The Virgin who bore the Eternal Word

She who revealed the Word and the Son of the Father to the world. Blessed among women, she who gave birth to the Word made flesh from herself—the Word, the Son of the Father, the Word, the eternal God, the Word, without beginning and without end, the Word who is worshiped with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the Word who sits on the throne of the Father, the Word who sits upon the cherubim, the Word whom the four living creatures glorify, the Word who created the angels, the Word who made the principalities and powers, the Word who stretched out the heavens and established the earth, the Word, the true God, Jesus Christ our Lord, whom you brought forth, all-holy Virgin, and remaining a virgin after childbirth; she who gave birth to the pearl and wove the royal crown. O blessed Virgin, who brought forth heavenly glory, who filled the world with the fragrance of many flowers from Paradise. The Virgin remains an unblemished lily, having given birth to Christ, the unfading rose, the vine of truth, who is much-fruitful and without thorn in her virginity, who did not dig but bore fruit, bearing Christ as the cluster upon the vine.

How then did you bring forth fruit, convince us, all-holy Virgin; how did you appear as Mother of God on earth, receiving the eternal Word? I, a virgin bearing a womb, have become an incorruptible, undefiled temple for the eternal, unwedded God the Word who dwelt in me. Carrying Emmanuel in an incorruptible womb, into an undefiled womb, resembling a cherubic throne; into whom the Word of the Father became flesh, the one without beginning and invisible, yet visible through the divine economy, the God who became man. Having no experience of man, I gave birth to the eternal God, Jesus Christ. For I remain a virgin even now after childbirth, purer than before. I gave birth alone, not as every woman does; for the things that happened to me are unlike theirs. Human nature did not know my childbirth, except for the God who dwelt in me.

O Virgin, a precious treasure of the Church, a great and fortunate mystery, who is called both priest and altar, she who, bearing the table, gave us Christ, the heavenly bread, for the forgiveness of sins. O undefiled womb, containing the circle of heaven, and bearing the God who cannot be contained within you. O womb wider than the heavens, who did not confine the God within you.

O seven-layered heaven, and one who is greater than them! O seven-layered heaven, higher and wider! O seventh heaven, above the firmament! O Virgin, possessing the unquenchable light of the sevenfold grace! What shall I say, or what shall I speak concerning the venerable and holy Virgin? Longing draws me to speak of the Mother of God, yet fear seizes me to remain silent, feeling unworthy to speak. The mind calls forward, but fear pushes back; one draws me in, while the other holds me back. Therefore, since I am held by both, it is appropriate for me to speak of the highly exalted and holy Virgin.

For I call her both heaven and throne, as well as a cross; for having stretched out her holy arms, she bore the Lord as a cherubic, cross-shaped, heavenly throne, of whom I peer through the Scriptures into the heavens and see her being worshiped by angels. This is why Gabriel first greets the Virgin: 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you'; rejoice, highly favored one, bright heaven; rejoice, highly favored one, who possesses the rays of the sun, Christ, who flashes from heaven with brilliant splendors. The Virgin has become a Seraph, many-named and many-formed, an ungraspable vision; a spiritual shelter found through a bodily presence, surpassing the Cherubim.

For those angels turn away, unable to gaze upon the intellectual fire of the Divinity. But she, gazing with clear eyes upon the ungraspable and sleepless eye of Christ, greeted Him while longing and loving Him. Armies of angels, falling at the feet of the Savior, are not able even to see or to touch; but she greeted the ungraspable one, lip to lip. O Virgin, bearing the wonder of an ungraspable mystery, you proclaimed a threefold faith to the world. The Virgin has become higher than the angels, greater than the Cherubim and the Seraphim, pleasing to the King Christ as a worthy handmaid and a mother honored by God.

Holy Mother, who gave birth to Christ—who said, 'Before Abraham was, I am'—who glorified the cave and magnified the manger. For the Virgin, the cave, and the manger, having the circle of heaven, bore the uncontainable God; the three of them clearly served the Trinity when the...