Commentarii in Lucam (Homilia 3 et 4) (In occursum domini [homilia diversa 12])

HOMILY 12.

On the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

77.1040 The assembly is indeed very large, and the listener is eager (for we see

the church is full); but the mystagogue is not rich 77.1041. Yet He who gives man mouth and tongue will again supply us with good thoughts. For He Himself somewhere says: Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. And since you have all come together eagerly, with the splendor of the Lord's feast gathering us for this purpose with bright lamps, let us celebrate brightly, and let us take up the contemplation of the things divinely fulfilled today, gathering for ourselves from all sides what is sure for faith and the love of God. We saw a short while ago the infant Emmanuel lying in a manger, and wrapped in swaddling clothes in a human way, but praised divinely by the host of holy angels; who announced His birth to the shepherds.

For God the Father has assigned, as a special honor, the first fruits of the proclamations concerning Him to those in heaven. And we have seen Him today yielding to the laws given through Moses, or rather, God the lawgiver, as a man, subject to his own decrees. And for what reason, the most wise Paul teaches, saying: When we were children, we were enslaved under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law. Therefore Christ has redeemed from the curse of the law those who were under the law, but who had not kept it. And how did He redeem them? By fulfilling it; and also in another way, that He might undo the charges of the transgression in Adam, presenting Himself on our behalf as obedient and compliant in all things to God the Father. For it is written that, just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. He therefore submitted His neck to the law with us, and did this according to the economy; for it was fitting for Him to fulfill all righteousness. For since He took the form of a servant, for this reason, He acted as one under the yoke on account of his human nature, and He also once paid the didrachma to the tax collectors, although being by nature free and exempt, as the Son. When, therefore, you see Him keeping the law, do not be scandalized, nor demote the free man among the servants; but rather consider the depth of the economy. So then, on the eighth day, on which it was customary for the circumcision in the flesh to be performed according to what was pleasing to the law, He receives the name, that is, Jesus.

And this is interpreted as Salvation of the people. For so God the Father willed His own Son, born of a woman according to the flesh, to be named; He then became especially the salvation of the people, and not of one only, but of many, or rather of every nation and of all that is under heaven. At the same time, therefore, the 77.1044 matter of circumcision was performed, and He received the name. And what is the riddle, or of what mysteries will this that is performed be indicative to us, come now, let us look again by investigating. The blessed Paul said: Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing. But it is likely that some will say to this: Did the God of all therefore command through the all-wise Moses that nothing be observed, and threatening punishment to transgressors

Commentarii in Lucam (Homilia 3 et 4) (In occursum domini [homilia diversa 12])

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΒʹ.

Εἰς τὴν ὑπαντὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

77.1040 Πολλὴ μὲν λίαν ἡ σύνοδος, καὶ πρόθυμος ὁ ἀκροατὴς (πλήρη γὰρ

ὁρῶμεν τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν)· οὐ πλού 77.1041 σιος δὲ ὁ μυσταγωγός. Πλὴν ὁ διδοὺς ἀνθρώπῳ στόμα τε καὶ γλῶσσαν, χορηγήσει πάλιν ἡμῖν ἐννοίας ἀγαθάς. Αὐτὸς γὰρ πού φησιν· Πλάτυνον τὸ στόμα σου, καὶ πληρώσω αὐτό. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ πάντες προθύμως συνήλθετε, τῆς φαιδρότητος τῆς ∆εσποτικῆς ἑορτῆς εἰς τοῦτο συναθροισάσης μετὰ φαιδρῶν τῶν λαμπάδων, φαιδρῶς πανηγυρίσωμεν, καὶ τῆς θεωρίας ἁψώμεθα τῶν τήμερον θεοπρεπῶς πληρωθέντων, πανταχόθεν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ βέβαιον εἰς πίστιν καὶ φιλοθεΐαν συλλέγοντες. Ἴδομεν προβραχέως βρέφος ἐν φάτνῃ κείμενον τὸν Ἐμμανουὴλ, καὶ ἀνθρωπίνως μὲν ἐσπαργανωμένον, ὑμνούμενον δὲ θεϊκῶς παρὰ τῆς τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων στρατειᾶς· οἱ δὲ τὸν τόκον αὐτοῦ τοῖς ποιμέσιν εὐηγγελίζοντο.

Ἐκνενέμηκε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ, ὡς γέρας ἐξαίρετον, τῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ κηρυγμάτων τὰς ἀπαρχὰς τοῖς ἐν οὐρανῷ. Ἴδομεν δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ τήμερον τοῖς διὰ Μωσέως εἴκοντα νόμοις, μᾶλλον δὲ τὸν νομοθέτην Θεὸν, ὡς ἄνθρωπον, τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ θεσπίσμασιν ὑποκείμενον. Καὶ διὰ ποίαν αἰτίαν, διδάσκει λέγων ὁ σοφώτατος Παῦλος· Ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι, ὑπὸ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου ἦμεν δεδουλωμένοι. Ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ γεννώμενον ἐκ γυναικὸς, γεννώμενον ὑπὸ νόμον ἵνα τοὺς ὑπὸ νόμον ἐξαγοράσῃ. Οὐκοῦν τῆς τοῦ νόμου κατάρας ἐξεπρίατο Χριστὸς τοὺς ὄντας μὲν ὑπὸ νόμον, οὐ μὴν ἔτι καὶ τετηρηκότας αὐτόν. Ἐξεπρίατο δὲ, πῶς; Πληρώσας αὐτόν· καὶ καθ' ἔτερον δὲ τρόπον, ἵνα λύσῃ τῆς ἐν Ἀδὰμ παραβάσεως τὰ ἐγκλήματα, εὐπειθῆ καὶ εὐήνιον πρὸς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν αὑτὸν παραστήσας ὑπὲρ ἠμῶν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρί. Γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι, ὥσπερ διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου ἁμαρτωλοὶ κατεστάθησαν οἱ πολλοὶ, οὕτω καὶ διὰ τῆς ὑπακοῆς τοῦ ἑνὸς δίκαιοι κατασταθήσονται οἱ πολλοί. Ὑφῆκε τοίνυν τῷ νόμῳ μεθ' ἡμῶν τὸν αὐχένα, καὶ τοῦτο πράττων οἰκονομικῶς· ἔπρεπε γὰρ αὐτῷ πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὅλως ἔλαβε δούλου μορφὴν, ταύτης ἕνεκα τῆς αἰτίας, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ὑπὸ ζυγὰ τελέσας διὰ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, συντετέλεκέ ποτε καὶ τοῖς δασμολογοῦσι τὰ δίδραχμα, καίτοι κατὰ φύσιν ἐλεύθερος ὢν καὶ συντελὴς, ὡς Υἱός. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς τηροῦντα τὸν νόμον, μὴ σκανδαλισθῇς, μήτε μὴν ἐν οἰκέταις καταγάγῃς τὸν ἐλεύθερον· ἐννόει δὲ μᾶλλον τῆς οἰκονομίας τὸ βάθος. Ἐνστάσης δὴ οὖν τῆς ὀγδόης, ἐν ᾗ σύνηθες τὴν ἐν σαρκὶ τελεῖσθαι περιτομὴν κατά γε τὸ δοκοῦν τῷ νόμῳ, δέχεται τὸ ὄνομα, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὸ, Ἰησούς.

Ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ τοῦτο Σωτηρία λαοῦ. Οὕτω γὰρ ἠθέλησεν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ ὀνομάζεσθαι τὸν ἴδιον Υἱὸν, γεννηθέντα κατὰ σάρκα ἐκ γυναικός· γέγονε τότε δὴ μάλιστα σωτηρία λαοῦ, καὶ οὐχ ἑνὸς μόνου, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ παντὸς ἔθνους καὶ ἀπάσης τῆς ὑπ' οὐρανόν. Ἐν ταυτῷ τοιγαροῦν τὸ 77.1044 τῆς περιτομῆς ἐτελεῖτο χρῆμα, καὶ τὴν κλῆσιν ἐδέχετο. Καὶ τί τὸ αἴνιγμα, ἢ ποίων μυστηρίων ἡμῖν ἔσται δεικτικὸν τὸ τελούμενον, φέρε δὴ πάλιν ἴδωμεν ἐρευνήσαντες. Ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Παῦλος· Ἡ περιτομὴ οὐδέν ἐστιν, καὶ ἡ ἀκροβυστία οὐδέν ἐστιν. Ἀλλ' ἔστιν εἰκὸς πρὸς τοῦτό τινας εἰπεῖν· Ἆρ' οὖν τὸ μηδὲν τηρεῖσθαι προστέταχε διὰ τοῦ πανσόφου Μωσέως ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς, καὶ κόλασιν ἐπαρτήσας τοῖς παραβαίνουσιν