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In ramos palmarum

On the Palm Branches.

59.703 1. Let us proceed from the Lord's miracles to miracles, brethren, and let us arrive, as from strength to strength. For just as in a golden chain joined together with interlocking links, one is held by another, and each of the joined links is connected to the next and passes it on; so also the miracles of the holy Gospels lead the festival-loving Church of God from one to another, and they gladden it not with the food that perishes, but with that which endures to eternal life. Come, therefore, today, let us also, beloved, with preparation of heart and attentive ears, hear what the Lord God will speak to us in both the prophets and the Gospels concerning this most divine feast.

And he will surely speak peace to his people, and to his holy ones, and to those who turn their hearts to him. Today prophetic trumpets have stirred the whole world, and have brightened and crowned the Churches of the Lord everywhere, and having received the faithful from the arena of the holy fasts and from the wrestling-ground against the passions, they have taught them to sing the hymn of victory and the new spectacle of peace to Christ the victor. Come, therefore, all of you, let us rejoice in the Lord; come, all you nations, let us clap our hands, and let us shout to God our Savior with a voice of exultation. Let no one be without a share in the joy, let no one fall short of the calling, because the seed of the disobedient has come to destruction; let no one be ungrateful for the meeting with the king, so that he may not be shut out from the bridal chamber; let no one among us be found gloomy or downcast at the reception, so that he may not be condemned along with the wicked citizens. And by wicked citizens I mean those who do not wish to receive the Lord as king over them.

Let us all run together cheerfully, let us all 59.704 receive him eagerly, and let us celebrate in a manner beyond this world. Instead of garments, let us pour out our hearts before him, and in psalms and hymns and thanksgivings let us lift them up to him, and let us unceasingly cry out, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." For those who bless him are blessed; and those who curse him are cursed. Again I will say, and I will not cease urging you to what is good: Come, beloved, let us bless the Blessed One, so that we may be blessed by him. The word has called together every age and rank to the praise of the Lord, Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth, young men and maidens. And the novel magnificence of the miracle is that to the new and guileless age of infants and nursing children he granted the honor of beginning the divinely-taught song of praise to the Lord, just as Moses long ago did to the people from Egypt, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Today the blessed David rejoices with joy, his harp having been snatched by infants, with whom, dancing in the spirit and feasting together, just as before in front of the ark of God, he joyfully joins in the music and lisps along, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

To whom we will say: Tell us, O prophet, who is this that comes in the name of the Lord? "The school is not mine today," he says; "for it has been dedicated to infants by him who has perfected praise from the mouth of infants and nursing children to destroy the enemy and the avenger; So that also through this miracle the hearts of fathers may be turned

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In ramos palmarum

Εἰς τὰ Βάϊα.

59.703 αʹ. Ἐκ θαυμάτων ἐπὶ θαύματα τοῦ Κυρίου βαδίσωμεν, ἀδελφοὶ, καὶ

φθάσωμεν, ὡς ἐκ δυνάμεως εἰς δύναμιν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν ἁλύσει χρυσῇ κρικίοις ἀλληλενδέτοις συμβεβλημένῃ ἓν τοῦ ἑνὸς κατέχεται, καὶ τῶν συμβε βλημένων ἕκαστον συνάπτεται θάτερον θατέρῳ καὶ παραπέμπεται· οὕτω καὶ τὰ τῶν ἁγίων Εὐαγγελίων θαύματα ἐξ ἀλλήλων εἰς ἄλληλα ποδηγοῦσι τὴν φιλ έορτον τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ εὐφραίνουσιν οὐ τῇ ἀπολλυμένῃ βρώσει, ἀλλὰ τῇ μενούσῃ εἰς ζωὴν αἰώ νιον. Φέρε οὖν σήμερον καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἐν ἑτοι μασίᾳ καρδίας καὶ ὠσὶν εὐηκόοις ἀκούσωμεν, τί λα λήσει ἡμῖν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἔν τε προφήταις καὶ Εὐαγ γελίοις περὶ τῆς θειοτάτης ταύτης ἑορτῆς.

Λαλήσει δὲ πάντως εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ὁσίους αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐπιστρέφοντας καρδίαν ἐπ' αὐτόν. Σήμερον προφητικαὶ σάλπιγγες τὴν οἰκουμέ νην ἀνεπτέρωσαν, καὶ τὰς ἁπανταχῆ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἐκ κλησίας ἐφαίδρυναν καὶ κατέστεψαν, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ σκάμ ματος τῶν ἁγίων νηστειῶν καὶ τῆς κατὰ τῶν παθῶν παλαίστρας παραλαβοῦσαι τοὺς πιστοὺς, τὸν ἐπινίκιον ὕμνον καὶ τὸ καινὸν θέαμα τῆς εἰρήνης ᾄδειν τῷ νικο ποιῷ Χριστῷ ἐδίδαξαν. ∆εῦτε οὖν ἅπαντες, ἀγαλλιασώ μεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ· δεῦτε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, κροτήσωμεν χεῖρας, καὶ ἀλαλάξωμεν τῷ Θεῷ τῷ Σωτῆρι ἡμῶν ἐν φωνῇ ἀγαλλιάσεως. Μηδεὶς ἄμοιρος ἔστω τῆς χαρᾶς, μηδεὶς ὑστερείτω τῆς κλήσεως, ὅτι ἐγενήθη τὸ σπέρμα τῶν ἀπειθούντων εἰς ἀπώλειαν· μηδεὶς ἀγνωμονείτω τὴν ὑπάντησιν τοῦ βασιλέως, ἵνα μὴ ἔξωθεν τοῦ νυμ φῶνος ἀποκλεισθῇ· μηδεὶς σκυθρωπὸς ἢ κατηφὴς πρὸς τὴν ὑποδοχὴν εὑρεθῇ ἐν ἡμῖν, ἵνα μὴ τοῖς πονηροῖς πολίταις συγκατακριθῇ. Πολίτας δὲ πονηρούς φημι τοὺς μὴ θέλοντας δέξασθαι τὸν Κύριον βασιλέα ἐφ' αὑτούς.

Πάντες φαιδρῶς συνδράμωμεν, πάντες προ 59.704 θύμως ὑποδεξώμεθα, καὶ ὑπερκοσμίως ἑορτάσωμεν. Ἀντὶ ἱματίων τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν ἐκχέωμεν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ εὐχαριστίαις ἀνατείνωμεν αὐτῷ, καὶ τὸ, Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμε νος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου, ἀκαταπαύστως βοήσωμεν. Οἱ γὰρ εὐλογοῦντες αὐτὸν, ηὐλόγηνται· καὶ οἱ κατ αρώμενοι αὐτὸν, κατήρανται. Πάλιν ἐρῶ, καὶ προ τρεπόμενος ἐπὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν οὐ παύσομαι· ∆εῦτε, ἀγα πητοὶ, εὐλογήσωμεν τὸν εὐλογημένον, ἵνα εὐλογηθῶ μεν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. Πᾶσαν ἡλικίαν καὶ ἀξίαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συνεκάλεσεν ὁ λόγος πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου αἴνεσιν, Βασι λεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ πάντας τοὺς λαοὺς, ἄρχοντας καὶ πάντας κριτὰς γῆς, νεανίσκους καὶ παρθένους. Καὶ τὸ καινοπρεπὲς τοῦ θαύματος, ὅτι τῇ νέᾳ καὶ ἀπειροκά κῳ τῶν νηπίων παίδων καὶ θηλαζόντων ἡλικίᾳ τὰ πρεσ βεῖα συνεχώρησε τοῦ ἐξάρξαι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει τὸ θεοδίδακτον ᾆσμα, καθάπερ πάλαι Μωϋσῆς τῷ ἐξ Αἰ γύπτου λαῷ, τὸ, Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Σήμερον χαρᾷ χαίρει ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ, σεσυ λημένος τὴν κιθάραν ὑπὸ νηπίων, οἷς καὶ συγχορεύων τῷ πνεύματι καὶ συνευωχούμενος, καθάπερ τὸ πρὶν πρὸ προσώπου τῆς κιβωτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, συμμουσουργεῖ καὶ συμψελλίζει ἡδέως, τὸ, Εὐλογημένος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου.

Πρὸς ὃν ἐροῦμεν· Λέγε ἡμῖν, ὦ προ φῆτα, τίς οὗτος ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου; Οὐκ ἐμὸν, φησὶ, τὸ διδασκαλεῖον σήμερον· νηπίοις γὰρ ἀφιέρωται παρὰ τοῦ καταρτίσαντος ἐκ στόματος νη πίων καὶ θηλαζόντων αἶνον τοῦ καταλῦσαι ἐχθρὸν καὶ ἐκδικητήν· Ὅπως καὶ διὰ τοῦ θαύματος τούτου ἐπι στραφῶσι καρδίαι πατέρων