On the Nativity of Christ in the Flesh

And who is able, Lord, to tell me up the several succours that are hid in You? How shall the parched mouth be able to drink from the Fountain of the Godhead! Answer today the voice of our petition; let our prayer which is in words take effect in deeds. Heal us, O my Master; every time that we see Your Feast, may it cause rumours that we have heard to pass away. Our mind wanders amid these voices. O Voice of the Father, still [other] voices; the world is noisy, in You let it gain itself quiet; for by You the sea was stilled from its storms.

The devils rejoiced when they heard the voice of blasphemy: let the Watchers rejoice in us as they are wont. From among Your fold there is the voice of sorrowfulness; O You that makes all rejoice, let Your flock rejoice! As for our murmur, O my Master, in it reject us not: our mouth murmurs since it is sinful. Let Your day, O Lord, give us all manner of joy, with the flowers of peace, let us keep Your passover. In the day of Your Ascension we are lifted up: with the new Bread shall be the memorial thereof.

O Lord, increase our peace, that we may keep three feasts of the Godhead. Great is Your day, Lord, let us not be despised. All men honour the day of Your birth. You righteous One, keep the glory of Your birth; for even Herod honoured the day of His birth! The dances of the impure one pleased the tyrant; to You, Lord, let the voice of chaste women be sweet! You, Lord, let the voice of chaste women please, whose bodies You guardest holily. The day of Herod was like him: Your day too is like You!

The day of the troubled one was troubled with sin; and fair as You are is Your fair day! The feast of the tyrant killed the preacher; in Your feast every man preaches glory. On the day of the murderer, the Voice was put to silence; but on Your day are the voices of the feast. The foul one in his feast put out the Light, that darkness might cover the adulterers. The season of the Holy One trims lamps, that darkness may flee with the hidden things thereof. The day of that fox stank like himself; but holy is the feast of the True Lamb. The day of the transgressor passed away like himself; Your day like Yourself abides for ever.

The day of the tyrant raged like himself, because with his chain it put to silence the righteous Voice. The feast of the Meek One is tranquil like Himself, because His sun shines upon His persecutors. The tyrant was conscious that He was not a king, therefore to the King of kings he gave place. The whole day, Lord, suffices me not to balance Your praise with his blame. May Your Gracious day cause my sin to pass away, seeing that it is with the day of the impure one, that I have weighed Your day!

For great is Your day beyond comparison! nor can it be compared with our days. The day of man is as of the earthy: the day of God is as of God! Your day, Lord, is greater than those of the prophets, and I have taken and set it beside that of the murderer! You know, O Lord, as knowing all things, how to hear the comparison that my tongue has made. Let Your day grant our requests for life, since his day granted the request for death. The needy king swore on his feast that half his kingdom should be the reward of the dance!

Let Your feast then, O You that enrichest all, shed down in mercy a crumb of fine wheat flour! From the dry land gushed the Fountain, which sufficed to satisfy the thirst of the Gentiles! From the Virgin's womb as from a strong rock sprouted up the seed, whence was much fruit! Barns without number did Joseph fill; and they were emptied and failed in the years of the famine. One true Sheaf gave bread; the bread of Heaven, whereof there is no stint. The bread which the First-born broke in the wilderness, failed and passed away though very good.

He returned again and broke the New Bread which ages and generations shall not waste away! The seven loaves also that He broke failed, and the five loaves too that He multiplied were consumed; the Bread that He broke exceeded the world's needs, for the more it was divided, the more it multiplied exceedingly. With much wine also He filled the waterpots; they drew it out, yet it failed though it was abundant: of the Cup that He gave though the draught was small, very great was its strength, so that there is no stint thereto.

A Cup is He that contains all strong wines, and also a Mystery in the midst of which He Himself is! The one Bread that He broke has no bound, and the one Cup that He mingled has no stint! The Wheat that was sown, on the third day came up and filled the Garner of Life. The spiritual Bread, as the Giver of it, quickens the spiritual spiritually, and he that receives it carnally, receives it rashly to no profit. This Bread of grace let the spirit receive discerningly, as the medicine of Life.

If the dead sacrifices in the name of devils were offered, yea eaten, not without a mystery; at the holy thing of the offering, how much more does it behoove us that this mystery be circumspectly administered by us. He that eats of the sacrifice in the name of devils, becomes devilish without all contradiction. He that eats the Heavenly Bread, becomes Heavenly without doubt! Wine teaches us, in that it makes him that is familiar therewith like itself: for it hates much him that is fond of it, and is intoxicating and maddening, and a mocker to him!

Light teaches us, in that it makes like itself the eye the daughter of the sun: the eye by the light saw the nakedness, and ran and chastely hid the chaste man. As for that nakedness it was wine that made it, which even to the chaste skills not to show mercy!