Homily III — All creation escorts her to the tomb
Today she receives the beginning of a second existence from him who gave her the beginning of her first existence: she who gave the beginning of a second existence, I mean bodily existence, to him who had no beginning in time of his first and eternal existence, even though he had the Father as his beginning, as the cause of his divine existence.
Rejoice, Zion, holy mountain of God, in which the living mountain of God dwelt; the new Bethel, in which a pillar has been anointed (Genesis 28:18–19), human nature anointed with the Godhead. From you her Son was raised up to the height of heaven, as from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9–12).
Let a cloud be made ready, as wide as the world and encircling it, and wings of winds to carry the apostles across from the ends of the earth to Zion. Who are these that fly like clouds (Isaiah 60:8) and like eagles to the body (Matthew 24:28) that is the cause of resurrection for all, to serve the Mother of God? Who is this who comes up, all in white (Song of Songs 8:5), all fair (Song of Songs 4:7), shining like the sun (Song of Songs 6:10)? Let the harps of the Spirit sing, the tongues of the apostles. Let the cymbals sound aloud, the foremost of the theologians. Let Hierotheus, the chosen vessel (Acts 9:15), consecrated to the divine Spirit, who in divine union both underwent and learned divine things, go wholly out of the body; let him wholly go forth with her in his will, and beat time to the refrains.
Let all the nations clap their hands (Psalm 47:1); let all sing hymns to the Mother of God. Let angels serve a mortal body. Daughters of Jerusalem, follow after the queen, and as virgins near her, youthful in the Spirit, be brought along with her to the Bridegroom (Psalm 45:14), to stand at the right hand of the Master (Psalm 45:9).
Come down, come down, Master, and as one in her debt repay your Mother what is owed for your nursing. Spread out your divine hands; receive your mother's soul, you who on the cross committed your spirit into your Father's hands (Luke 23:46). Speak to her some sweet whisper: “Come, my fair one, my close one (Song of Songs 2:10), you who shine brighter than the sun with the beauty of virginity. You gave me a share in what is yours; come, enjoy with me what is mine. Come, Mother, to your Son; come, reign with him who, born of you, became poor with you (2 Corinthians 8:9).” Depart, Lady, depart; not as Moses did, “Go up, and die” (Deuteronomy 32:49–50), but rather die, and so go up. Commit your soul into the hands of your Son. Give back to the dust what belongs to the dust, since it will be taken up along with you.
Lift up your eyes, people of God, lift them up. See, the ark of the Lord God of hosts is in Zion, and the apostles stood beside it in the body, burying the body that is the source of life and that received God. Immaterially and invisibly, angels attend it in awe, standing by the Mother of their own Master as servants. The Lord himself is present, he who is present everywhere, fills all things and encompasses the universe, who is in no place; for all things are in him (Colossians 1:17), as in the cause that makes them and holds them together.
See, the Virgin, the daughter of Adam and Mother of God, because of Adam gives her body over to the earth, but because of her Son gives up her soul to the dwellings of heaven. Let the holy city be sanctified, and in addition to its blessings let it reap an eternal blessing. As the divine tabernacle passes, let angels go before it and make the tomb ready. Let the radiance of the Spirit adorn it. Let perfumes be prepared and poured over the all-blameless and all-fragrant body. Let a pure stream be at hand and draw blessing from the undefiled spring of blessing. Let the earth rejoice at the laying down of the body. Let the air leap at the going up of the spirit. Let breezes blow, dewy and full of grace. Let all creation keep festival for the going up of the Mother of God. Let choirs of the young shout for joy. Let the tongues of orators flow with hymns; let the hearts of the wise reflect on the wonder; let the old, whose grey hair is worthy of respect, quietly bring forth the fruit of their contemplation. Let all creation bring its share to the common feast. For not even so would they reach the smallest part of what she deserves.
Greek
Σήμερον ἀρχὴν λαμβάνει δευτέρας ὑπάρξεως ὑπὸ τοῦ δόντος αὐτῇ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς προτέρας ὑπάρξεως, ἡ δοῦσα δευτέρας ἀρχήν, τῆς σωματικῆς λέγω ὑπάρξεως, τῷ μὴ ἐσχηκότι ἀρχὴν χρονικὴν τῆς προτέρας καὶ ἀϊδίου ὑπάρξεως, εἰ καὶ τὸν Πατέρα ἀρχὴν εἶχεν ὡς αἰτίαν τῆς αὐτοῦ θείας ὑπάρξεως.
Χαίροις, Σιών, τὸ θεῖον ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον, ἐν ᾧ κατῴκει τὸ θεῖον ὄρος τὸ ἔμψυχον· ἡ νέα Βαιθήλ, ἐν ᾗ στήλη ἤλειπται, ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις χριομένη θεότητι. Ἐκ σοῦ πρὸς οὐράνιον ὕψος μετεώρισται, ὡς ἐξ ἐλαιῶν, ὁ ταύτης Υἱός.
Ἑτοιμαζέσθω νεφέλη παγκόσμιός τε καὶ περικόσμιος, καὶ ἀνέμων πτέρυγες ἐκ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς πρὸς Σιὼν τοὺς ἀποστόλους διαβιβάζουσαι. Τίνες οἵδε ὡσεὶ νεφέλαι καὶ ἀετοὶ πέτανται πρὸς τὸ πτῶμα τὸ τῆς πάντων ἀναστάσεως αἴτιον τῇ Μητρὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ λειτουργήσοντες; Τίς αὕτη ἡ ἀναβαίνουσα λελευκανθισμένη, ὅλη καλή, ἐκλάμπουσα ὡς ἥλιος; Ἀδέτωσαν αἱ κιθάραι τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἀποστολικαὶ γλῶσσαι. Ἀλαλαζέτωσαν κύμβαλα, αἱ τῶν θεολόγων ἀκρότητες, τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς Ἱερόθεος, ὁ τῷ θείῳ καθιερωμένος Πνεύματι, ὁ τῇ θείᾳ ἑνώσει τὰ θεῖα παθὼν καὶ μαθών, ὅλος ἐξιστάσθω τοῦ σώματος· ὅλος συνεκδημείτω τῇ προαιρέσει, καὶ κροτείτω τοῖς ἐφυμνίοις.
Πάντα τὰ ἔθνη χεῖρας κροτείτωσαν, πάντες τὴν Θεοτόκον ὑμνείτωσαν. Ἄγγελοι θνητῷ λειτουργείτωσαν σώματι. Θυγατέρες Ἱερουσαλήμ, ὀπίσω τῆς βασιλίδος ἀκολουθήσατε, καὶ ὡς πλησίον αὐτῆς παρθένοι νεανιευόμεναι Πνεύματι πρὸς τὸν νυμφίον συναπενέχθητε, ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Δεσπότου παραστησόμεναι.
Κάτιθι, κάτιθι, Δέσποτα, τῇ Μητρὶ κατάχρεως ἀποτιννὺς τὰ ὀφειλόμενα θρέπτρα. Θείας ἀνάπετασον χεῖρας· δέξαι ψυχὴν μητρικήν, ὁ πατρικαῖς χερσὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐπὶ σταυροῦ παραθέμενος, φώνησον πρὸς αὐτὴν ἡδύ τι ψιθύρισμα. Ἐλθέ, ἡ καλή, ἡ πλησίον μου, ἡ τῷ κάλλει τῆς παρθενίας ὑπὲρ ἥλιον μαρμαρύσσουσα. Μετέδωκάς μοι τῶν σῶν· δεῦρο, τῶν ἐμῶν συναπόλαυσον· δεῦρο, Μῆτερ, πρὸς τὸν Υἱόν· δεῦρο, συμβασίλευσον τῷ ἐκ σοῦ σὺν σοὶ πτωχεύσαντι. Ἄπιθι, Δέσποινα, ἄπιθι, οὐ Μωσαϊκῶς, ἀνάβα, καὶ τελεύτα. Τελεύτα δὲ μᾶλλον, καὶ οὕτως ἀνάβαινε. Ψυχὴν παράθου ταῖς τοῦ Υἱοῦ σου χερσίν. Ἀπόδος τὸ τοῦ χοὸς τῷ χοΐ, ὡς ὅτι τοῦτο συνεπαρθήσεται.
Ἄρατε, ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ λαός, τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν, ἄρατε. Ἰδοὺ ἐν Σιὼν ἡ κιβωτὸς Κυρίου Θεοῦ τῶν δυνάμεων, καὶ ταύτῃ σωματικῶς οἱ ἀπόστολοι παρειστήκεισαν τὸ ζωαρχικὸν καὶ θεοδόχον σῶμα κηδεύοντες. Ἀΰλως δὲ καὶ ἀοράτως περιέπουσιν ἄγγελοι φόβῳ, τῇ Μητρὶ τοῦ σφῶν Δεσπότου δουλοπρεπῶς παριστάμενοι. Αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος πάρεστιν, ὁ πανταχοῦ παρών, καὶ τὰ πάντα πληρῶν, καὶ περιέπων τὸ πᾶν, οὗ τόπος οὐδείς. Ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ τὰ πάντα ὡς ποιητικῷ καὶ συνεκτικῷ αἰτίῳ.
Ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος, ἡ θυγάτηρ Ἀδὰμ καὶ Μήτηρ Θεοῦ, δι' Ἀδὰμ τὸ σῶμα παραπέμπει τῇ γῇ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν οὐρανίαις σκηναῖς διὰ τὸν Υἱὸν ἀναδίδωσιν. Ἁγιαζέσθω τὸ ἄστυ τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ ἐπ' εὐλογίαις καρπούσθω εὐλογίαν αἰώνιον. Τῇ διαβάσει τοῦ θείου σκηνώματος προπορευέσθωσαν ἄγγελοι, καὶ τὸν τάφον εὐτρεπιζέτωσαν. Κοσμείτω τοῦτον αἴγλη τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ἑτοιμαζέσθω μύρα, καὶ τῷ παναμώμῳ καὶ πανευώδει μυριζέσθωσαν σώματι. Παρήτω νᾶμα εἰλικρινές, καὶ ἀρυέσθω τὴν εὐλογίαν ἐκ τῆς ἀκηράτου τῆς εὐλογίας πηγῆς. Ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ γῆ τῇ καταθέσει τοῦ σώματος. Ἀὴρ σκιρτάτω τῇ ἀναβάσει τοῦ Πνεύματος. Πνείτωσαν αὖραι δροσοειδεῖς, καὶ χάριτος ἔμπλεοι. Πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις πανηγυριζέτω τὴν τῆς Θεομήτορος ἄνοδον. Χοροὶ νέων ἀλαλαζέτωσαν. Ῥυήτωσαν γλῶσσαι ῥητόρων τοῖς ἐφυμνίοις· καρδίαι σοφῶν τὸ θαῦμα φιλοσοφείτωσαν· πρεσβῦται τῇ πολιᾷ τὸ αἰδέσιμον ἔχοντες, ἄτρεμα τὰς θεωρίας καρποφορείτωσαν. Πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις συνεισενεγκάτω τὸν ἔρανον. Οὐδ' οὕτω γὰρ ἂν πολλοστοῦ μέρους τῆς ἀξίας ἐφίκοιντο.