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that you become known to the master through repentance, and make the angels who have never rejoiced over you now rejoice because of your return to the master; make gladness in heaven, and secure yourself, no longer being found in the same things; since you will be considered just as "a dog returning to its own vomit," so that you may not also hear the apostle Peter crying out: "For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back again from the holy commandment delivered unto them." Having received, therefore, the forgiveness of your failings and the bright garment of self-control, enjoy the delights of paradise, marveling at the loving-kindness of God, that in such a stench of deeds and obscurity of soul you entered here, and how fragrant and bright you have become through repentance, and having received the forgiveness of sins, you depart. Wherefore I exhort and beseech and implore you not to defile the wedding garment, but much more to make it bright through repentance. But let us return to the subject at hand. For what does the righteous Simeon say to the immaculate virgin? "And a sword shall pierce through your own soul also." What then does he say the sword is, if not certainly the assaults of the enemy? And where, he says, did the virgin receive the sword? When she stood by the cross. And how then did she receive it? How? I say: the 74 blessed virgin, therefore, considering her own incorruptible offspring and the healings of his signs, and the ineffable mysteries of his teaching, knew him to be truly God; but seeing him later hanging on the wood of the cross, then she received the sword in her soul, as Simeon says: "And a sword shall pierce through your own soul also." He did not say "remain," but "pass through." Since, therefore, a little later she saw the veil being torn, the rocks being split, the dead being raised, she immediately cast off the dart and understood the mystery of the economy. See then, it passed through, and did not remain. Let us all, therefore, run to the holy virgin and Theotokos, let us receive the benefit; as many of you who are virgins, now devote yourselves to the mother of the Lord. For she is the procurer for you of this good and incorruptible possession. For truly great is the wonder of the virgin; for what greater among existing things will ever be found? For she alone appeared wider than the earth and the heaven; for who has become holier than her? not forefathers, not prophets, not apostles, not martyrs, not patriarchs, not fathers, not angels, not thrones, not dominions, not the Seraphim, not the Cherubim, nor anything else of both visible and invisible creations is found greater than her. She is a handmaid and Theotokos, she is a virgin and a mother. And let no one doubt, saying: how a handmaid and Theotokos? or how a virgin and a mother? accept it by faith, O man, and do not doubt with those who reason, do not doubt those things approved by the fathers, but fear, and believe without questioning. Rather, therefore, believe, and do not be overly curious. If you believe according as you understand, look to your own peril. But if you believe in the proclamation of the word, you will no longer make a defense, but the one presiding. Believe, therefore, the things said by us concerning the virgin, and do not doubt to confess her as both handmaid and Theotokos and virgin and mother; for she is a handmaid, as a creature of the one born from her; and she is Theotokos inasmuch as she bore God incarnate from her; and a virgin, because she knew not a man's bed of seed; a mother, inasmuch as 76 she bore and became mother of the one begotten before all ages from the Father. She, therefore, is the mother of the master of angels and of men; from her was incarnate the son of God, who condescended to be crucified in the flesh. And do you want to know how much the virgin is superior to the heavenly powers? pay attention: for they, flying about in fear and trembling, cover their faces, but she offers the race of men to him and through her the

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τὸν δεσπότην τὸν γνώριμόν σε γενέσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν διὰ μετανοίας, καὶ τοὺς μηδέποτε χαροποιηθέντας ἀγγέλους ἐπὶ σοὶ νῦν διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην ἐπανόδου χαροποίησον· εὐφροσύνην ποίησον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἀσφάλισαι σεαυτόν, μηκέτι τοῖς αὐτοῖς εὑρισκόμενος· ἐπεὶ σὺ λογισθήσῃ καθάπερ "κύων ἐπιστρέφων ἐπὶ τὸν ἴδιον ἔμετον", ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσῃς καὶ σὺ τοῦ ἀποστόλου Πέτρου βοῶντος· "Κρεῖσσον γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῖς μὴ ἐπεγνωκέναι τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἢ ἐπιγνόντας εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω ἐπανακάμψαι πάλιν ἐκ τῆς παραδοθείσης αὐτοῖς ἁγίας ἐντολῆς". Λαβὼν οὖν τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν πταισμάτων καὶ τὴν λαμπρὰν ἐσθῆτα τῆς σωφροσύνης, καρπίζον τὰς τοῦ παραδείσου τρυφάς, θαυμάζων τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν, ὅτι ἐν ποίᾳ δυσωδίᾳ τῶν ἔργων καὶ ἀμαυρότητι ψυχῆς εἰσῆλθες ἐνταῦθα, καὶ πῶς εὐώδης καὶ λαμπρὸς κατέστης διὰ τῆς μετανοίας καὶ τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν λαβὼν ἐξέρχῃ. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ καὶ δέομαι καὶ ἀντιβολῶ μὴ ῥυπῶσαι τὴν στολὴν τὴν νυμφικήν, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ μᾶλλον διὰ τῆς μετανοίας λαμπρῦναι αὐτήν. Εἰς δὲ τὸ προκείμενον ἐπανέλθωμεν. Τί γάρ φησιν ὁ δίκαιος Συμεὼν πρὸς τὴν ἄχραντον παρθένον; "Καὶ σοῦ δὲ αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν διελεύσεται ῥομφαία". Τίνα ἄρα λέγει εἶναι τὴν ῥομφαίαν ἢ πάντως τὰς προσβολὰς τοῦ ἐχθροῦ; Καὶ ποῦ, φησίν, ἡ παρθένος ἐδέξατο ῥομφαίαν; ὅτε ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ παρειστήκει. Καὶ πῶς ἄρα ταύτην ἐδέξατο; πῶς; ἐγὼ λέγω· ἐννοήσασα τοιγαροῦν ἡ 74 μακαρία παρθένος τὸ ἑαυτῆς ἄφθαρτον κύημα καὶ τῶν σημείων αὐτοῦ τὰς ἰάσεις, καὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα μυστήρια, ἔγνω αὐτὸν ἀληθῶς εἶναι Θεόν· ἰδούσα δὲ αὐτὸν ὕστερον κρεμάμενον ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ σταυροῦ, τότε ἐδέξατο τὴν ῥομφαίαν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, καθώς φησιν ὁ Συμεών· "Καὶ σοῦ δὲ αὐτῆς τὴν ψυχὴν διελεύσεται ῥομφαία". Οὐκ εἶπεν "ἐμμείνῃ" ἀλλὰ "διελεύσεται". Ἐπεὶ οὖν μετὰ μικρὸν ὕστερον εἶδε τὸ καταπέτασμα σχιζόμενον, τὰς πέτρας ῥηγνυμένας, τοὺς νεκροὺς ἐγειρομένους, ἀποβαλοῦσα εὐθέως τὸ βέλος ἔγνω τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον. Ἴδε οὖν διῆλθε, καὶ οὐ διέμεινε. Προσδραμόντες οὖν ἅπαντες πρὸς τὴν ἁγίαν παρθένον καὶ θεοτόκον, τὸ κέρδος ληψώμεθα· ὅσοι παρθένοι νῦν τῇ μητρὶ τοῦ Κυρίου σχολάσατε. Αὕτη γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐστὶ τοῦ καλοῦ τούτου καὶ ἀφθάρτου κτήματος πρόξενος. Μέγα γὰρ ὄντως τῆς παρθένου τὸ θαῦμα· τί γὰρ μεῖζον τῶν ὄντων εὑρεθήσεταί ποτε; τῆς γὰρ γῆς καὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πλατυτέρα αὕτη μόνη ἐφάνη· τίς γὰρ ταύτης ἁγιωτέρα γέγονεν; οὐ προπατόρες, οὐ προφῆται, οὐκ ἀπόστολοι, οὐ μάρτυρες, οὐ πατριάρχαι, οὐ πατέρες, οὐκ ἄγγελοι, οὐ θρόνοι, οὐ κυριότητες, οὐ τὰ Σεραφίμ, οὐ τὰ Χερουβίμ, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν τε ὁρατῶν καὶ ἀοράτων ἐν ποιήμασιν οὐ μεῖζον ταύτης εὑρίσκεται. ∆ούλη τυγχάνει καὶ θεοτόκος, παρθένος ἐστὶ καὶ μήτηρ. Καὶ μηδεὶς ἀμφιβάλλῃ λέγων· πῶς δούλη καὶ θεοτόκος; ἢ πῶς παρθένος καὶ μήτηρ; πίστει δέξαι, ἄνθρωπε, καὶ μὴ ἀμφίβαλλε τοῖς λογιζομένοις, μὴ ἀμφίβαλλε τοῖς παρὰ τῶν πατέρων δεδοκιμασμένοις, ἀλλὰ φοβοῦ, καὶ ἀνεξετάστως πίστευσον. Μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν πίστευε, καὶ μὴ πολυπραγμόνει. Εἰ μὲν ὡς σὺ νοήσεις πιστεύσεις, βλέπε τῷ κινδύνῳ σου. Εἰ δὲ τῇ κηρύγματι τοῦ λόγου πιστεύσεις, οὐκέτι σὺ ἀπολογῇ, ἀλλ' ὁ προεστώς. Πίστευσον τοίνυν τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν περὶ τῆς παρθένου λεγόμενα, καὶ μὴ ἀμφίβαλλε ὁμολογεῖν αὐτὴν καὶ δούλην καὶ θεοτόκον καὶ παρθένον καὶ μητέρα· δούλη γάρ ἐστιν, ὡς κτίσμα τοῦ ἐξ αὐτῆς γεννηθέντος· θεοτόκος δὲ τυγχάνει καθότι θεὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς σαρκωθέντα τέτοκε· παρθένος δέ, ὅτι κοίτην σπέρματος ἐξ ἀνδρὸς οὐκ ἔγνω· μήτηρ, καθότι 76 ἐγέννησε καὶ μήτηρ ἐγένετο τοῦ προανάρχως ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς γεννηθέντος. Αὕτη τοίνυν ἐστὶν ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ δεσπότου τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ἐκ ταύτης ἐσαρκώθη ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ὁ σαρκὶ σταυρωθῆναι καταδεξάμενος. Καὶ θέλεις εἰδέναι ὅσον ἡ παρθένος. τῶν οὐρανίων δυνάμεων κρείττων ἐστί; πρόσεχε· ἐκεῖνα μὲν φόβῳ καὶ τρόμῳ περιιπτάμενα τὴν ὄψιν κατακαλύπτει, αὕτη δὲ τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος αὐτῷ προσφέρει καὶ δι' αὐτῆς τὴν