5

Nothing is more lowly than this matter, nothing more poor than the birth of Jesus. Jesus became poor for our sakes, though he was rich; Mary placed the Savior in a manger; there was nothing underneath, nothing on top; for the Savior had no need of such care, nor did he require external attention 50.800, just as he was not conceived by the law of nature. For the service of the Virgin was sufficient; but he himself was the one ordering all things. Thus, it says, she placed him in a manger, and there were shepherds in that same country abiding in the fields. Matthew relates that magi came; but Luke, that there were also shepherds in the country abiding in the fields; there magi, here shepherds. And an angel came to them proclaiming great things: I bring you good tidings of great joy today, for a Savior has been born to the world in the city of David; and as the one angel was speaking, the heavens were opened, and there appeared a single symphony of those praising and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

For all things are about to be joined together, heaven and earth to come into unity, so that the things below may become above, so that there may be peace to those who are far off and to those who are near. Shepherds, therefore, receive the good news; why shepherds? Because we were wandering like sheep, there came to the world a shepherd, Christ Jesus, the Savior of the inhabited world, and shepherds receive the good news because of the shepherd, and Glory to God in the highest. For men were about to give glory, and to give thanks to the one who sent peace on earth; for men were being freed from their enmity toward God. Good will among men; for the things pertaining to piety were about to seem good to men. The shepherds, therefore, having received the good news and heard the word, saw the events; they came to the cave; they did not see bedding, they did not see a couch, they did not see a table prepared, but Mary and Joseph sitting, and the child lying down. Therefore the evangelist does not say father first, but says Mary first; for she is truly a mother; or rather, she is not even a mother, since she did not give birth naturally, but conceived supernaturally. For she did not know what was happening, but was an instrument of the craftsman. Having heard the word, they saw Mary and Joseph and the child, they saw the events, they marveled, they were saved. Yet the child lay there, enduring the then-imperfect construction of his body, and bearing its growth; and just as a craftsman would receive and fashion his instrument, so that, just as a cithara player uses the cithara, and just as an archer uses the bow and arrow when needed; so also Jesus, sharing in all things, grows little by little. Why then not all at once? Why did he not appear perfect at once? He came to imitate our nature, in order to sanctify the dough through the firstfruits. But if he had appeared perfect in age, the heretics would have said: A virgin did not bear him, he did not take the dough from our race. Therefore he was born of a virgin, taking from the common dough, in order to sanctify Adam, his own creation; and for this reason he grows little by little, and associates with men as a man, but being Lord of nature, he lived without sin.

Therefore when you hear him called a child, recall that prophecy of Isaiah, which said: A child is born to us, whose government was born upon his shoulder; Mighty God, prince of peace, father of the age to come. When you hear 'child', do not despise the name, but marvel at the love of God for mankind, and marvel at the salvation of the economy, so that you may become worthy to hear the evangelical words, following through faith, training through endurance, striving through piety, being perfected through love, becoming complete in all things in Christ Jesus our Lord; with whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, honor and worship unto the ages of ages. Amen.

5

Οὐδὲν εὐτελέστερον τούτου τοῦ πράγματος, οὐδὲν πτωχότερον τῆς Ἰησοῦ γενέσεως. Ἰησοῦς ἐπτώχευε δι' ἡμᾶς, πλούσιος ὤν· ἔθηκεν ἐν φάτνῃ Μαριὰμ τὸν Σωτῆρα· οὐδὲν ἦν ὑποκείμενον, οὐδὲν ἐπικείμενον· οὐδὲ γὰρ χρείαν εἶχεν ὁ Σωτὴρ τῆς τοιαύτης θεραπείας, οὐδὲ ἐπιμελείας τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐπεδέε 50.800 το, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ νόμῳ φύσεως συλλαμβάνεται. Ἤρκει γὰρ ἡ πρόσχρησις ἡ τῆς Παρθένου· τὰ δὲ πάντα αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ οἰκονομῶν. Οὕτω, φησὶν, ἔθηκεν αὐτὸν ἐν φάτνῃ, καὶ ποιμένες ἦσαν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῇ αὐτῇ ἀγραυλοῦντες. Ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖος ἱστορεῖ, ὅτι μάγοι παρεγένοντο· ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς, ὅτι καὶ ποιμένες ἦσαν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ ἀγραυλοῦντες· ἐκεῖ μάγοι, ἐνταῦθα ποιμένες. Καὶ ἦλθεν ἄγγελος πρὸς αὐτοὺς μεγάλα φωνῶν πράγματα· Χαρὰν μεγάλην ὑμῖν εὐαγγελίζομαι σήμερον, ὅτι Σωτὴρ ἐτέχθη τῷ κόσμῳ ἐν πόλει ∆αυΐδ· καὶ τοῦ ἑνὸς λαλοῦντος ἀγγέλου, ἠνεῴχθησαν οἱ οὐρανοὶ, καὶ ὤφθη μία συμφωνία ὑμνούντων καὶ λεγόντων· ∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία.

Πάντα γὰρ μέλλει συνάπτεσθαι, ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ εἰς ἑνότητα ἔρχεσθαι, ἵνα τὰ κάτω γένηται ἄνω, ἵνα ὑπάρξῃ εἰρήνη τοῖς μακρὰν καὶ τοῖς ἐγγύς. Ποιμένες τοίνυν εὐαγγελίζονται· διὰ τί ποιμένες; Ἐπειδὴ ἦμεν πεπλανημένοι δίκην προβάτων, ἦλθε τῷ κόσμῳ ποιμὴν Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, ὁ Σωτὴρ τῆς οἰκουμένης, καὶ ποιμένες εὐαγγελίζονται διὰ τὸν ποιμένα, καὶ ∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ. Ἔμελλον γὰρ ἄνθρωποι δοξάζειν, καὶ εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ πέμψαντι ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνην· ἀπηλλάττοντο γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἔχθρας. Ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία· ἔμελλε γὰρ καλὰ δοκεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν. Οἱ μὲν οὖν ποιμένες, εὐαγγελισθέντες καὶ ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον, εἶδον τὰ πράγματα· ἦλθον εἰς τὸ σπήλαιον· οὐκ εἶδον στρωμνὴν, οὐκ εἶδον κλίνην, οὐκ εἶδον τραπέζης παρασκευὴν, ἀλλὰ καθημένην Μαριὰμ καὶ Ἰωσὴφ, καὶ τὸν παῖδα ἀνακεκλιμένον. Οὐ λέγει τοίνυν ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς πρῶτον πατέρα, ἀλλὰ λέγει πρῶτον Μαριάμ· ἐκείνη γὰρ μήτηρ ἀληθῶς· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ αὐτὴ μήτηρ, ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲ ἔτεκε φυσικῶς, ἀλλὰ συνέλαβεν ὑπερφυῶς. Οὐ γὰρ ᾔδει τὸ γινόμενον, ἀλλ' ἐργαλεῖον ἦν τοῦ τεχνίτου. Εἶδον μέντοι τὴν Μαριὰμ καὶ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ καὶ τὸν παῖδα ἀκούσαντες τὸν λόγον εἶδον τὰ πράγματα, ἐθαύμασαν, ἀνεσώθησαν. Ἔκειτο μέντοι τὸ παιδίον ἀνεχόμενον τῆς τέως ἀτελοῦς κατασκευῆς τοῦ σώματος, καὶ φέρον τὴν αὔξησιν τούτου· καὶ ὥσπερ τεχνίτης ἐξεδέχετο καὶ κατεσκεύαζε τὸ ἐργαλεῖον, ἵνα ὥσπερ ὁ κιθαρῳδὸς χρήσηται τῇ κιθάρᾳ, καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ τοξότης χρήσηται τῷ τόξῳ καὶ τῷ βέλει εἰς δέον· οὕτω καὶ Ἰησοῦς, κοινωνῶν τοῖς πᾶσι, κατ' ὀλίγον αὐξάνεται. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν μὴ ἀθρόως; διὰ τί μὴ τέλειος ἅμα παρεγένετο; Ἦλθε μιμήσασθαι τὴν φύσιν ἡμῶν, ἵνα ἁγιάσῃ τὸ φύραμα διὰ τῆς ἀπαρχῆς. Εἰ μέντοι τέλειος ἐπεδήμησε καθ' ἡλικίαν, ἔμελλον οἱ αἱρετικοὶ φάσκειν· Οὐκ ἔτεκεν αὐτὸν παρθένος, οὐκ ἔλαβεν ἐκ τοῦ ἡμετέρου γένους τὸ φύραμα. Ἐτέχθη τοίνυν ἐκ παρθένου, ἐκ τοῦ κοινοῦ φυράματος λαβὼν, ἵνα ἁγιάσῃ τὸν Ἀδὰμ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ πλάσμα· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κατ' ὀλίγον αὐξάνεται, καὶ ἀνθρώποις συναναστρέφεται μὲν ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ Κύριος ὢν τῆς φύσεως, ἀναμαρτήτως ἐπολιτεύσατο.

Ὅταν τοίνυν ἀκούσῃς αὐτὸν παιδίον, ἀναλάμβανε ἐκείνην τὴν προφητείαν Ἡσαΐου, ἣν ἔλεγεν· Παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐγεννήθη ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ· Θεὸς ἰσχυρὸς, ἄρχων εἰρήνης, πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος. Ὅταν ἀκούσῃς παιδίον, μὴ καταφρόνει τοῦ ὀνόματος, ἀλλὰ θαύμασον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, καὶ θαύμασον τῆς οἰκονομίας τὴν σωτηρίαν, ἵνα γένῃ ἄξιος ἀκούειν τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν λόγων, διὰ πίστεως παρακολουθῶν, διὰ καρτερίας γυμναζόμενος, δι' εὐλαβείας ἀγωνιζόμενος, δι' ἀγάπης τελειούμενος, διὰ πάντων ὁλόκληρος γινόμενος ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν· μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ καὶ προσκύνησις εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.