner to the customs of his people, and without pride, but after I prayed for three days in mourning. The royal robes were they not in this case in harmony with his soul light, good and pure intentions? In truth, it was. As Scripture says, she was beautiful and invoked God who sees everything. The beauty of the body corresponded here to that of the soul (Esther 5).
But back to Adam. After sin in Paradise, he became like a wild beast, of man he was, this beast delights of the forbidden fruit, and wild, she immediately took fled to hide, like an animal of the desert. The skin garment perfectly suited to this bestial character. St. Gregory of Nyssa says about this: "Those who sullied their souls by bestial manners usually like to wear animal skins. That is why the Old Adam was dressed in skin, and the new Adam wrapped in swaddling clothes of linen. " In the opinion of Gregory and Isidore, linen is always a sign of purity in the Holy Scriptures. In the Old Testament, the priests' clothes were made of linen, like their service pure and undefiled. To this the blessed Jerome adds: "When we prepare to put on Christ, we lay our garments of skin, we are clothed in linen, material that has no mark of impurity. Flax is the icon of purity, like the Christ our Savior, acts innocent and pure heart without sin or deceit on the lips (IPi.2, 22), so pure as the purest and brightest stars fade before his purity, as it is written: the stars are not pure in His sight (Job25, 5). Thus, it had to swaddle the little child so pure, born of the Virgin all-pure, not in a garment of animal skin, but in white linen cloth diapers for highlight the harmony between the external purity and inner purity.
Adam was carnal. He coveted as the flesh of his flesh he would not abandon him, he ran to it can irritate the God of the most terrible. Thus, like the skin attached to the flesh, Adam and the flesh of his flesh courroucèrent all their Creator. Their purpose had become flesh, they wore sackcloth of the skin.
Christ appeared to him clothed in the flesh as well as that flesh was superior to all flesh, but He was the source of all purity. Therefore, it was wrapped in swaddling clothes in linen, which have nothing in common with the flesh. Thus attired, he destroyed the hair shirt of skin from the love of the flesh and the lust animal. Contemplate the mystery of Christ's swaddling clothes: they are plaster on the wounds of our sins, wipe the tears from our eyes, they bind us to God in a close and indissoluble union of love.
But the manger where the infant is lying is not without mystery. Listen to what is said Theodoret on this: "Look at the miserable remains of one who enriches the sky! See the manger of the One who is enthroned on the cherubim, see His poverty and His earthly wealth up there! God rich in mercy has depleted so that we enrich us with his poverty. For this purpose the Heavenly King was lying in a manger: for we learn that voluntary poverty and humility. "
To this Cyprian adds, "The Lord is lying in the manger so we left our animal life, that we abandon the hay fun for heavenly bread." Ou, comme dit aussi Thédoret : « Le Verbe de Dieu repose dans la mangeoire afin que les créatures raisonnables et déraisonnables ‑ les saints et les pécheurs ‑ se nourrissent librement et sans contrainte de la nourriture du salut ».
Voici le mystère de la mangeoire du Christ, et voici dévoilé le signe de la venue du Sauveur dans le monde, que l'Ange annonce aux bergers. Un petit Enfant emmailloté et couché dans une mangeoire, mais un grand signe en vérité, un signe plein de mystères, comme nous l'avons entendu.
Que toute la création rende à ce petit Enfant divin né for us, honor, thanksgiving and adoration, and that the Virgin Mary, all pure and all-blessed, receive glory and praise of all generations for ever and ever. Amen.
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