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being of the gates of righteousness. He says to enter not through them but into them; for one must not pass beyond the activities of the virtues, but must linger in them. And to those who have entered into the gates of righteousness and confessed in them, another, superior and more honorable gate is shown, the one related to the contemplation of truth, into which enter those who have accomplished righteousness, so that they are derivatively called righteous from it. 1080 Ps 117,21 Therefore I praise you for having opened for me the gates of righteousness, and I give thanks that you have heard me and received my prayer and provided salvation. 1081 Ps 117,24 While every day perceptible by the senses is brought about by the sun when it is above the earth, the day shown was established by the sun of righteousness, who is the Lord, which those who are illumined by the true light also show to one another, saying, This is the day made by the Lord; wherefore let us be glad and rejoice in it, walking honorably as in the day; for we are no longer of night and darkness, but we are sons of light and truth, having the faith of Abraham who rejoiced, that he might see the day of the Lord, and was glad at having seen it. 1082 Ps 117,25.26a He who has the understanding that all things are provided for by God asks of him both to be saved and to prosper; for God is of saving, and from him are a man’s steps directed. Wherefore also in the first psalm, the one called blessed is prospered in all that he does, using God as the guide of the way that leads to blessedness. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. And the Evangelists have taken this voice to be a prophecy concerning Christ; for he truly is the one who comes with authority and in the name of the Lord. 1083 Ps 117,26b.27a While all the men and angels before him had come as servants of the Lord, indeed each said, Thus says the Lord, and each of the angels says to the one to whom he comes, The Lord has sent me; but this one who comes in the name of the Lord is blessed. Wherefore each of those who foretold his coming says, We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. For from the house of the Lord, from the paternal bosom, is the one who comes. For it is immediately added: The Lord is God and has appeared to us. For his coming is not to change place but to appear, having previously not been seen. For being invisible, by being the image of the invisible God, he took the form of a servant and, becoming word made flesh, was seen, so that, having thus appeared, he might lead by the hand through this understanding to behold also his glory, Glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. Indeed, those who have completed this initiation say, Even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. And it is good also to say, He who comes, and not, He who has come; for he is always coming and visiting the race of men, even if not through the flesh; not moving nor changing place himself; for he is unchangeable and immutable and fills heaven and earth with his divine presence. But as we in our condition and disposition approach him or are removed from him, to some he comes, being found by them (For draw near to God, and he will draw near to you), while from others he is removed, not departing locally but, as I have said before, in condition; For God is far from the wicked. 1084 Ps 117,27bc Or also thus: those who are dense are those just bearing shoots and fruits. Being therefore in these new plantings, establish a feast extending up to the horns of the spiritual altar, from which one of the seraphim, having taken the coal with the tongs, is sent to the prophet to cleanse him and to take away his iniquities and his sins. But to whom is it commanded to establish a feast, if not to the teachers and priests? Perhaps you will also say to the angels. But a feast established according to God's instruction is to do what is necessary and to think the truth. And this holds a place especially among those who have shaken off the oldness in order to become

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τῶν πυλῶν τῆς δικαιοσύνης οντες. εἰσέρχεσθαι οὐ δι' αὐτῶν ἀλλ' εἰς αὐτάς φησιν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὑπερβατέον τὰς ἐνεργείας τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἀλλὰ προσδιατριπτέον αὐταῖς. εἰσελθοῦσι δὲ εἰς τὰς τῆς δικαιοσύνης πύλας καὶ ἐξομολογησαμένοις ἐν αὐταῖς ἑτέρα ὑπερέχουσα καὶ τιμιωτέρα δείκνυται πύλη ἡ κατὰ τὴν θεωρίαν τῆς ἀληθείας, εἰς ην εἰσέρχονται οἱ τὴν δικαιοσύνην κατορθώσαντες ωστε παρωνύμως ἀπ' αὐτῆς κληθῆναι δίκαιοι. 1080 Ps 117,21 ̔Υμνῶ σε τοιγαροῦν ἀνοίξαντά μοι τῆς δικαιοσύνης τὰς πύλας καὶ εὐχαριστῶ οτι εἰσήκουσάς μου καὶ προσεδέξω τὴν δέησιν καὶ παρέσχες τὴν σωτηρίαν. 1081 Ps 117,24 Πάσης τῆς κατ' αισθησιν ἡμέρας ὑπὸ ἡλίου γινομένης οταν ὑπὲρ γῆν γένηται, ἡ δεικνυμένη ἡμέρα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης οντος κυρίου κατεσκευάσθη, ην καὶ δεικνῦντες ἀλλήλοις οἱ τῷ ἀληθινῷ φωτὶ καταυγαζόμενοί φασιν Αυτη ἡ ἡμέρα ὑπὸ κυρίου γεναμένη ἐστίν· οθεν εὐφραινώμεθα καὶ ἀγαλλιώμεθα ἐν αὐτῇ ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ εὐσχημόνως περιπατοῦντες· οὐ γὰρ ετι νυκτὸς καὶ σκότους ἀλλ' υἱοὶ φωτὸς καὶ ἀληθείας ἐσμέν, εχοντες τὴν πίστιν ̓Αβραὰμ τοῦ ἀγαλλιασαμένου, ινα ιδῃ τὴν ἡμέραν κυρίου, καὶ χαρέντος ἐπὶ τῷ ἑωρακέναι αὐτήν. 1082 Ps 117,25.26a ̔Ο διάληψιν εχων περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ προνοεῖσθαι τῶν ολων παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ σωθῆναι καὶ τὸ εὐοδοῦσθαι ἀπαιτεῖ· θεὸς γὰρ τοῦ σῴζειν ἐστί, καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ κατευθύνεται τὰ διαβήματα ἀνδρί. οθεν καὶ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ ψαλμῷ ὁ μακαριζόμενος πάντα οσα αν ποιῇ κατευοδοῦται, θεῷ ἡγεμόνι χρώμενος τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς ἐπὶ μακαριότητα ἀγούσης. Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου. καὶ ταύτην τὴν φωνὴν οἱ Εὐαγγελισταὶ περὶ Χριστοῦ προφητείαν ειναι ἐξειλήφασιν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἐστιν ὁ αὐθεντικῶς καὶ ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου ἐρχόμενος. 1083 Ps 117,26b.27a Πάντων τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ ἀνδρῶν ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀγγέλων ἐληλυθότων ὡς κυρίου δούλων, ἀμέλει Τάδε λέγει κύριος εκαστος εφη, καὶ εκαστος τῶν ἀγγέλων φησὶν πρὸς ον ερχεται ̔Ο κύριος ἀπέστειλέ με· ἀλλ' ουτος ὁ ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου ἐρχόμενος εὐλογημένος ἐστίν. οθεν εκαστος τῶν προαγορευόντων αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν λέγει Εὐλογήκαμεν ὑμᾶς ἐξ οικου κυρίου. ἐξ οικου γὰρ κυρίου τῶν κόλπων τῶν πατρικῶν ἐστιν ὁ ἐρχόμενος. ̓Επιφέρεται γοῦν παραχρῆμα· Θεὸς κύριος καὶ ἐπέφανεν ἡμῖν. τὸ γὰρ ἐλθεῖν αὐτὸν οὐ τόπον ἐστὶν ἀμεῖψαι ἀλλ' ἐπιφανῆναι πρότερον οὐχ ὁρώμενον. ὑπάρχων γὰρ ἀόρατος τῷ ειναι εἰκὼν θεοῦ ἀοράτου, μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν καὶ γενόμενος λόγος σὰρξ ωφθη, ιν' ουτως φανεὶς χειραγωγήσῃ διὰ ταύτης τῆς κατανοήσεως εἰς τὸ καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ θεάσασθαι, ∆όξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας. λέγουσι γοῦν οἱ ταύτην τελέσαντες τὴν μύησιν Εἰ καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν κατὰ σάρκα Χριστόν, ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐκέτι γινώσκομεν. Ευ δὲ καὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν ̔Ο ἐρχόμενος, ἀλλ' οὐχ ̔Ο ἐλθών· ἀεὶ ερχεται καὶ ἐπιδημεῖ τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει, εἰ καὶ μὴ διὰ σαρκός· οὐ κινούμενος οὐ μεταβαίνων αὐτός· ατρεπτος γὰρ καὶ ἀναλλοίωτος καὶ πληρῶν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν θεϊκῇ παρουσίᾳ. ἡμῶν δὲ σχέσει καὶ διαθέσει ἐγγιζόντων αὐτῷ η μακρυνομένων αὐτοῦ, τοῖς μὲν ερχεται εὑρισκόμενος παρ' αὐτῶν ( ̓Εγγίσατε γὰρ θεῷ καὶ ἐγγιεῖ ὑμῖν), τῶν δὲ μακρύνεται οὐ τοπικῶς ἀποδημῶν ἀλλ' ὡς προείρηκα σχέσει· Μακρὰν γὰρ ἀπέχει ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ ἀσεβῶν. 1084 Ps 117,27bc Η καὶ ουτως· πυκάζοντές εἰσιν οἱ βλαστοὺς καὶ καρποὺς αρτι φέροντες. ἐν τούτοις ουν τυγχάνοντες νέα φυτὰ συστήσασθε ἑορτὴν παρατείνουσαν μέχρι τῶν κεράτων τοῦ πνευματικοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, ἀφ' ου τὸν ανθρακα λαβὼν τῇ λαβίδι τὸ ετερον τῶν σεραφὶμ ἀποστέλλεται πρὸς τὸν προφήτην ἐπὶ τῷ καθᾶραι αὐτὸν καὶ περιελεῖν τὰς ἀνομίας καὶ ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ. Τίσι δὲ προστάττεται συστῆναι ἑορτὴν η τοῖς διδασκάλοις καὶ ἱερεῦσι; τάχα δὲ καὶ ἀγγέλοις ἐρεῖς. ἑορτὴ δὲ συνισταμένη καθ' ὑφήγησιν θεοῦ τὸ πράττειν ἐστὶ τὰ δέοντα καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν φρονεῖν. αυτη δὲ μάλιστα χώραν ισχει ἐν τοῖς ἀποσεισαμένοις τὴν παλαιότητα ἐπὶ τῷ γενέσθαι