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unto us, and a son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder.” My heart flourishes, and my mind wells up; but my tongue is short and my speech is dim, so as to declare so great a measure of joy. Conceive for me in a manner worthy of God the incarnation of the Lord. Conceive for me the Godhead as undefiled and unstained; even if it comes to be in a material nature. That which is subject to passion is corrected, it is not itself filled with passion. Do you not see this sun, when it is in the mire, is not defiled at all, and shines upon filthy things, and does not partake of their foul smell? On the contrary, indeed, whatever it continually interacts with, it dries up their corruptions.

Why then do you fear concerning the impassible and undefiled nature, lest it be stained by some spot from us? For this reason He was born, that you might be cleansed through what is kindred. For this reason He grows, that you might be made familiar through custom. O the depth of the goodness and love for mankind of God! Because of the excess of gifts we disbelieve the benefactor; because of the great love for mankind of the Master we grow rebellious toward our servitude. O this absurd and wicked ingratitude! Magi worship, and Christians dispute how God is in the flesh, and in what kind of flesh; and whether the one assumed was a perfect or imperfect man. Let superfluous things be silenced in the Church of God; let what is believed be glorified; let what is passed over in silence not be meddled with. Mingle yourself with those who with joy received the Lord from heaven. Consider shepherds being made wise, priests prophesying, women rejoicing, when Mary was taught to rejoice by Gabriel, when Elizabeth had John leaping in her very womb. Anna proclaimed the good news, Simeon took Him in his arms, worshipping the great God in a small infant; not despising what was seen, but glorifying the greatness of His divinity. For the divine power appeared through the human body, as light through membranes of glass, shining through to those who have the eyes of their heart cleansed; with whom may we also be found, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, that we ourselves also may be transformed from glory to glory by the grace and love for mankind of our 31.1476 Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

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ἡμῖν, καὶ υἱὸς ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ.» Θάλλει μου ἡ καρδία, καὶ πηγάζει μου ὁ νοῦς· ἀλλὰ βραχεῖα ἡ γλῶσσα καὶ ἀμυδρὸς ὁ λόγος, ὥστε τοσοῦτον χαρᾶς μέγεθος ἐξαγγεῖλαι. Νόει μοι θεοπρεπῶς τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἄχραντόν μοι νόει καὶ ἀῤῥύπωτον τὴν θεότητα· κἂν ἐν ὑλικῇ φύσει γένηται. Τὸ ἐμπα θὲς διορθοῦται, οὐκ αὐτὴ τοῦ πάθους ἐμπίπλα ται. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τουτονὶ τὸν ἥλιον καὶ ἐν βορβόρῳ γινόμενον, καὶ μηδὲν μολυνόμενον, καὶ ῥυπα ροῖς ἐπιλάμποντα, καὶ δυσωδίας μὴ ἀπολαύοντα; Τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν οἷς ἂν διαρκῶς ὁμιλήσῃ τὰς σηπεδόνας ἀναξηραίνει.

Τί οὖν φοβῇ περὶ τῆς ἀπαθοῦς καὶ ἀκηράτου φύσεως, μή τινα κηλίδα παρ' ἡμῶν ἀναμάξηται; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐτέχθη, ἵνα σὺ καθαρθῇς διὰ τοῦ συγγενοῦς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐξάνεται, ἵνα σὺ διὰ τῆς συνηθείας οἰκειωθῇς. Ὢ βάθος ἀγα θότητος καὶ φιλανθρωπίας Θεοῦ! ∆ι' ὑπερβολὴν δω ρεῶν ἀπιστοῦμεν τῷ εὐεργέτῃ· διὰ τὴν μεγάλην τοῦ ∆εσπότου φιλανθρωπίαν πρὸς τὴν δουλείαν ἀφηνιά ζομεν Ὢ τῆς ἀτόπου ταύτης καὶ πονηρᾶς ἀγνωμοσύ νης! Μάγοι προσκυνοῦσι, καὶ Χριστιανοὶ συζητοῦσι, πῶς ἐν σαρκὶ Θεὸς, καὶ ποταπῇ σαρκί· καὶ εἰ τέλειος ἄνθρωπος ἢ ἀτελὴς ὁ προσληφθείς. Σιγάσθω τὰ περιττὰ ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεοῦ· δοξαζέσθω τὰ πεπι στευμένα· μὴ περιεργαζέσθω τὰ σιωπώμενα. Ἐκείνοις σεαυτὸν ἀνάμιξον τοῖς μετὰ χαρᾶς ἐξ οὐρανῶν ὑποδεξαμένοις τὸν Κύριον. Ἐννόησον ποιμένας σο φιζομένους, ἱερεῖς προφητεύοντας, γυναῖκας εὐφραι νομένας, ὅτε Μαρία χαίρειν ἐδιδάσκετο παρὰ τοῦ Γαβριὴλ, ὅτε Ἐλισάβετ ἐπ' αὐτῶν εἶχε τῶν σπλάγχνων σκιρτῶντα τὸν Ἰωάννην. Ἄννα εὐηγγελίζετο, Συμεὼν ἐνηγκαλίζετο, ἐν μικρῷ βρέφει τὸν μέγαν Θεὸν προσκυνοῦντες· οὐ τοῦ ὁρωμένου κατα φρονοῦτες, ἀλλὰ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ τὴν μεγαλωσύ νην δοξολογοῦντες. Ἐφαίνετο γὰρ, ὥσπερ φῶς δι' ὑελίνων ὑμένων, διὰ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου σώματος ἡ θεία δύναμις, διαυγάζουσα τοῖς ἔχουσι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς καρδίας κεκαθαρμένους· μεθ' ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς εὑ ρεθείημεν ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν Κυ ρίου κατοπτριζόμενοι, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ μεταμορφωθῶ μεν ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ 31.1476 Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.