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In sanctum Stephanum ii

On Saint Stephen, 2.

63.931 Those from the outside who wish to weave crowns for men, are eager to gather roses and lilies and the other flowers of the earth; for such is the custom of earthly crown-weavers. But we, fashioning a crown for the blessed Stephen, let us pluck the spiritual flowers from Stephen himself, so that we may weave a crown of graces for the head of Stephen.

For the 63.932.70 blessed Stephen is a meadow, filled with all fragrance, watered by the blood of Christ, perfumed by the Holy Spirit, and making all things fragrant. For behold the memory of Stephen, and all things have been filled with holiness; heaven having received his spirit, the earth having received his body, the air together and all things have been filled with the myrrh of his fragrance. But we have him interceding for 63.933 us, the ornament of the Church, the athlete of piety, the disciple of Christ, the rebuke of the Jews, the leader of the martyrs, the protector of widows, the nourisher of the hungry, the helper of the afflicted, the guardian of the holy city of Christ, the crown of good deacons, the pillar of the Church, the splendor of the martyrs, the boast of the inhabited world, the foundation of the faith; the guardian of our souls, the one who prayed for his persecutors, and made defense for those who stoned him, and for this reason his face was glorified with angelic grace.

For, it says, all who were sitting in the council saw his face, as it were the face of an angel. Let us now crown the athlete Stephen, the first athlete of Christ, and let us cease with the flowers of our words. He was then the adornment of the choir of the 63.934 apostles, and was numbered among the disciples of piety; he surpassed all men in gentleness, and possessed an exceptional love for mankind, and was not so much pained by his own labors as by those of others, and considered the need of his neighbor his own, and he ministered to the suffering present in another as if it were present in himself. And in the first preachings of the Word, when faith was flowering abundantly, immediately the rich laid aside the burden of their possessions, and the needy received what was lacking.

Of such a fine harmony and order Stephen was the steward, and poverty had him as a protector and ally, and wealth a charioteer. The power of the Spirit rested upon him, and grace had the man as its own house. Let us then also, beloved, together with the protomartyr Stephen, praise in song the Giver of crowns, the holy and consubstantial Trinity, because to Her belongs glory, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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In sanctum Stephanum ii

Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Στέφανον, βʹ.

63.931 Οἱ μὲν ἔξωθεν στεφάνους πλέκειν ἀνδράσι βουλόμενοι, ῥόδα καὶ κρίνα καὶ

τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς γῆς ἄνθη συνάγειν σπουδάζουσιν· οὕτω γὰρ τῶν ἐπιγείων στεφανοπλόκων ὁ νόμος. Ἡμεῖς δὲ στέφανον κατασκευάζοντες τῷ μακαρίῳ Στεφάνῳ, ἐξ αὐτοῦ Στεφάνου τὰ πνευματικὰ ἄνθη τρυγήσωμεν, ἵνα στέφανον χαρίτων τῇ κεφαλῇ Στεφάνου πλέξωμεν.

Λειμὼν γάρ ἐστιν ὁ 63.932.70 μακάριος Στέφανος, πάσης εὐωδίας πεπληρωμένος, τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀρδευόμενος, τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ καταμυριζόμενος, καὶ εὐωδιάζων τὰ σύμπαντα. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ Στεφάνου μνήμη, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἁγιασμοῦ πεπλήρωται· ὁ οὐρανὸς τὸ πνεῦμα δεξάμενος, ἡ γῆ τὸ σῶμα ὑποδεξαμένη, ὁ ἀὴρ ὁμοῦ καὶ τὰ πάντα τοῦ μύρου τῆς εὐωδίας πεπλήρωται. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἔχομεν αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ 63.933 ἡμῶν πρεσβεύοντα, τὸν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας κόσμον, τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀθλητὴν, τὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθητὴν, τὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἔλεγχον, τὸν τῶν μαρτύρων ἔξαρχον, τὸν τῶν χηρῶν προστάτην, τὸν τῶν πεινώντων τροφέα, τὸν τῶν καταπονουμένων ἀντιλήπτορα, τὸν φρουρὸν τῆς ἁγίας Χριστοῦ πόλεως, τὸν τῶν καλῶν διακόνων στέφανον, τὸν στῦλον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, τὸ τῶν μαρτύρων ἀγλάϊσμα, τὸ τῆς οἰκουμένης καύχημα, τὸ ἑδραίωμα τῆς πίστεως· ὁ φύλαξ τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν, ὁ ὑπὲρ τῶν διωκόντων εὐχόμενος, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν λιθαζόντων ὑπεραπολογούμενος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀγγελικῇ χάριτι τὸ πρόσωπον δοξαζόμενος.

Πάντες γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ καθεζόμενοι ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ εἶδον τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, ὡσεὶ πρόσωπον ἀγγέλου. Στεφανώσωμεν ἀθλητὴν νῦν τὸν Στέφανον, τὸν πρωτοαθλητὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τοῖς τῶν λόγων ἄνθεσι παύσωμεν. Ἦν μὲν οὖν τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν 63.934 ἀποστόλων τὸ καλλώπισμα, καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐγκατελέγετο· ἡμερότητι ἐκράτει πάντων ἀνθρώπων, καὶ φιλάνθρωπον εἶχεν ἐξαίρετον, καὶ οὐδ' οὕτω τοῖς αὑτοῦ πόνοις, ὡς τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἐνύττετο, καὶ τὴν τοῦ πλησίον ἔνδειαν ἰδίαν ἐνόμιζε, καὶ τὸ προσὸν πάθος ἑτέρῳ ὡς αὐτῷ προσὸν ἐθεράπευεν. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς πρώτοις τοῦ λόγου κηρύγμασι, δαψιλῶς ἀνθούσης τῆς πίστεως, καὶ παραχρῆμα οἱ μὲν πλουτοῦντες ἀπετίθεντο τῶν χρημάτων τὸν φόρτον, οἱ δὲ ἐνδεεῖς τὸ λεῖπον ἐλάμβανον.

Τῆς οὕτω καλῆς ἁρμονίας καὶ τάξεως οἰκονόμος ὑπῆρχεν ὁ Στέφανος, καὶ τοῦτον εἶχεν ἡ πενία προστάτην καὶ σύμμαχον, ὁ δὲ πλοῦτος ἡνίοχον. Ἐπανεπαύετο μὲν ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος δύναμις, καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἴδιον οἶκον εἶχεν ἡ χάρις. Ἀνυμνήσωμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἀγαπητοὶ, σὺν τῷ πρωτομάρτυρι Στεφάνῳ τὸν τοὺς στεφάνους δωρούμενον, τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ ὁμοούσιον Τρίαδα, ὅτι αὐτῇ πρέπει ἡ δόξα, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.