The birds of the sky flying in the air rest in it. Likewise also is the life of souls, and the air of those having the wings of the spirit is above in the heights of the Godhead, for from there they were born. 52.7 And just as a charioteer holding the reins drives and leads the animals as he knows and as he wills, so also the Lord in the highest drives and governs the creatures in heaven and on earth as he himself knows; for he is in the heavens seated at the right hand of the majesty, and he is the one who administers the things on earth and is with and dwells with all the saints; he is above, and he is below; he is God, and he is man; he is the living one, and he is the one who died; he is the Lord of all, and he is the servant of all; he is the lamb, and he is the sacrifice; he is the calf that was sacrificed, and he is the high priest who sacrifices; he is the one who suffered, and he is the impassible one; he is the bridegroom, and he is the bride. he is the bridal chamber, and he is the bridal bed; he is paradise, and he is the tree of life; he is the city Jerusalem, and he is the temple and the holy of holies; he is the sea, and he is the inhabited world; he is the food of souls, and he is the one who is fed by their salvation; he is the living bread, and he is the water of life; he is the true vine, and he is the wine of gladness; he is the pearl, and he is the treasure; he is the dragnet, and he is the warrior; he is the weapon, and he is the one who conquers; he is the circumcision, and he is the sabbath and the law; he is the head of the church of the saints, and he is the grain of mustard seed; he is the vineyard, and he is the plough; he is grace, and he is faith; he is the wedding, and he is the wedding garment; he is the way, and he is the door; he is the sun of righteousness, and he is the light of souls; he is life, and he is the kingdom; he is the beginning and he is the end; he is beyond all things, and he is the one who becomes all things in all. This holy and divine offspring was born to us on this day, the salvation and life of our souls; glory to his majesty; glory to his love for mankind; glory to his incomparable providence for our race. Let us therefore also entreat and believe to receive him, so that we too, having found him, may enjoy him, so many good things coming to be in us by the will of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, unto the ages; amen. 53. HOMILY 53 53.1 The one who wishes to be pleasing to God and to be deemed worthy to become a son of God, before all things must grasp long-suffering and give thanks in the various afflictions that befall, in straits and necessities; I mean of sicknesses and passions, or spiritual afflictions brought on by the spirits of wickedness, or bodily damages, dishonors and insults brought on by men; all of which happen to be hindrances, to alienate from the kingdom and not to allow the soul to draw near to God. In all these things that befall, therefore, the one who wishes to be well-pleasing to Christ ought to rejoice, be glad and exult, and burn with impulse toward God, and hasten to him in purpose, and when he is most hindered in such things, to be at rest and courageously leap over every affliction with love for the Lord; but if he is not so disposed nor thus

τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἱπτάμενα ἐν τῷ ἀέρι εἰς αὐτὸν ἀναπαύονται. ὁμοίως καὶ ἡ τῶν ψυχῶν διαγωγή, καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ τῶν ἐχόντων τὰς τοῦ πνεύματος πτέρυγας ἐπάνω ἐστὶν εἰς τὰ ὕψη τῆς θεότητος, ἐκεῖθεν γὰρ ἐγεννήθησαν. 52.7 ὥσπερ δὲ ἡνίοχος κατέχων τὰ λῶρα ἡνιοχεῖ καὶ ἄγει τὰ ζῷα ὡς οἶδε καὶ ὡς βούλεται, οὕτως καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις ἡνιοχεῖ καὶ κυβερνᾷ τὰ κτίσματα ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ὡς αὐτὸς ἐπίσταται· αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκ δεξιῶν τῆς μεγαλωσύνης καθεζόμενος, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διοικῶν καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἁγίοις συνὼν καὶ συνοι κῶν· αὐτός ἐστιν ἄνω, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι κάτω· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ θεός, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ζῶν, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀποθανών· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ τῶν πάντων Κύριος, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ τῶν πάντων δοῦλος· αὐτός ἐστι τὸ ἀρνίον, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ θυσία· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ μόσχος ὁ τυθείς, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ θύων ἀρχιερεύς· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ παθών, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀπαθής· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ νυμφίος, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ νύμφη. αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ νυμφών, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ παστός· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ παρά δεισος, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς· αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ πόλις Ἱερουσα λήμ, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ναὸς καὶ τὰ ἅγια τῶν ἁγίων· αὐτός ἐστι τὸ πέλαγος, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ οἰκουμένη· αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ τροφὴ τῶν ψυχῶν, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τούτων τρεφόμενος· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς ζωῆς· αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀλη θινή, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ οἶνος τῆς εὐφροσύνης· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ μαργαρίτης, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ θησαυρός· αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ σαγήνη, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ πολεμιστής· αὐτός ἐστι τὸ ὅπλον, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ νικῶν· αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ περιτομή, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι τὸ σάββατον καὶ ὁ νόμος· αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ σινάπεως κόκκος· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀμπελών, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν τὸ ἄροτρον· αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ χάρις, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ πίστις· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ γάμος, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι τὸ ἔνδυμα τοῦ γάμου· αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ ὁδός, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ θύρα· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ ἥλιος τῆς δικαιοσύνης, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι τὸ φῶς τῶν ψυχῶν· αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ ζωή, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία· αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ αὐτός ἐστι τὸ τέλος· αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ πάντων ἐπέκεινα, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι γινόμενος. τοῦτο τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ θεῖον γέννημα ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ, ἡ σωτηρία καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν· δόξα τῇ μεγαλειότητι αὐτοῦ· δόξα τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ· δόξα τῇ ἀνεικάστῳ προνοίᾳ αὐτοῦ περὶ τὸ γένος ἡμῶν. παρακαλέσωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ πιστεύ σωμεν δέξασθαι αὐτόν, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς εὑρόντες αὐτὸν ἀπολαύσωμεν αὐτοῦ, τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν γινομένων ἐν ἡμῖν βουλήσει πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν. 53.τ ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΝΓ 53.1 ὁ βουλόμενος θεῷ εὐαρεστῆσαι καὶ υἱὸς θεοῦ γενέσθαι καταξιωθῆναι πρὸ πάντων τῆς μακροθυμίας δραξάμενος ὀφείλει εὐχαριστεῖν ἐν ταῖς ἀπαντώσαις θλίψεσι διαφόροις, στενοχωρίαις τε καὶ ἀνάγκαις· λέγω δὴ νοσημάτων καὶ παθῶν, ἤτοι πνευματικῶν θλίψεων τῶν ἐπαγομένων ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς πονηρίας πνευμάτων, ἤτοι ζημιῶν σωματικῶν ἀδοξιῶν τε καὶ ὕβρεων ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἐπαγομένων· ἅπερ πάντα ἐμπόδια τυγχάνει, τοῦ τῆς βασιλείας ἀλλοτριῶσαι καὶ μὴ προσεγγίσαι τὴν ψυχὴν τῷ θεῷ. ἐν τούτοις τοίνυν πᾶσι τοῖς ἀπαντῶσιν ὁ βουλόμενος εὐδοκιμῆσαι παρὰ Χριστῷ ὀφείλει χαίρειν, ἥδεσθαι καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶν, καὶ τῇ πρὸς θεὸν ὁρμῇ ζέειν, καὶ τῇ προαιρέσει πρὸς αὐτὸν σπεύδειν, καὶ ὅτε μᾶλλον ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐμποδισθῇ, ἀναπαύεσθαι καὶ γενναίως ὑπερπηδᾶν πᾶσαν θλίψιν τῇ πρὸς Κύριον ἀγάπῃ· εἰ δὲ μὴ οὕτως διακεῖται μήτε οὕτως