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to regenerate. Who are the breasts of the mothers? The two Testaments, both our teachers, giving us to drink the spiritual and heavenly milk. 43.505 What is Christ's descent from the Mount of Olives, but certainly the condescension of God the Word from heaven to us? Who are the branches of the olives? The souls of the merciful. What is the road, on which they properly strew the deeds of virtues, having put off the old man? What are the branches of the palms? The pure hearts of the righteous, which flourish like palm-trees, and are multiplied like the cedars of Lebanon, which are planted in the house of the Lord, and blossom, which rightly look up to the true palm, certainly signifying also the victory over the tyrant and over Hades, they themselves having been freed from their tyranny by the power of Christ the victor. Who are those who go before? The righteous Prophets. Who are those who follow? The apostles, and we from the nations who have believed with them. And the city, the Jerusalem above; and the temple, the kingdom of heaven, from which Christ cast out the Jews as unworthy.

Thus understand the things of your feast; thus guard the mystery of the Lord. And certainly also the things of your feast *** Let us run together, dancing with angels, with the crowd clapping, with the colt leaping, with the mothers marveling, with the apostles proclaiming, and meeting Christ as he enters Jerusalem, praising, blessing, saying Hosanna. Blessed is he who has come, and is coming again in the name of the Lord to judge his world. To him be glory with the Father and with the Spirit for ever. Amen.

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ἀναγεννῶσαι. Τίνες αἱ τῶν μητέρων μαζοί; Αἱ δύο ∆ιαθῆκαι αἱ ἡμῶν διδάσκαλοι ἀμφότεραι, ποτίζουσαι ἡμᾶς τὸ γάλα τὸ πνευματικὸν καὶ οὐράνιον. 43.505 Τίς ἡ ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους τῶν Ἐλαιῶν Χριστοῦ κατάβασις, ἀλλ' ἢ πάντως ἡ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου πρὸς ἡμᾶς συγκατάβασις; Τίνες τῶν ἐλαιῶν οἱ κλάδοι; αἱ τῶν ἐλεημόνων ψυχαί. Τίς ἡ ὁδὸς, ἐν ᾗ καλῶς ὑποστρωννύουσι τὰς τῶν ἀρετῶν πράξεις, ἀπεκδυόμενοι τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον; Τί τῶν φοινίκων τὰ βαΐα; αἱ καθαραὶ τῶν δικαίων καρδίαι, αἱ ὡς φοίνικες ἀνθοῦσαι, καὶ ὡς αἱ κέδροι τοῦ Λιβάνου πληθυνόμεναι, αἱ πεφυτευμέναι ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Κυρίου, καὶ ἐξανθοῦσαι, αἱ ἄνω ὀρθῶς πρὸς τὸν ἀληθῆ φοίνικα βλέπουσαι, πάντως δηλοῦσαι καὶ τὴν νίκην τοῦ τυράννου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου, αὐτοὶ ἐλευθερωθέντες τῆς ἐκείνων τυραννίδος τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ νικητοῦ δυνάμει. Τίνες οἱ προάγοντες; Προφῆται οἱ δίκαιοι. Τίνες οἱ ἀκολουθοῦντες; ἀπόστολοι, καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ἐξ ἐθνῶν μετὰ τούτων πιστεύσαντες. Ἡ δὲ πόλις, ἡ ἄνω Ἰερουσαλήμ· τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν, ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἐξ ἧς Χριστὸς Ἰουδαίους ὡς ἀναξίους ἐξήγαγεν.

Οὕτω τὰ τῆς ἑορτῆς σου νόησον· οὕτω τὸ τοῦ ∆εσπότου μυστήριον φύλαξον. Πάντως δὲ καὶ τὰ τῆς ἑορτῆς σου *** Συνδράμωμεν μετὰ ἀγγέλων χορεύοντες, μετὰ τοῦ ὄχλου κροτούντων, μετὰ τοῦ πώλου σκιρτῶντες, μετὰ μητέρων θαυμάζοντες, μετ' ἀποστόλων κηρύττοντες, καὶ Χριστῷ ὑπαντοῦντες τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπιβαίνοντι, αἰνοῦντες, εὐλογοῦντες, Ὡσαννὰ λέγοντες. Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐλθὼν, καὶ πάλιν ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου κρῖναι τὸν κόσμον αὐτοῦ. Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ τῷ Πνεύματι εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.