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to worship never faltered; I have not denied you, my Lord. Even if I have sinned in the prime of my youth, yet at least I have trampled upon the savor of idols, I have destroyed images of demons, I have shamed carved images of idols, I have breathed against the devil, I have spat upon demons. But now I fall at your feet, my Lord, and my God; Make me as one of your hired servants. If you repent thus, if you confess thus; while you are still far off, the heavenly Father runs to you, spiritually falling upon the neck of your soul, placing upon you the yoke of grace, and with the harness of truth binding the neck of your heart; with a kiss he resolves your enmity, and says to his own servants the priests; Bring forth the first robe. He did not say, Bring a robe, but, Bring the first robe, that he might show the first dignity of baptism 61.784 being given to you. Bring him the first robe, and clothe him; and give him a ring, the sign of wealth, the guardian of the treasure, the pledge of grace, the seal of the Spirit.

And shoes for his feet; that is, with the words of the Gospel bind the footstep of his soul; lest the serpent again, having licked his heel, drag him down into the former error of sin. And bring the fatted calf. Who is this, but certainly Christ, given to the worthy after baptism, as the Apostle says; In whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily? Bring it, let us eat and be merry. Who then among Jews and Greeks will believe, that a calf was slain, and the world was established? O calf of a Virgin heifer, sacred child of an unplowed womb! O calf, slain and living, and always feasted upon by us, and remaining unconsumed!

Therefore, beloved, having cast the anchor of our word into the steadfast and calm harbor, let us send you forth by the impulse of the Holy Spirit, and by his rhythmic tongue cutting through the sea of the divine Scriptures, he will lead you by the hand into the heavenly city in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory and the power, together with the Father, with the holy and adorable Spirit, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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λατρεύειν οὐδέποτε ἔκαμψε· σὲ οὐκ ἠρνησάμην, Κύριέ μου. Εἰ καὶ ἥμαρτον ἐν τῇ ἀκμῇ τῆς νεότητός μου, ἀλλ' οὖν γε κνίσσαν εἰδώλων κατεπάτησα, εἰκόνας δαιμόνων κατέστρεψα, ξόανα εἰδώλων ἐξῄσχυνα, διάβολον ἐνεφύσησα, δαίμοσιν ἐνέπτυσα. Νυνὶ δὲ τοῖς σοῖς ἴχνεσι προσπίπτω, ὁ Κύριός μου, καὶ ὁ Θεός μου· Ποίησόν με ὡς ἕνα τῶν μισθίων σου. Ἐὰν οὕτω μετανοήσῃς, ἐὰν οὕτως ἐξομολογήσῃ· ἔτι πόῤῥω σοῦ ἀπέχοντος προστρέχει ὁ οὐράνιος Πατὴρ, πνεύματι ἐπιπίπτων σου τῷ τραχήλῳ τῆς ψυχῆς, τὸ τῆς χάριτός σοι ζυγὸν ἐπιτιθεὶς, καὶ τῇ ζεύγλῃ τῆς ἀληθείας τὸν αὐχένα τῆς καρδίας σου περισφίγγων· φιλήματι λύει σου τὴν ἔχθραν, καὶ λέγει τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ δούλοις τοῖς ἱερεῦσι· Φέρετε τὴν πρώτην στολήν. Οὐκ εἶπε, Φέρετε μίαν στολὴν, ἀλλὰ, Φέρετε τὴν πρώτην στολὴν, ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν πρώτην τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἀξίαν 61.784 σοι διδομένην. Φέρετε αὐτῷ τὴν πρώτην στολὴν, καὶ ἐνδύσατε αὐτόν· καὶ δότε δακτύλιον, τὸ δεῖγμα τοῦ πλούτου, τὸν τοῦ θησαυροῦ φύλακα, τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα τῆς χάριτος, τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ Πνεύματος.

Καὶ ὑποδήματα εἰς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ· τουτέστι, Τοῖς τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου λόγοις τὸ ἴχνος τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ περισφίγξατε· ἵνα μὴ πάλιν ὁ ὄφις τὴν πτέρναν ὑπολείξας, εἰς τὴν προτέραν αὐτὸν πλάνην τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατασύρῃ. Καὶ φέρετε τὸν μόσχον τὸν σιτευτόν. Τίς ἐστιν οὗτος, ἢ πάντως Χριστὸς, μετὰ τὸ βάπτισμα διδόμενος τοῖς ἀξίοις, καθὼς λέγει ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Ἐν ᾧ κατοικεῖ πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς; Φέρετε, φαγόντες εὐφρανθῶμεν. Τίς ἄρα ἐν Ἰουδαίοις καὶ Ἕλλησι πιστεύσει, ὅτι μόσχος ἐσφάγη, καὶ κόσμος ἐστάθη; Ὢ μόσχος Παρθένου δαμάλιδος, τέκνον ἱερὸν ἀνηρότου μήτρας! ὢ μόσχος ὁ σφαγεὶς καὶ ζῶν, καὶ πάντοτε ὑφ' ἡμῶν ἑστιώμενος, καὶ ἀδαπάνητος μένων!

∆ιὸ, ἀγαπητοὶ, εἰς τὸν εὐσταθῆ καὶ εὔδιον λιμένα τὴν ἄγκυραν τοῦ λόγου ἡμῶν χαλάσαντες, παραπέμψωμεν ὑμᾶς τῇ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐμβολῇ, καὶ τῇ εὐρύθμῳ αὐτοῦ γλώσσῃ διατεμόντες πέλαγος τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, εἰς οὐράνιον πόλιν χειραγωγήσει ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, ἅμα τῷ Πατρὶ, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ προσκυνητῷ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.