On the Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary

Of our Father among the saints Gregory, Bishop of Neocaesarea in Pontus, the Wonderworker, on the Annunciation of the most holy

Theotokos, the Virgin Mary, first discourse.

Today hymns are made bright by the angelic host, and the light of the presence of Christ shines upon the faithful. Today the joyful spring for us, Christ the sun of righteousness, has shone around us with bright light, and has enlightened the minds of the faithful. Today Adam has been renewed [alt. has been recalled], and dances with angels, flying up to heaven. Today the whole earth of the inhabited world has put on joy, because the coming of the Holy Spirit has happened to men. Today the divine grace, the hope of things unseen, shines through the wonders beyond thought, manifestly showing to us the mystery hidden from the ages 10.1148. Today crowns of ever-flowing virtue are woven. Today God, wishing to crown the holy heads of those who love to hear and love feasts, has called the lovers of the unswerving faith as chosen and heirs; and the kingdom above hastens to call those of heavenly mind, to join in the divine liturgy of the bodiless choirs. Today the saying of David has been fulfilled, which says: Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice. The fields will be joyful [alt. will be joyful], and all the trees of the forest from [alt. before] the face of the Lord, for he comes. And David indeed spoke of trees, but the forerunner of the Lord called them trees bearing fruit worthy of repentance, or rather, of the coming of the Lord. But our Lord Jesus Christ has promised everlasting joy to all who believe in him. For he says: I will see you, and you will rejoice; and your joy no one takes from you. Today the renowned and ineffable mystery of the Christians who have willingly [alt. piously] sealed their hope in Christ is manifestly proclaimed to us. Today Gabriel, who stands before God, comes to the pure Virgin, announcing to her, "Hail, full of grace." And she considered what manner of greeting this might be; but the angel immediately added, saying: The Lord is with you, do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God; therefore [alt. behold] you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son; and they will call [alt. you will call] his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of David his father, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How will this be for me, since I do not know a man? Do I then remain still a virgin? Is the dignity of virginity not betrayed? As the holy Virgin was pondering these things, the angel briefly set forth the summary of the matter, saying: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy thing born of you, will be called the Son of God. For what he is, that he will certainly also be called. Fittingly, therefore, grace has chosen the holy Mary alone out of all generations. For she was truly wise in all things; none like [alt. like] her from all generations has ever been. Not like the former [alt. first] virgin Eve dancing alone in paradise, with a vain mind, she uncritically received the word from the author-of-evil serpent, and thus the thought of her mind [alt. by the thought of her heart] was corrupted; and through her the crafty one, having poured out the venom, and having mixed in death, brought it into all the world; and because of this all [alt. every] the toil of the saints came to be; but in her alone

In annuntiationem sanctae virginis Mariae

Τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις Πατρὸς ἠμῶν Γρηγορίου ἐπισκόπου Νεοκαισαρείας Πόντου, τοῦ Θαυματουργοῦ, εἰς τὸν Εὐαγγελισμὸν τῆς ὑπεραγίας

θεοτόκου Παρθένου τῆς Μαρίας, λόγος πρῶτος.

Σήμερον ἀγγελικῇ παρατάξει ὑμνῳδίαι φαιδρύνον ται, καὶ τὸ φέγγος τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας τοῖς πιστοῖς καταλάμπεται. Σήμερον τὸ ἱλαρὸν ἡμῖν ἔαρ, Χριστὸς ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος φαιδρῷ τῷ φωτὶ ἡμᾶς περιέλαμψε, καὶ τὰς τῶν πιστῶν ἐννοίας ἐφώτισε. Σήμερον ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἀνακεκαίνισται [ἄλ. ἀνακέκληται], καὶ χορεύει μετ' ἀγγέλων εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀνιπτάμενος. Σήμερον σύμπασα τῆς οἰκουμένης γαῖα χαρὰν περιεβάλετο, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐπιφοίτησις εἰς ἀνθρώπους γέγονε. Σήμερον ἡ θεία χάρις, τῶν ἀοράτων ἡ ἐλπὶς διαλάμπει τὰ ὑπὲρ ἔννοιαν θαύματα, τὸ ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἀποκεκρυμμένον 10.1148 μυστήριον ἐμφανῶς ἡμῖν κατοπτεύουσα. Σήμερον ἀρετῆς ἀεννάου στέμματα πλέκονται. Σήμερον τὰς ἱερὰς τῶν φιληκόων καὶ φιλεορτῶν κεφαλὰς κατα στέψαι βουλόμενος ὁ Θεὸς, τοὺς ἐραστὰς τῆς ἀκλινοῦς πίστεως, ὡς κλητοὺς καὶ κληρονόμους κέκληκεν· καὶ ἡ ἄνω βασιλεία σπουδάζει καλοῦσα τοὺς οὐρανό φρονας, συνάψαι τῇ θείᾳ λειτουργίᾳ τῶν ἀσωμάτων χορῶν. Σήμερον τὸ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ πεπλήρωται λόγιον, τὸ λέγον· Εὐφραινέσθωσαν οἱ οὐρανοὶ, καὶ ἀγαλ λιάσθω ἡ γῆ. Χαρήσονται [ἄλ. χαρήσεται] τὰ πεδία, καὶ πάντα τὰ ξύλα τοῦ δρυμοῦ ἀπὸ [ἄλ. πρὸ] προσώπου τοῦ Κυρίου, ὅτι ἔρχεται. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ∆αβὶδ ξύλα ἔλεγεν, ὁ δὲ τοῦ Κυρίου πρόδρομος, δένδρα ποιοῦντα καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας, μᾶλλον δὲ τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου παρουσίας ἐκάλεσεν. Ὁ δὲ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τὴν χαρὰν τὴν ἀένναον πᾶσι τοῖς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύουσιν ἐπηγγείλατο. Φησὶ γάρ· Ὄψομαι ὑμᾶς, καὶ χαρήσεσθε· καὶ τὴν χαρὰν ὑμῶν οὐδεὶς αἴρει ἀφ' ὑμῶν. Σήμερον τὸ περιβόητον, καὶ ἄφραστον μυστήριον τῶν τὴν ἐλπίδα εἰς Χριστὸν ἐκουσίως [ἄλ. ὁσίως] ἐπεσφραγισμένων Χριστιανῶν ἐμφανῶς ἡμῖν καταγγέλλεται. Σήμερον Γαβριὴλ, ὁ τῷ Θεῷ παριστάμενος, πρὸς τὴν Παρ θένον ἁγνὴν παραγίνεται, τὸ, Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη, αὐτῇ εὐαγγελιζόμενος. Ἡ δὲ διελογίζετο, ποταπὸς εἴη ὁ ἀσπασμὸς οὗτος· ὁ δὲ ἄγγελος εὐθέως ὑπήγαγεν λέγων· Ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ, μὴ φοβοῦ, Μαριάμ· εὗρες γὰρ χάριν παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ· διὸ [ἄλ. ἰδοὺ] συλλήψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ, καὶ τέξῃ υἱόν· καὶ καλέσουσι [ἄλ. καλέσεις] τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. Οὗτος ἔσται μέγας, καὶ Υἱὸς Ὑψίστου κληθήσεται. Καὶ δώσει αὐτῷ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὸν θρόνον ∆αβὶδ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσει ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον Ἰακὼβ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται τέλος. Εἶπεν δὲ Μαριὰμ πρὸς τὸν ἄγ γελον· Πῶς ἔσται μοι τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γι νώσκω; ἆρα μένω ἔτι παρθένος; ἆρα μὴ τῆς παρ θενίας ἡ ἀξία προδίδοται; Ταῦτα διαποροῦσαν τὴν ἁγίαν Παρθένον, συντόμως ὁ ἄγγελος προφέρει τοῦ λόγου τὸ κεφάλαιον, λέγων· Πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐπελεύ σεται ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ δύναμις Ὑψίστου ἐπισκιάσει. σοι. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἐκ σοῦ ἅγιον, κληθή σεται Υἱὸς Θεοῦ. Ὃ γάρ ἐστι, τοῦτο καὶ πάντως κληθήσεται. Πρεπόντως ἄρα τὴν ἁγίαν Μαριὰμ ἐκ πασῶν γενεῶν μόνην ἡ χάρις ἐκλέλεκται. Σοφὴ γὰρ ὄντως κατὰ πάντα ἐτύγχανεν· οὐκ ὁμοία [ἄλ. ὅμοιος] αὐτῇ ἐκ πασῶν γενεῶν τις γέγονεν πώποτε. Οὐχ ὡς ἡ πρώην [ἄλ. πρώτη] παρθένος Εὔα μόνη ἐν παρα δείσῳ χορεύουσα, χαύνῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἀπεριέργως παρὰ τοῦ ἀρχεκάκου ὄφεως τὸν λόγον ἐδέξατο, καὶ οὕτως ἐφθάρη τὸ τῆς διανοίας φρόνημα [ἄλ. τῷ τῆς καρδίας φρονήματι]· καὶ δι' αὐτῆς ὁ δόλιος τὸν ἰὸν ἐκχέας, καὶ τὸν θάνατον συγκεράσας, εἰς πάντα τὸν κόσμον εἰσήγαγεν· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πᾶς [ἄλ. ἅπας] ὁ μόχθος τῶν ἁγίων ἐγένετο· ἀλλ' ἐν μόνῃ