Homily I — A prayer for words, and the Word made flesh from her
What shall we say to you, Lady? With what words shall we address you? With what praises shall we crown your holy and glorified head, you the giver of good things, the giver of riches, the ornament of the human race, the boast of all creation, through whom creation has truly been blessed? For him whom it could not hold before, it has held through you; him on whom it had no strength to gaze, it now beholds with unveiled face, as in a mirror (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Open, O Word of God, our slow-tongued mouth (Exodus 4:10). Grant us, in the opening of our lips, a most gracious word (Ephesians 6:19). Breathe into us the grace of the Spirit, by which fishermen become orators and the unlettered speak a wisdom beyond the human, so that we too, who are weak of voice, may find the means to tell, however dimly, the great things of your dearest Mother.
For she, chosen from ancient generations by the foreordained counsel and good pleasure of God the Father, who begot you timelessly, without flux and without passion, bore you, made flesh from her in the last times: you, who are propitiation and salvation, righteousness and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30), Life from Life, Light from Light, true God from true God. Her childbearing was past all expectation; her giving birth was beyond nature and thought, and brought salvation to the world; her falling asleep was glorious, truly holy, and praised by all. The Father foreordained her; the prophets foretold her through the Holy Spirit. The sanctifying power of the Spirit came upon her, cleansed and sanctified her, and, as it were, watered her beforehand.
And then you, the Father's Definition and Word, dwelt in her without being circumscribed, calling back the lowest depth of our nature to the infinite height of your incomprehensible Godhead. Taking the first-fruits of our nature from the all-pure, undefiled and all-blameless blood of the holy Virgin, you framed about yourself flesh endowed with a rational and intelligent soul, giving it its subsistence in yourself; and you became perfect man, without ceasing to be perfect God and consubstantial with your Father, but taking on, through unspeakable compassion, our weakness.
Greek
Τί δὲ προσείπωμεν, Δέσποινα; τίσι δὲ προσφθεγξόμεθα ῥήμασι; ποίοις δὲ ἐγκωμίοις τὴν σὴν ἱερὰν καὶ δεδοξασμένην στέψομεν κεφαλὴν, τὴν ἀγαθοδότιν, τὴν πλουτοδότειραν, τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου γένους τὸ ἐγκαλλώπισμα, τὸ αὔχημα πάσης τῆς κτίσεως, δι' ἣν ὡς ἀληθῶς μεμακάρισται; Ὃν γὰρ οὐκ ἐχώρει τὸ πρότερον, διὰ σοῦ κεχώρηκεν. Οὗ ἀτενίσαι οὐκ ἔσθενε, ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ κατοπτρίζεται. Ἄνοιξον ἡμῖν, ὦ Λόγε Θεοῦ, τὸ βραδύγλωσσον στόμα. Δὸς ἐν ἀνοίξει χειλέων ἡμῶν χαριέστατον λόγον. Ἔμπνευσον ἡμῖν τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν, δι' ἧς ἁλιεῖς ῥητορεύουσι, καὶ ἀγράμματοι λαλοῦσι σοφίαν τὴν ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον· ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ἰσχνόφωνοι εὐπορήσωμεν τῆς σῆς φιλτάτης μητρὸς κἂν ἀμυδρῶς γέ πως μεγαλεῖα φθέγξασθαι. Αὕτη γὰρ ἐκ γενεῶν ἀρχαίων ἐκλελεγμένη, τῇ προωρισμένῃ βουλῇ καὶ εὐδοκίᾳ τοῦ σε ἀχρόνως, ἀῤῥεύστως τε καὶ ἀπαθῶς γεννήσαντος Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς, ἱλασμὸν καὶ σωτηρίαν, δικαιοσύνην τε καὶ ἀπολύτρωσιν, σὲ τὴν ἐκ ζωῆς ζωὴν, καὶ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ φωτὸς φῶς, τὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Θεὸν ἀληθινὸν, ἐξ αὐτῆς σεσαρκωμένον ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν χρόνων ἐκύησεν· ἧς ὁ τόκος παράδοξος, ἡ γέννησις ὑπὲρ φύσιν καὶ ἔννοιαν, καὶ τῷ κόσμῳ σωτήριος, ἡ κοίμησις ἔνδοξος καὶ ὄντως ἱερὰ καὶ πανεύφημος. Ταύτην ὁ Πατὴρ μὲν προώρισε, προφῆται δὲ διὰ μὲν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἁγίου προηγόρευσαν. Ἡ δὲ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἁγιαστικὴ δύναμις ἐπεφοίτησεν, ἐκάθηρέ τε καὶ ἡγίασε, καὶ οἱονεὶ προήρδευσε. Καὶ τότε σὺ ὁ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὅρος καὶ Λόγος ἀπεριγράπτως κατῴκησας, ἀνακαλούμενος τὴν ἐσχατιὰν τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως πρὸς τὸ ἄπειρον ὕψος τῆς σῆς ἀκαταλήπτου θεότητος. Ἧς τὴν ἀπαρχὴν ἐκ τῶν πανάγνων καὶ ἀχράντων αἱμάτων, καὶ παναμώμων τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου ἀναλαβὼν σάρκα ἐψυχωμένην ψυχῇ λογικῇ τε καὶ νοερᾷ, σεαυτῷ περιέπηξας, ἐν σεαυτῷ αὐτὴν ὑποστήσας, καὶ γέγονας τέλειος ἄνθρωπος, οὐκ ἀποβαλὼν τὸ εἶναι τέλειος Θεὸς, καὶ τῷ σῷ Πατρὶ ὁμοούσιος, ἀλλὰ προσλαβὼν δι' εὐσπλαγχνίαν ἄφατον τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀσθένειαν.