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For the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become as Sodom, and we would have been made like unto Gomorrah. For God also says: Then I have left for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Thus the seed of faith was preserved among the people, and the whole people did not perish; may it not be! nor were all the Jews corrupted; since even now in this blessed state and calling many are called, but few are chosen. For Christ called the whole world, and prepared the holy feast of the Gospel. But when He comes in the second coming, He enters and makes a selection, and examines those who are reclining; and if He finds one of those reclining not having a wedding garment, He says to him: Friend, how did you enter here, not having a wedding garment, And He will cast him out, as we have heard in the Gospels. So there was a selection there, and there will be a selection here.

For should we, because we have been called, from now on be presumptuous, as though we have already obtained perfection? For let the fall of the first ones become our security. Thus, beloved, the people did not all perish, nor was the whole corrupted, nor did the whole disbelieve, nor did the whole persecute the apostles, but three thousand at one time believed through the apostles, besides women and children; and there came to be in Jerusalem a Church of ten thousand men before the temple was destroyed, before the Jews were cast out, before Jerusalem was brought down. A Church was built, and the words of John became a clear truth: He must increase, but I must decrease. Simeon therefore, being a prophet, says: a glory of your people Israel. For the meeting of the one who was expected was the glory of those who were expecting; and both Joseph and Mary glorified the things that were said; an angel announced the good news, magi recognized, shepherds heard, hosts of angels danced, a star announced from above, Simeon prophesies, Anna the daughter of Phanuel prophesies, the earth rejoiced, the heaven spoke through a star, the magi denied the tyrant, the shepherds worshipped the chief shepherd, all things recognized, the mother knew, Joseph heard, they trembled at the events, but they also understood the outcome of the events. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold, this one is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against. For whose fall? Clearly of those who disbelieve, of those who speak against, of those who crucify. For whose rising? Of those who recognize and gratefully confess. And for a sign that is spoken against. What sign is spoken against? The sign of the cross, which the Church knows is the salvation of the world, which the Jews are hostile to, which heaven has often proclaimed. But the sign is spoken against, so that the truth may conquer; for without contradiction a complete victory does not occur. It was necessary, therefore, for the contradiction to be introduced, so that the judge with long-suffering might bring forth the verdict throughout the whole age. Therefore he says: And for a sign that is spoken against; and those who disbelieve speak against it. And you also, he says, seem to be a mother; will you therefore be untempted, because you confessed to be a mother, because you bore him, because you were deemed worthy to lend him your womb? For your belly became a vessel of the energy of the Spirit.

Will you therefore be untempted, 50.811 since you have become Theotokos, since you conceived without knowing a man, since you were made the mother of your creator? will you be untempted? Not even you will be untempted, but also a sword will pierce through your own soul. Why, O Lord? For what have I sinned? You have sinned in nothing; but when you see him hanging on a cross, when you see him suffering for the world, when you see his hands stretched out on the cross, and nailed to the wood, then you will begin to doubt and to say: Is this he about whom an angel spoke to me? is this he for whom the miracle of my conception occurred? I was a virgin

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γὰρ ὁ Κύριος σαβαὼθ ἐγκατέλιπεν ἡμῖν σπέρμα, ὡς Σόδομα ἂν ἐγεννήθημεν, καὶ ὡς Γόμοῤῥα ἂν ὡμοιώθημεν. Καὶ γὰρ λέγει ὁ Θεός· Εἶτα κατέλιπον ἐμαυτῷ ἑπτακισχιλίους ἄνδρας, οἵτινες οὐκ ἔκαμψαν γόνυ τῇ Βάαλ. Οὕτως ἐν τῷ λαῷ ἐφυλάττετο τὸ σπέρμα τῆς πίστεως, καὶ οὐκ ἀπώλετο ὅλος ὁ λαός· μὴ γένοιτο! οὐδὲ διεφθάρησαν πάντες οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· ἐπειδὴ καὶ νῦν ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μακαρίᾳ καταστάσει καὶ κλήσει πολλοὶ μὲν κλητοὶ, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί. Ἐκάλεσε γὰρ ὁ Χριστὸς πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ παρεσκεύασε τὴν ἁγίαν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἑστίασιν. Ἀλλ' ὅταν ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ παρουσίᾳ, εἰσέρχεται καὶ ποιεῖ ἐκλογὴν, καὶ περιεργάζεται τοὺς ἀνακειμένους· κἂν εὕρῃ τῶν ἀνακειμένων τινὰ μὴ ἔχοντα ἔνδυμα γάμου, λέγει αὐτῷ· Ἑταῖρε, πῶς εἰσῆλθες ὧδε, μὴ ἔχων ἔνδυμα γάμου, Καὶ ἀποβαλεῖ αὐτὸν, καθὼς ἠκούσαμεν ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις. Ὥστε κἀκεῖ γέγονεν ἐκλογὴ, καὶ ἐνταῦθα γενήσεται ἐκλογή.

Μὴ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ ἐκλήθημεν, ὀφείλομεν ἀπεντεῦθεν ἤδη αὐθαδιάζεσθαι, ὡς δὴ τὸ τέλειον κατεσχηκότες; τῶν γὰρ πρώτων τὸ πτῶμα, ἡμῶν ἀσφάλεια γενέσθω. Οὕτως, ἀγαπητὲ, καὶ ὁ λαὸς οὐχ ἅπας ἀπώλετο, οὐδ' ὅλος διεφθάρη, οὐδ' ὅλος ἠπίστησεν, οὐδ' ὅλος ἐδίωξε τοὺς ἀποστόλους, ἀλλ' ἐπίστευσαν διὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἅμα τρισχίλιοι χωρὶς γυναικῶν καὶ παιδίων· καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ μυρίανδρος Ἐκκλησία μηδέπω τοῦ ναοῦ καταστραφέντος, μηδέπω τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐκβληθέντων, μηδέπω τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ κατενεχθείσης. Ὠκοδομήθη Ἐκκλησία, καὶ ἐγένετο τοῦ Ἰωάννου τὰ ῥήματα ἀλήθεια ἐναργής· Ἐκεῖνον δεῖ αὐξάνειν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἐλαττοῦσθαι. Ὁ τοίνυν Συμεὼν προφήτης. ὑπάρχων λέγει· ∆όξαν λαοῦ σου Ἰσραήλ. ∆όξα γὰρ ἦν τῶν προσδοκώντων ἡ ἀπάντησις τοῦ προσδοκωμένου· καὶ δοξάζουσιν ὅ τε Ἰωσὴφ καὶ ἡ Μαρία τὰ λεγόμενα· ἄγγελος εὐηγγελίσατο, μάγοι ἐπέγνωσαν, ποιμένες ἤκουον, στρατιαὶ ἀγγέλων ἐχόρευον, ἀστὴρ ἐμήνυσεν ἄνωθεν, Συμεὼν προφητεύει, Ἄννα θυγάτηρ Φανουὴλ προφητεύει, ἡ γῆ ἠγάλλετο, ὁ οὐρανὸς δι' ἀστέρος ἐφθέγξατο, μάγοι τὸν τύραννον ἠρνήσαντο, οἱ ποιμένες τὸν ἀρχιποιμένα προσεκύνησαν, τὰ πάντα ἐπέγνω, ἡ μήτηρ ᾔδει, ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἤκουσεν, ἔτρεμον ἐπὶ τοῖς πράγμασι, συνῆκαν δὲ καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν ἔκβασιν. Καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς Συμεὼν, καὶ εἶπε πρὸς Μαριὰμ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ· Ἰδοὺ οὗτος κεῖται εἰς πτῶσιν καὶ ἀνάστασιν πολλῶν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ εἰς σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον. Τίνων εἰς πτῶσιν; ∆ηλονότι τῶν ἀπιστούντων, τῶν ἀντιλεγόντων, τῶν σταυρούντων. Τίνων εἰς ἀνάστασιν; Τῶν ἐπιγινωσκόντων καὶ εὐγνωμόνως ὁμολογούντων. Καὶ εἰς σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον. Ποῖον σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον; Τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ σταυροῦ, ὃ οἶδεν ἡ Ἐκκλησία σωτήριον τοῦ κόσμου, ᾧ ἐχθραίνουσιν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὅπερ πολλάκις καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐκήρυξεν. Ἀντιλέγεται δὲ τὸ σημεῖον, ἵνα νικήσῃ ἡ ἀλήθεια· ἄνευ γὰρ ἀντιλογίας ὁλόκληρος οὐ γίνεται νίκη. Ἔδει τοίνυν τὴν ἀντιλογίαν εἰσαχθῆναι, ἵνα ὁ δικαστὴς μακροθυμίᾳ τὴν ψῆφον δι' ὅλου τοῦ αἰῶνος προσενέγκῃ. ∆ιό φησι· Καὶ εἰς σημεῖον ἀντιλεγόμενον· ἀντιλέγουσι δὲ οἱ ἀπιστοῦντες. Καὶ σὺ δὲ, φησὶ, δοκεῖς εἶναι μήτηρ· ἆρα οὖν σὺ ἀπείραστος γενήσῃ, ἐπειδὴ ὡμολόγησας εἶναι μήτηρ, ἐπειδὴ ἔτεκες αὐτὸν, ἐπειδὴ ἔδοξας αὐτῷ κιχρᾷν σου τὴν μήτραν; ἐγένετο γάρ σου ἡ κοιλία ἄγγος τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῦ Πνεύματος.

Ἆρα οὖν ἀπείραστος γε 50.811 νήσῃ, ἐπειδὴ γέγονας Θεοτόκος, ἐπειδὴ ἀπειρόγαμος οὖσα συνέλαβες, ἐπειδὴ κατεσκευάσθης μήτηρ τοῦ σοῦ δημιουργοῦ; ἆρα σὺ ἀπείραστος γενήσῃ; Οὐδὲ σὺ ἀπείραστος ἔσῃ, ἀλλὰ Καὶ σοῦ αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν διελεύσεται ῥομφαία. ∆ιὰ τί, ὦ Κύριε; τί γὰρ ἐγὼ ἥμαρτον; Ἥμαρτες μὲν οὐδέν· ὅταν δὲ ἴδῃς αὐτὸν ἐν σταυρῷ κρεμάμενον, ὅταν ἴδῃς αὐτὸν πάσχοντα ὑπὲρ τοῦ κόσμου, ὅταν ἴδῃς αὐτοῦ τὰς χεῖρας ἡπλωμένας ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ, καὶ ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ προσηλωμένας, τότε ἄρχῃ ἀμφιβάλλειν καὶ λέγειν· Οὗτός ἐστι περὶ οὗ ἄγγελός μοι διελέχθη; οὗτός ἐστιν ἐφ' οὗ γέγονε τῆς ἐμῆς συλλήψεως τὸ θαῦμα; Παρθένος ἤμην