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In ascensionem Sermo 2

ON THE ASCENSION of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sermon 2.

52.793 Blessed is God. It is fitting today for us all to cry out that prophetic saying, and together to praise the Lord of us all, and to say: Who shall declare the mighty acts of the Lord, or make all his praises heard? For today our first-fruit has ascended to heaven, and he who took flesh from us has taken possession of the paternal throne, so that he might work reconciliation for the servants, and take away the ancient enmity, and grant the peace of the powers above to earthly men. For today our victories over the devil are shared, the prizes are shared, the rewards are shared, the crowns too are shared, and the glory is shared. Therefore let us all leap for joy, seeing our first-fruit seated above, and our nature occupying the throne at the right hand of God. For if the wondrous prophet blesses those who have seed from Zion, and kinsmen in Jerusalem, much more ought we to rejoice and exult, seeing our first-fruit ascended to the very summit of heaven, and having taken possession of the royal throne.

For consider, beloved, how great the goodness and ineffable economy of our God has been towards our race, which had fallen from paradise through the deceit of the devil, and was condemned to so great a curse, to what a height he has raised it all at once, and how we, who appeared unworthy of the earth, have today been brought up to heaven, and our nature, which before was considered unworthy even of paradise. For this nature has received the presidency of heaven, and that which had become the plaything of demons is today worshipped by angels and the powers above. O blessed envy! O good plot! O envy of good things, you who procure 52.794 countless goods for us, you have brought forth a law of immortality. For that wicked demon, having envied our nature when it had its way of life on earth, now sees it worshipped in heaven; and having stolen, as he thought, great and unimaginable things, now he sees us enjoying things greater and more splendid. Therefore, I leap and exult today, and I urge you to join with me in the dance. For we, who were not even worthy of the dominion below, have ascended to the highest kingdom, we have passed beyond the heavens, we have taken hold of the royal throne, and the nature for which the Cherubim guarded paradise is borne aloft, being worshipped. Be astounded, therefore, beloved, at the resourcefulness of your Master, and glorify him who has granted you such great things.

For the magnificence of the gift has surpassed the magnitude of the loss. For see, we had fallen from paradise, and have been brought up to heaven itself; we were condemned to death, and immortality has been bestowed upon us; we had offended and been cast out, and he deemed us worthy to be called sons, and not only sons, but also heirs, and not only heirs, but also fellow-heirs with Christ. See how the things given to us by the Lord are greater than those which were taken away. But when you hear that he went up and was taken up, do not suppose a local descent with regard to God; for the Godhead fills all things, and is present everywhere, and is nowhere absent, as overseer of all, and creator of all. But the body of our race, which he took upon himself and deigned to be seen on earth, like us in all things, this is our own which is being taken up. And for this reason let us all today cry out together that prophetic saying: God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet,

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In ascensionem Sermo 2

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΑΝΑΛΗΨΙΝ Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Λόγος βʹ.

52.793 Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεός. Εὔκαιρον σήμερον ἅπαντας ἡμᾶς ἀναβοῆσαι τὸ προφητικὸν ἐκεῖνο λόγιον, καὶ κοινῇ τὸν ἁπάντων ἡμῶν ∆εσπότην ἀνυμνῆσαι, καὶ λέγειν· Τίς λαλήσει τὰς δυναστείας τοῦ Κυρίου, ἀκουστὰς ποιήσει πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις αὐτοῦ; Σήμερον γὰρ ἡ ἀπαρχὴ ἡμετέρα εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀνελήλυθεν, καὶ ὁ τὴν ἐξ ἡμῶν σάρκα ἀναλαβὼν, τὸν θρόνον κατείληφε τὸν πατρικὸν, ἵνα καταλλαγὴν πρὸς τοὺς δούλους ἐργάζηται, καὶ τὴν παλαιὰν ἔχθραν ἀνέλῃ, καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων τοῖς ἐπιγείοις ἀνθρώποις χαρίζηται. Κοινὰ γὰρ ἡμῶν σήμερον κατὰ τοῦ διαβόλου τὰ νικητήρια, κοινὰ τὰ βραβεῖα, κοινὰ τὰ ἔπαθλα, κοινοὶ καὶ οἱ στέφανοι, κοινὴ καὶ ἡ δόξα. ∆ιὸ σκιρτήσωμεν ἅπαντες ὁρῶντες ἡμῶν τὴν ἀπαρχὴν ἄνω καθημένην, καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν φύσιν τὸν ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταλαμβάνουσαν θρόνον. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ θαυμάσιος προφήτης μακαρίζει τοὺς ἔχοντας σπέρμα ἐκ Σιὼν, καὶ οἰκείους ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς χαίρειν δεῖ, καὶ ἀγάλλεσθαι ὁρῶντας τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀπαρχὴν εἰς αὐτὴν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὴν κορυφὴν ἀνελθοῦσαν, καὶ τὸν θρόνον ἐπειλημμένην τὸν βασιλικόν.

Ἐννόει γὰρ, ἀγαπητὲ, ὅση τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἡ ἀγαθότης καὶ ἀπόῤῥητος οἰκονομία γέγονε περὶ τὸ γένος τὸ ἡμέτερον, τοῦ παραδείσου ἐκπεπτωκὸς διὰ τὴν ἀπάτην τοῦ διαβόλου, καὶ τοσαύτῃ ἀρᾷ καταδικασθὲν ἀθρόον εἰς ὅσον ὕψος ἀνήγαγεν, καὶ πῶς ἡμεῖς οἱ τῆς γῆς ἀνάξιοι φανέντες, τήμερον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνήχθημεν, καὶ ἡμετέρα φύσις ἡ καὶ τοῦ παραδείσου ἀναξία τὸ πρότερον νομισθεῖσα. Αὕτη γὰρ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὴν προεδρίαν ἀνείληφε, καὶ ἡ τῶν δαιμόνων γενομένη παίγνιον, σήμερον ὑπὸ ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων προσκυνεῖται. Ὢ μακαρίου φθόνου! ὢ καλῆς ἐπιβουλῆς! ὢ φθόνε καλῶν, πρόξενε 52.794 μυρίων ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν, θεσμὸν ἀπέτεκες ἀθανασίας. Φθονήσας γὰρ τῇ φύσει τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ ὁ πονηρὸς ἐκεῖνος δαίμων ἐπὶ γῆς τὴν διαγωγὴν ἐχούσῃ, νῦν ὁρᾷ ἐν οὐρανῷ προσκυνουμένην· καὶ παρακλέψας, ὡς ᾤετο, μεγάλα καὶ ἀνείκαστα, νῦν μειζόνων καὶ λαμπροτέρων ἡμᾶς ἀπολαύοντας ὁρᾷ. ∆ιὸ δὴ σκιρτῶ καὶ ἀγάλλομαι σήμερον, καὶ ὑμᾶς συνεφάψασθαί μοι τῆς χορείας παρακαλῶ. Οἱ γὰρ μήτε τῆς κάτω ἀρχῆς ὄντες ἄξιοι, πρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν ἀνέβημεν τὴν ἀνωτάτω, ὑπερέβημεν τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, ἐπελαβόμεθα τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ βασιλικοῦ, καὶ ἡ φύσις, δι' ἣν ἐφύλασσε τὸν παράδεισον τὰ Χερουβὶμ, ἐποχεῖται προσκυνουμένη. Ἐκπλάγηθι τοίνυν, ἀγαπητὲ, τοῦ ∆εσπότου σου τὸ εὐμήχανον, καὶ δόξασον τὸν τοσαῦτά σοι χαρισάμενον.

Ὑπερέβη γὰρ ἡ φιλοτιμία τῆς δωρεᾶς τῆς ζημίας τὸ μέγεθος. Ὅρα γὰρ, παραδείσου ἦμεν ἐκπεσόντες, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνήχθημεν· θανάτῳ κατεδικάσθημεν, καὶ ἡ ἀθανασία ἡμῖν δεδώρηται· προσκεκρουκότες ἦμεν καὶ ἀπεῤῥιμμένοι, καὶ υἱοὺς ἡμᾶς καλέσαι κατηξίωσεν, καὶ οὐχ υἱοὺς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κληρονόμους, καὶ οὐ κληρονόμους μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ συγκληρονόμους Χριστοῦ. Ἴδε πῶς μείζονα τῶν ἀφαιρεθέντων τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου δεδωρημένα ἡμῖν. Ἀλλ' ὅταν ἀκούσῃς, ὅτι ἀνῆλθε καὶ ἀνελήφθη, μὴ κατάβασιν τοπικὴν ἐπὶ Θεοῦ ὑπολάβοις· ἡ γὰρ Θεότης ἅπαντα πληροῖ, καὶ πανταχοῦ πάρεστιν, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ ἀπολιμπάνεται, ὡς πάντων ἔφορος, καὶ πάντων δημιουργός. Τὸ δὲ ὁμογενὲς ἡμῖν σῶμα, ὃ ἀναλαβὼν ὀφθῆναι κατηξίωσεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅμοιον ἡμῖν κατὰ πάντα, αὐτό ἐστι τὸ ἡμέτερον ἀναλαμβανόμενον. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κοινῇ πάντες σήμερον ἀναβοήσωμεν τὸ προφητικὸν ἐκεῖνο λόγιον· Ἀνέβη ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ, Κύριος ἐν φωνῇ σάλπιγγος,