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THE HUMAN SOUL AND THE CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX

SAINT JEAN DE CRONSTADT

(Extrait de son Journal, 1894‑1899)

L'âme de l'homme est créée à l'image et à la ressemblance de Dieu. C'est là sa dignité et son plus grand sujet d'honneur. La sainteté et la lumière, la justice, la simplicité, la bonté, la douceur, l'humilité, l'absence de méchanceté, la spiritualité, la vigilance, prayer, ardent love of God, all that was innate in her. Until the fall shameful and pernicious, God Himself had His home in the first men. The Holy Spirit appears, lit them, consoled them. But with the fall, the soul is completely changed: she became sinful, sinister, malignant, voluptuous, proud, malicious, envious, disobedient, hostile, greedy, adulterous, loving herself instead of loving God. But since she had been seduced and robbed by the devil, the murderer loses, repentance was granted and she can now stand up brilliantly the fall by the grace and mercy of God.

Be careful, Christian soul! The Lord has honored a love supreme. The Bridegroom to bride has chosen you for an engagement incorruptible, spiritual, spotless, eternal and blissful. You have to stick him every day, every moment, until your last breath. And there, in eternity, you'll always be safe in a continual present. The life here is short, but it is through that bought eternity. Do not fall asleep, t'affaiblis do not, do not betray God, do not stain by earthly passions and carnal. Pray, fast, do good works.

Man, created in the image and likeness of God with an immortal soul, rational and free, high beyond any measure above unreasonable of all creatures, destined to eternal happiness by fulfilling the commandment of God and submission to his will imperfect and limited to the will of heaven, very wise, and infinitely perfect God, was seduced by the forbidden fruit and fell into the sin of disobedience, pride, disobedience, lack of attention, ingratitude and corruption, good and evil. If she loves the world, she feels enmity to God. The friendship with the world is enmity against God (Jac.4, 4). To divert the man from the love of God, holy things and the truth, the enemy directed its violence and malice with thoughts and heart to the world, the earthly and impure, luster and softness of land, and especially feminine sweetness and beauty, because man is passionate and reflects little. Therefore those who sincerely desire to serve God and please Him must despise the earthly pleasures, the riches of this world and its pomp, and direct their hearts to the joys of heaven and elevated to the heavenly beauty and incorruptible, to the light that never sets.

Man! Try with all your strength to implement, develop and strengthen your soul in love and a sincere caring for each man! Always hunting and ruthless in your heart all envy or malice, which breeds contempt, enmity or hatred, such darkspawn the Devil. Let the righteous Judge who searches the hearts to judge sinful men. On your side, praying for them with zeal, so they turn to the court for not perish and be saved. Sometimes we are angry against the workers of iniquity, that we judge them harshly, we wish them a punishment or suffering, and death, forgetting that they have a rational soul capable of feeling, love, repentance, amendment, improvement. Try with all your strength to give love to all, to wish well to everyone, so we want to worry you too and we love you. Imitates not evil (the Devil) but the good (God) (3Jn. 1, 11).

Guard your heart more pure than anything else because it is the wellspring of life (Prov.4, 23). Do not let your heart enter the land and passionate desires. A small transient lust defiles the soul and separates it from God. Make sure that your heart is constantly drawn skyward and not toward the earth, to God and not to idols, so he wants incorruptibility, love, virtue, gentleness, humility, simplicity, the absence of malice, not the earthly corruption, be it soft or shiny. Corruption land puts us in constant danger. Sinful man is attracted to anything that is forbidden. Guard your heart with anger, malice, envy, lust, pride, presumption, and the tendency to put themselves forward before the others.

unreasonable attachment of the soul to life by breaking down its integrity, peace, freedom and health, then it tends naturally to God, created it. Then occur tribulations, afflictions and injuries. She falls into a infinite vanity and pulled away from God. The friendship with the world is enmity against God. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him (IJn.2, 15). Everything is permissible but I will not let myself be dominated by anything (lCor.6, 12).

It is finished! The eternal council was held. The will of God and the salvation of mankind was made. The board of the snake killer on destruction of mankind and the Devil's works were destroyed. Man is saved! The blessed existence had been lost, but a better life, happier still has been given to the skies in the future: the deification. The man, who had originally wanted to be God, is not now, and has lost even what he had. But God became Man so that man might become god. Oh, wonderful divine counsel, that your works are ineffable! Now, it depends on the willingness of the man himself to be saved or perish.

Our Creator, the Initiator of the fighting, established from the beginning that the time of our earthly life was a preparation time for eternity, learning time, a time of fighting and exploits a time of spiritual warfare, not a time of inaction and idleness, vain concerns. He also determined that our future and immortal state is a state of retribution, eternal glory and bliss, or a state of eternal disgrace of the enormous suffering for inaction, indolence, negligence and other countless sins .

Every Christian, every Christian must know and remember well the real purpose that the Creator of all things in this world has assigned to powers of the soul and members of the body: the personal property, the property of others and the glory of God. But we, because of our passions, our sins and blindness of our souls, we forget the goal of the beneficent Creator and His good intentions to turn away the evil, our perdition

and others or in excess of the measure or by working inappropriately, either by working against the direction. And then, what moral or physical harm of that disorder, that corruption of the soul and body!

In the true Christian, everything in her mind in her body and her life takes a turn to share: his thoughts are spiritual and holy, heavenly and spiritual desires, his will just, holy and good, his imagination pure and holy, his memory other, his eyes pure, simple, holy and without malice. In short, Christians must be a different man, heavenly, new, holy, divinely living, thinking, feeling, talking, acting through the Spirit of God. These are the saints. Read their life, listen, learn, imitate!

Scans more carefully and your spiritual inner world, full of intellectual and moral interests, and am no longer attracted by the outside world, material, temporal. Heaven and earth will pass away, it is said in the immutable words of the Creator, but My words shall not pass away (Mark 13.3 1). In this inner world, a lot of hard work and effort await. The man indeed perverts and the spiritual laws of creation, and his soul and his body are thereby corrupted. The kingdom of God is within you (Lucl7, 21). The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force (Matt. 11, 12). Remember the barren fig tree (Mt.21 0.18 to 22) Vine and Vigneron (Mt.21 0.33 to 43), the servant owes his master a multitude of talents (Mt 18.28-3 5).

The Lord knows those who belong to Him, who pronounces the name of Christ depart from iniquity (2Tim.2, 19). Who are those who belong to Him? Those who live not for flesh and blood, but by the spirit and intelligence of the Lord, who fight and conquer their passions, working for justice, which focus on what is high and does not look down who have constantly in their heart the Lord's commandments and follow them unerringly (or stand up immediately if they fall through weakness or habit), who give their lives for the Lord and do not refuse to die for Him, for justice and truth.

In this life of hardship and spiritual achievements, the Christian is always between two currents: the good and evil, trial and tribulation and the coming of the enemy consolation and help from God. It is a sort of competition between God who is righteous, holy and magnanimous, and the enemy evil and totally wicked. Sometimes the man is under the influence of the enemy, now under the grace of God. The enemy leads to mistakes and sins of all kinds, and the Lord forgives sinners who repent, purifies, sanctifies, justifies them, soothes, renews and strengthens them. This competition and the victory of grace over sin takes place mainly during the Eucharistic Liturgy, this wonderful, pacifying sacrifice and sanctifying God's mercy peace, the sacrifice of praise.

This is not against flesh and blood that we have to fight, but against principalities, against Powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness (Eph.6, 12). Our life on earth is a war, a permanent war. Our invisible enemies fight us constantly throughout our countless passions. Our flesh itself, subject to the passions, we fight too. The adulterous and sinful world we struggle through its temptations, its injustices. Our flesh fights us with love for ourselves, for pleasure, by laziness in prayer and good works, by hypocrisy, malice, concealment, pleasure, thoughts of adultery, lust , malice, hatred, malice, envy, irritation, acedia, the murmur, cowardice, lying, deception, injustice, blasphemous thoughts, the passion to judge others, intemperance, drunkenness, gluttony, greed, wickedness, freethinking, insubordination, disobedience, Coldness, the zeal for all sin and expulsion of all good. That is why our Lord said in the Gospel: The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force (Nit.11, 12). But we must always believe and remember that God is with us, invisible helper and companion in arms against sin, quick guard and all-powerful, and winner of our enemies with us as our Sovereign Lady the Mother of God, our driver invincible with us as guardian angels, the saints still with us, who by their prayers intercede with the Lord and their lives show us all the ways to resist constantly sin, to pray, to pay attention to ourselves, to overcome sin by the grace of Christ.

Guard your heart more than anything else because it is the wellspring of life. By all means, keep your heart from fleshly lusts which bring dirt, disorder, the obtuseness, Slavery, corruption. It is by carnal lust as sin fits most easily into the flesh because we love the sweetness and corruption easily between sweetness.

The Christian must be concerned with its decidedly spiritual education. First, he is reborn in the baptismal font by the Holy Spirit, receives spiritual renewal, is marked by Miron and the gift of the Holy Spirit, becomes worthy of receiving the Body and the pure blood of Christ. According to the will of God, the Holy Church is the first teacher of Christian souls and the most appropriate. There is no work more important than the education of Christian souls. Judge for yourself and understand how these are dear to God and immortal souls reasonable redeemed by the blood of the Son of God Himself, recalled from the darkness into the knowledge of God by the Lord Himself, brides and united with the Lord as pure virgin to a pure all-Husband. As is the salvation of these precious souls whom God offers food and drink His Body and His Blood very pure souls such as himself has undertaken to instruct spiritually by those wonderful, terrible, life-giving and beneficent Mysteries. Mind you all for your spiritual education, with all the attention and all the zeal that suit. Mind you raise your thoughts to God, to pray, you examine yourself, you judge yourself, you amend it. Work out in the virtues, in gentleness, humility, obedience, patience, mercy, chastity, simplicity, goodness. Leave out all thoughts of lust, passions and sinful habits.

The Christian life is a struggle and a spiritual feat. This fight must focus and result in strengthening the faith and love of God and neighbor. The enemy of humanity struggle, he joined the powerful fighters and servants voluntary or involuntary, as heretics, cult members, freethinkers, blasphemers, traitors to God and the sovereign, adulteries, drunkards, the envious, the proud, murderers, thieves, troublemakers ... Through them, he acts against God, against men, against the powers that be. More these men meet their passions, the stronger they become, the more they serve the devil and become even bigger enemies of God and men (think Judas the traitor, to Leo Tolstoy. God's justice demands that the man who became a being deposed by his own will, consciously work against sin, controls, and calling with zeal overcomes the grace of God to his aid. Without this grace, it can never overcome sin, nor merit the reward of eternal God.

In the Gospel, the Christian life is compared to the many guards of the soldier, the first, second, third ... This suggests the constant vigilance of a Christian on his thoughts, feelings, the movements of his will, his vigilance against the enemies who attack intangible until the end and try to swallow it. Day or night, the saints are spiritually care. They pray without ceasing, fast, struggle, live a life that is both active and contemplative. Any truth in our lives, we must be on call. Our life is short, and we have to solve a large and complicated, yet a multitude of enemies attack us with force, malice and wickedness. Let us be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Mt 10, 16).

Thy Name be hallowed, thy kingdom come, Thy will be done! The Christian must hope and wish that the other name of God always be glorified in him and in the other and must grieve when this name is not glorified, but blasphemed by various sins. It is desirable that all the temples of God are not made by human hands. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (ICor.3, 16)

Everything is pure to the pure. But for those who are defiled and who have no faith, nothing is pure. Their spirit and their conscience are defiled (Titel, 15). All shocked him unclean, holy things themselves it considers impure. That is how sin infects the heart and the entire human being. Man, then purifies your heart day and night in prayer, repentance and tears, so long as the time to practice and test.

The description that the Apostle Paul makes mores of his contemporaries should it not also our contemporaries? He writes: they are filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, malice, not breathing Enver, murder, arguing, deceit, malignity; slanderers, detractors, enemies of God, who insult, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, without heart, ruthless (Rom. 1.29 to 3

Orthodox Christians! Do you know, do you, do you understand that the Lord our God always sees our thoughts, our desires, our intentions, our actions, and judge justly every man? Remember that your conscience is the witness of justice God's testing you and guide you, and that according to her and the Gospel of the Lord that you will be judged on Judgement Day? Remember what the Prophet and King David was repeated several times: the Lord comes to judge the earth, He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in righteousness (Ps.97: 8-9). If you've forgotten, I remind you ...

the Judgement of God you will know, sinner, that you were in the union venerable, holy, full of honor and of the Church and of Heaven, and thou shalt see how you made it unworthy. You'll know what you had powerful intercessors before God for your salvation, intercessors you do not call for help by impiety, pride and depravity, for you accounts at all about yourself and your intelligence and passion myopic.

To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

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LIFE OF ST MATTHEW APOSTLE

(By Saint Dimitri of Rostov)

only sinless, Son of God and God Himself became like men to save sinners. One day as he was leaving Caphamaüm, he saw a man named Matthew and he installed at the toll said: "Am I?"

These words heard by the ears having carnal also affected ears his heart, Matthew got up immediately and left everything to follow Christ. The Lord came into his house and he served up a feast which was attended also neighbors, friends, a lot of knowledge, of publicans and sinners, who sat down with Jesus and His disciples. Scribes and Pharisees as being there, they saw the Lord, far from despising sinners, would sit alongside them. So they said to the disciples: "Why eateth your Master does it and does he drink with publicans and sinners? "The after hearing the Lord replied:" It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I am not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners. And from this time, Matthew became the disciple and follower of Christ, and was worthy of being counted among the Twelve Apostles.

Matthew was the son of Alphaeus and brother of Jacques. In the other Gospels he is called Levi son of Alphaeus, because his brothers evangelicals have sought to hide its first publican kind of life behind a little-known name. But in his own Gospel of St. Matthew shows great humility by being known to all under his real name and confessing to the world his past life sinner, discounting, this humble repentance, to remove the shame of sinners to confess their sins and turn to the Lord.

After receiving the Holy Spirit, St. Matthew was the first to write his Gospel, eight years after the Ascension of the Lord, and this in Hebrew because of the Jews who had believed Christ. He preached the gospel in many lands, across the country of the Parthians, Medes, and walking around in Ethiopia for which he had been chosen by lot, to preach Christ and to enlighten the light of knowledge. Finally, taught by the Holy Spirit, he reached a land where people lived an ignorant, cruel and cannibalistic.

There, in the city of Myrmène, it converts some souls to the Lord, enthroned as bishop his disciple Plato, and built a small church. Then he climbed a nearby mountain where he lived in fasting, praying fervently for God to convert the faithless people. The Lord appeared to him soon in the guise of a handsome young man holding a scepter in his hand. After giving peace to the Apostle, He held out his hand to give him the scepter, recommending him down the mountain and plant it near the doors of the church he had built. "It will take root in my strength. It will become a large tree that gives lots of fruit that will surpass by their majesty and sweetness all other orchard fruits. Springing from its roots as a source of pure water, which give beautiful face with cannibals who wash them. Those who taste the fruits cruel abandon their morals to become good men and gentle. "

Matthew took the scepter in the hand of the Lord came down from the mountain, and went to town to perform the order received. The prince of this city, a man named Fulvian, had a wife and a son who suffered from demons. Encountering the Apostle on the way, they made blood threats of their strange voices and depraved, "Who sent you here with that scepter for our loss? But Matthew banned and expelled unclean spirits, so that those who came to be healed bowed to the Apostle and followed him obediently. Having learned the arrival of Matthew, the bishop Plato came to meet with the clergy. On entering the city, the Apostle did as he had been ordered, but barely Was it planted the scepter of Lord, before all, the stick became a big leafy tree wearing large, beautiful and sweet fruit, and a source of water gushing from its roots. The entire town, who gathered for such a miracle was in amazement. They ate the sweet fruit and drank pure water, then the apostle Matthew went on a height and preached the Word of God in their language to people gathered in front of him. All believed in the Lord and the Apostle baptized them in the miraculous spring, starting with the wife of the prince and his son, whom he had cured of evil spirits, and ending with the faithful people. According to the word of the Lord, all the cannibals out of the water with a beautiful face and bright, receiving not only the beauty and healing the body but also of the soul, laying the old man put on Christ, the 'New Man.

Having learned of these events, the prince was pleased with the healing of his wife and son, but, driven by the devil, he irritated the Apostle and cons devised to kill him because the people running towards him, abandoning the gods. The following night the Lord appeared to St. Matthew, that require the defendant to be bold, and promising to be with him in tribulation that would soon occur. In the morning, when the Apostle glorified God in church with the faithful, the Prince sent four soldiers to seize him. But when they reached the temple of the Lord of Darkness will cover them and they hardly knew how to turn back. As they were asked why they did not bring Matthew, they said: "We heard his voice, but we could not see or get hold of him! The prince, enraged, sent a large number of armed soldiers with orders to bring the Apostle of force, even killed by the sword anyone resist them. But the soldiers were just as powerless as soon as they approached the temple, a heavenly light shone upon the Apostle, so they could watch it. Seized with fear, they threw down their weapons and returned in haste to the prince to tell her what had happened. Fulvian was so angry that he decided to surrender himself to the Apostle to the multitude of his servants. However, upon arriving on the scene, he lost his sight and had to call someone to guide! Immediately, he asked Matthew to forgive him his sin and give light to his eyes. Having made the sign of the cross on the eyes of the prince, Matthew restored her sight. But Fulvian saw again with the eyes of the body without the soul of his eyes were open did. Blinded by the wickedness, he attributed the miracle to magic, instead of seeing God's power. Taking the Apostle's hand, he brought him to his palace by pretending to honor, keeping in his heart for malignant burn as mage. Including the secret of his heart and thoughts malignant, the Apostle denotes the prince: "Tyrant insidious when you execute the plot that you frame? So do what Satan has put in your heart! As you can see, I am ready to endure anything for my God! "

The prince ordered his soldiers to seize Matthew. After lying on the ground with his face turned towards heaven, they nailed to the ground his hands and feet. Then they gathered branches and brush, brought the tar and sulfur, placed it all on their victim and lit the pyre. The fire went into high flames, and all thought that the Apostle of Christ would be consumed. But suddenly, the fire cools down and the flames changed into dew, and they found Matthew alive glorifying God. All the people were frightened at the sight of such a miracle and glorified the God of the Apostle.

Consequently the prince was the more angry, and he refused to recognize the power of God, who had kept alive and safe from the late preacher of Christ. He uttered with regard to the fair to further injustice and called him a magician, "By the magic he has extinguished the fire and saved the life! He did bring back a lot of wood and brush, and then made them available on the Apostle and switch after adding tar. Then he brought his twenty gods of gold and placed them around the fire, asking for their help so that Matthew was not released from the flames this time, but reduced to ashes. But, amid the flames,

the Apostle prayed to the Lord of Hosts he showed again his invincible power, manifest the weakness of the pagan gods, and shames all those who put their trust in them. Then in a terrible crash, the flames rushed over the idols of gold, that melted like wax, burning many unbelievers who were present at the scene. Idols broken left a snake of fire which frightened the prince continued until he decided to humbly beg the Apostle to grant assistance. So it rebuked the fire was immediately extinguished, and the snake disappeared. The prince would then raise the Apostle with reverence, but he made one last prayer and laid his holy soul into the hands of the Lord.

Fulvian ordered them to bring a litter of gold, on which lay the body of the Apostle that the fire had not started. After donning the body of the saint of great clothes prices, the prince and the nobles took the litter on their shoulders and led the Apostle to the palace.

But the faith of the prince was not yet perfect. So he ordered to forge iron coffin in which he remove the body of the Apostle. After doing welding lead, he threw him overboard, saying the Lords: "If one who has kept free from Matthew fireproof also keeps the water, so that it 'It is indeed the one true God. So I will worship Him and give up all our gods, who failed to protect themselves the attack on the fire! . The iron coffin containing the precious relics that have been thrown into the sea, the apostle appeared to the bishop Plato and said: "Tomorrow morning, give up on shore at the east of the palace of the prince, and take my relics that were rejected on the ground! At dawn, the bishop went with the multitude of the faithful on the shore, where indicated, and found the iron coffin containing the relics of St. Matthew the Apostle, as had been announced in the vision. Having learned this, the prince visited the site with the lords. He really believed our Lord Jesus Christ, and confess out loud as the one true God, who had kept intact Fireproof His servant Matthew when he was alive, and waterproof once dead. Embrace the coffin, he asked forgiveness for sins apostle he had committed against him and demanded earnestly baptism. Seeing the prince's faith and zeal of his request, the bishop Plato catechised. When he had duly informed, he commanded him to descend into the baptismal waters. But now when he laid his hand upon the head of the catechumen and wanted to give his name, a voice from above was heard: " Do not name him but Fulvian Matthew! "

Having received in Baptism the name of the Apostle, the prince tried to imitate his work. He soon recovered the state government to someone else, renounced the vanity of this world, and devoted himself to prayer in the church of God, deserving of the holy bishop Plato dignity of presbyter. Three years later, the death of the bishop, the apostle Matthew appeared in the presbyter and encouraged him to ascend the episcopal throne in the wake of Blessed Plato. Having accepted Bishops, the new Matthew was active in the preaching of Christ and led many Gentiles to God. Having spent many years in a life pleasing to the Lord, he died in his turn and went to stand before the throne of God to the holy Evangelist Matthew, with whom he intercedes for us as we inherit the Kingdom of God for ever . Amen.

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HOMILY ON THE NATIVITY

(De Saint Dimitri of Rostov)

On this day, the Heavenly Messenger of Good News comes to announce to the shepherds of Bethlehem the sign of the arrival of the Savior in the world " To you is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord in the city of David. And this will be a sign: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. " One might think that this is not a very great sign to see a baby swaddled, in a rather mundane when you come to the world ... It would have been a much larger sign if the Angel had pressed a persuasive and compelling evidence of the birth of Christ, had he mentioned something unusual, like the star appeared to the Magi in the East, or as the virgin in the sun holding in her arms a small child, Sibyl was shown to Augustus. However, if one agrees to consider reasonable care of the mysteries that take place around this small child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, we'll see how the sign referred to by the Angel to certify the birth of the Savior is great ...

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.