ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW: March 2018

March 31, 2018

The Best of March 2018 by the Mystagogy Resource Center (MRC)

Below is the monthly review for the month of March of the ten most popular articles from the previous month on johnsanidopoulos.com, then all the posts made on the other websites of the Mystagogy Resource Center.

JohnSanidopoulos.com

1. The Mobile Phone of Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva

2. A Miraculous Event at the Church of Saint Irene Chrysovalantou in the Village of Schinas in Imathia

Lazarus a Bishop

(Click on text to expand.)

Homily on the Resurrection of Lazarus (St. Athanasius of Alexandria)

(Click on text to expand size.)

Saints and Feasts of March 31

On the thirty-first Hypatios was carried off to life.

Holy Hieromartyr Hypatios, Bishop of Gangra

Synaxarion of the Holy Hieromartyr Hypatios, Bishop of Gangra

Holy Hieromartyr Hypatios the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra

Saint Hypatios of Gangra and the Dragon

The Veneration of Saint Hypatios of Gangra in Greece and Cyprus

Venerable Akakios the Confessor, Bishop of Melitene

Saint Akakios the Confessor and Bishop of Melitene

Holy Hieromartyr Abdas the Bishop

and Those Martyred With Him in Persia

Holy Hieromartyr Abdas of Persia and Those Martyred With Him

Holy Martyr Menander

Holy Martyr Menander

Venerable Martyr Blaise of Amorion

Saint Blaise of Amorion (+ 909/12)

Holy Thirty-Eight Martyrs

Holy Thirty-Eight Martyrs

Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker

Venerable Stephen the Wonderworker

Holy Martyr Theophilos of Crete and Those With Him

Holy Martyr Theophilos of Crete with his Wife and Children

Venerable Hypatius the Healer of the Kiev Caves

Saint Hypatius the Healer of the Kiev Caves

Saint Jonah the Wonderworker,

Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia

Saint Jonah the Wonderworker, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia (+ 1461)

Saint Innocent Veniaminov, Metropolitan of Moscow

and Missionary to Alaska

Saint Innocent (Veniaminov), Metropolitan of Moscow and Missionary to Alaska

Icon of St. Innocent of Moscow Begins Weeping at Khabarovsk Orthodox Seminary

March 30, 2018

Saint Euboula, Mother of Saint Panteleimon

St. Euboula (Feast Day - March 30)

Verses

In heaven you are joined with your athlete child,
O mother of the athlete and beautiful child Euboula.

Saint Euboula lived during the reign of Emperor Maximian (286-305), and was from the city of Nicomedia. She was the wife of a Greek pagan named Eustorgios, while she was from a family of Christians. Saint Panteleimon was born to her, and she raised him to love God. She reposed in peace, and today her marble tomb is located in the Cave of the Magi under the Monastery of Saint Theodosios the Cenobiarch to the east of Bethlehem, along with the tombs of 35 other renowned Saints.

Saints and Feasts of March 30

On the thirtieth John rejoiced to be set free.

Venerable John, Author of the Ladder

Saint John Climacus Resource Page

Holy Prophet Joel (or Joad)

The Prophet Joel, the Man of God From Judah

Venerable John of the Well

Synaxarion of Saint John of the Well

Saint John of the Well as a Model for our Lives

Venerable Pharmuthius

Synaxarion of Saint John of the Well

Venerable Chrysios

Synaxarion of Saint John of the Well

Holy Martyr Victor of Thessaloniki

and the Eleven Martyrs With Him

Holy Martyr Victor of Thessaloniki and the Eleven Martyrs With Him

Saint John, Patriarch of Jerusalem

Saint John II, Patriarch of Jerusalem (+ 417)

Saint Euboula, Mother of Saint Panteleimon

Saint Euboula, Mother of Saint Panteleimon

Holy New Hieromartyr Zacharias,
Metropolitan of Corinth

Holy New Martyr Zacharias, Metropolitan of Corinth (+ 1684)

Saint Sophronius, Bishop of Irkutsk

and Wonderworker of All Siberia

Saint Sophronius, Bishop of Irkutsk and Wonderworker of All Siberia (+ 1771)

Saint Gabriel (Banulescu-Bodoni),

Archbishop of Chisinau and Hotin

Saint Gabriel (Banulescu-Bodoni), Archbishop of Chisinau and Hotin (+ 1821)

Blessed Matrenushka the Barefooted of St. Petersburg

Blessed Matrenushka the Barefooted of St. Petersburg, the Fool for Christ (+ 1911)

Commemoration of the Visitation of the

Most Holy Theotokos to Saint Elizabeth

Feast of the Visitation of the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Elizabeth

Three Homilies on the Visitation of the Mother of God to Elizabeth (Archpriest Rodion Putyatin)

Commemoration of the Monk who Joyfully Died

Having Never Judged Anyone in his Life

Commemoration of the Negligent Monk who Joyfully Died Because He Did Not Condemn Anyone

The Monk Who Never Judged

March 29, 2018

The Church of Saints Jonah and Barachisios in Farasa of Cappadocia

Saints Jonah and Barachisios (March 29) are the patron saints of Farasa in Cappadocia. It was in the church dedicated to them that Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia often liturgized. Saint Paisios the Athonite tells us that he often held vigil services here from 9:00PM to 3:00AM. Before the population exchange, Saint Arsenios dug a pit in this church and buried the sacred vessels he could not carry with him, so as not to be desecrated by the Turks. And after the villagers fled, and had walked 60 km, Saint Arsenios forgot the fragment of holy relic of Saint John Chrysostom that he had left in this altar, so he returned alone to retrieve it, not wanting to tire the travelers anymore, and when he returned to his flock they were waiting for him anxiously. Unfortunately, after the population exchange in 1924, this church was converted into a mosque, and the sanctuary was converted into a bathroom.

Life and Writings of Diadochos of Photiki

By Archimandrite Dr. Theodoritus Polyzogopoulos

1. His Life and Position in Christian Literature

2. The Anthropology of Diadochus of Photice (The Creation of Man)

3. The Anthropology of Diadochus of Photice (The Salvation of Man)

"On Watchfulness and Holiness" (St. Hesychios of Sinai)

Introductory Notes

Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite identifies the writer of this work that follows, "On Watchfulness and Holiness", with Saint Hesychios of Jerusalem, author of many Biblical commentaries, who lived in the first half of the fifth century. But it is today accepted that "On Watchfulness and Holiness" is the work of an entirely different Hesychios, who was abbot of the Monastery of the Mother of God of the Burning Bush (Vatos) at Sinai. Hesychios of Sinai's date is uncertain, as well as any details of his life, though he is commemorated in the Greek Orthodox Church on March 29th. He is probably later than St John Climacus (sixth or seventh century), with whose book The Ladder of Divine Ascent he seems to be familiar; possibly he lived in the eighth or ninth century though he is not mentioned in any source until the thirteenth century. As well as drawing upon Climacus, he incorporates in his work passages from Saint Mark the Ascetic and Saint Maximus the Confessor.1

Saints and Feasts of March 29

On the twenty-ninth the Athletes went to the heavens.

Holy Hieromartyr Mark the Bishop of Arethusa,
Cyril the Deacon and the Priests and
Virgins of Ashkalon and Gaza

Holy Hieromartyrs Mark the Bishop of Arethusa, Cyril the Deacon and the Priests and Virgins of Ashkalon and Gaza

Holy Martyrs Jonah, Barachisios
and the Nine With Them

Holy Martyrs Jonah, Barachisios and the Nine With Them from Persia

The Church of Saints Jonah and Barachisios in Farasa of Cappadocia

Venerable Eustathios the Confessor,
Bishop of Kio in Bithynia

Synaxarion of Saint Eustathios the Confessor, Bishop of Kio in Bithynia

Saint Diadochos, Bishop of Photiki

Saint Diadochos of Photiki Resource Page

Venerable Hesychios of Sinai

"On Watchfulness and Holiness" (St. Hesychios of Sinai)

Venerables Mark, Jonah and Bassa of the Pskov Caves

Saints Mark, Jonah and Bassa of the Pskov Caves

Venerable Niketas of the Roslavl Forests

Saint Niketas of the Roslavl Forests (+ 1793)

Saint Eutropia of Kherson

Saint Eutropia (Isayenkova) of Kherson Glorified By Ukrainian Church

March 28, 2018

The Woman Who Was Given the Choice To Imitate Either Her Father or Mother

By Palladius, Bishop of Helenopolis

It was related by a certain old man who said: There was a virgin who was far advanced in years, and who had grown old in the fear of God, and having been asked by me to tell me the reason why she left the world, she began, with sighs, to speak to me as follows: 'Great and marvelous things have happened unto me. When I was a young girl I had a father, who was a pleasant man, and who was modest in his disposition; now he was a delicate man in health, and he was always suffering from some kind of sickness, and he lived entirely to himself, and never interfered in the affairs of other people, and it was with the greatest difficulty that he could be induced to see the people of his village. When he was in good health he devoted his attention unceasingly to the care of his estate, and he occupied himself at all seasons with the cultivation of his fields; but finally he was obliged to pass many long days of his life laid out on a bed of sickness, and he was so quiet that those who were not acquainted with him would have thought that he was deaf. And I had a mother, who, in all her ways and manners, was the opposite of my father, and she used to do things which were beyond her capacity; her words to everyone were many, and she poured out her speech uselessly to every one, and she talked so much that everyone imagined that her body was composed wholly of tongues. Moreover, she had quarrels with her neighbors continually, and she was always in a state of drunkenness, and she drank shamelessly at all times with wanton folk, and she managed the affairs of her house badly, after the manner of a harlot. At length, though the house was well furnished with goods of every kind, it was with the greatest difficulty that the people could find enough to supply our wants. She was very lax in the care for the things which my father required in his illness, but she displayed the utmost attention in providing for her own body in a disgraceful manner, and the people of the village at length fled before her shameless appearance. No illness ever came upon her, and she had never been ill in the whole course of her life, from the day she was born, and she was healthy in body until her death.

Of the Virgin Who Fell, Made a False Accusation, and Repented

By Palladius, Bishop of Helenopolis

A certain virgin, the daughter of an elder in Caesarea of Palestine, having been beguiled and led astray by a man, fell, and he who had beguiled her instructed her to make an accusation against a certain reader of the church of the city. And the time having arrived when her conception became known, and being called upon to confess her matter by her father, she made the accusation against that reader, and the elder, her father, thereupon, like one who believed her implicitly, made the affair known to the Bishop. Then the Bishop laid his hand upon the shrine, and commanded that the reader should be called, and his affair having been enquired into, like one who was confident in his own integrity, he was unwilling to confess that he had done the wrong; for how was it possible for him to accuse himself of that which he had not done? And the Bishop becoming angry said unto him, “Will you not confess, O wretched and polluted man, you who are guilty and full of uncleanness?” And the reader answered him, saying, “Master, I have neither knowledge nor feeling about this matter, for my thoughts and mind are clean in respect thereof, and no thought concerning this woman has ever entered my mind. But if you wish to hear that which has never taken place, I will say that I myself committed the offense.” And having spoken thus, the Bishop straightway removed the reader from his position. Then the reader drew nigh and entreated the Bishop, saying, “Master, since I have stumbled and fallen, give the command that the woman be given unto me to wife, for I am no longer a cleric, and she is not a virgin.” So the Bishop gave the woman to the reader to wife, because he thought that he was held by love of her, and that he could not cut the affair concerning her out of his thoughts.

Saint John, Bishop of Manglisi (+ 1751)

St. John of Manglisi (Feast Day - March 28)

Saint John (Saakadze) of Manglisi was born in 1668 and spiritually nurtured in the Davit-Gareji Wilderness. Outstanding in virtue, John was quickly ordained a hieromonk, and soon after consecrated Bishop of Manglisi.

In 1724 Saint John left Davit-Gareji for Derbend, Dagestan, where he constructed a wooden church and began to preach Christianity among the local people. He labored there with eleven other pious believers. Saint John’s humble life and the miracles he performed attracted the attention of the Muslim Dagestanis, and even the government took notice of his tireless evangelical activity.

Holy Martyrs Priscus, Malchus and Alexander of Caesarea

By Eusebius of Caesarea

(Ecclesiastical History, Bk. 7, Ch. 12)

During the persecution under Valerian (253-260), three men in Caesarea of Palestine, being conspicuous in their confession of Christ, were adorned with divine martyrdom, becoming food for wild beasts. One of them was called Priscus, another Malchus, and the name of the third was Alexander. They say that these men, who lived in the country, acted at first in a cowardly manner, as if they were careless and thoughtless. For when the opportunity was given to those who longed for the prize with heavenly desire, they treated it lightly, lest they should seize the crown of martyrdom prematurely. But having deliberated on the matter, they hastened to Caesarea, and went before the judge and met the end we have mentioned.

Saints and Feasts of March 28

On the twenty-eighth Hilarion met his death.

Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of Pelekete

Saint Hilarion the New, Abbot of Pelekete (+ 754)

Holy Apostle Herodion of the Seventy

Holy Apostle Herodion of the Seventy

Venerable Hesychios of Jerusalem

Saint Hesychios the Theologian of Jerusalem

Holy Martyrs Priscus, Malchus
and Alexander of Caesarea

Holy Martyrs Priscus, Malchus and Alexander of Caesarea

Venerable Eustratius the Faster of the Kiev Caves

Saint Eustratius the Faster of the Kiev Caves (+ 1097)

Holy Martyr Boyan-Enravota, Prince of Bulgaria

Saint Boyan-Enravota, the First Bulgarian Martyr

Venerable Hilarion of Gdov and Pskov Lake

Saint Hilarion of Gdov and Pskov Lake (+ 1476)

Venerable Dionysios the Merciful,
Metropolitan of Larissa

Saint Dionysios the Merciful, Metropolitan of Larissa (+ 1510)

Venerable John, Bishop of Manglisi

Saint John, Bishop of Manglisi (+ 1751)

Venerable Gabriela the New

Saint Gabriela the New Resource Page

The Wondrous Occurrence of Taxiotis the Soldier

The Near Death Experience of Saint Taxiotis the Soldier

March 27, 2018

Concerning a Nun Who Fell and Repented

By Palladius, Bishop of Helenopolis

There was a certain virgin who was a nun, and who dwelt with two other nuns, and she had led a life of abstinence and voluntary self-denial for nine or ten years. And having been beguiled and led astray by a certain chanter of Psalms, she stumbled, and fell, and conceived, and gave birth to a child.

Now she hated with the fullest hatred him that had beguiled her. And she repented within herself with a perfect repentance, and she followed after repentance with such vigor that she went beyond the bounds of what was seemly, and she continued to observe fasts with such self-denial and strictness that she well nigh died of hunger.

Holy Abba John the Clairvoyant of Lycopolis in the Egyptian Thebaid (Rufinus of Aquileia)

By Rufinus of Aquileia

(The Lives of the Fathers, Bk. 2, Ch. 1)

As a foundation stone for our task let us take John as an example of everything that is good. For those who are religiously devoted to God, John will be more than sufficient as a guide to the heights of virtue and the summit of perfection. We met him in the desert parts of the Thebaid, living on the side of a steep mountain near the city of Lycus (Lycopolis). It was very difficult to get up to his monastery. The approach was so narrow and full of obstacles that no one had joined him there for all of the fifty years since his fortieth birthday. Whenever he heard people coming he would show himself from a window, from where he would offer a word about God, or give answers to those seeking counsel. No women ever got near enough for him to see them, and even men but rarely, and then only at certain fixed times. He did allow a guest house to be constructed at some distance where those who had come from afar could rest a while. He remained alone inside, occupied solely with God, ceasing not day or night from prayers and supplications to God, in total purity of thought seeking that divine essence which is above all thought. The further he cut himself off from all human cares and conversation the closer he came to God. To such a fine quality of mind had he attained that God gave him insights not only into present matters but also rewarded him with foreknowledge of things to come. God quite plainly gave him the gift of prophecy, so that he not only saw into the future of local citizens and country dwellers alike, when asked, but often predicted how the wars of the Emperor Theodosius would turn out, the manner in which he would gain his victories over petty kings, or how many invasions he would suffer from the tribes of the barbarians.

Holy Abba John the Clairvoyant of Lycopolis in the Egyptian Thebaid (Palladius of Helenopolis)

By Bishop Palladius of Helenopolis

(Lausiac History, Ch. 50)

John, who lived in the city of Lycopolis, and who had learned in his youth the craft of the carpenter, and whose brother was a dyer, afterwards, when he was about five and twenty years old, took upon himself the garb of monkhood; and having lived in diverse monasteries for five years, he finally departed by himself to the mountain which is in Lycopolis, to the lofty eminence which is on the top of the mountain, and made three cells for himself there. Now he built and prepared these for himself in the first year after he went to the mountain and went up into it. The first cell was for the needs of the body, in the second he labored at the work of his hands and took his food, and in the third he said his prayers, and during the three (or thirty) years in which he was in seclusion there he was wont to receive whatsoever was necessary for him through the window from him that ministered unto him.

Saint Paul the Sign-Bearer, Bishop of Corinth (+ c. 925)

St. Paul the Bishop of Corinth (Feast Day - March 27)

Verses

Paul was the natural brother of Peter,
Together they dwell in the city above.

Our Venerable Father Paul was born in Constantinople to devout and pious parents, and he had three brothers named Dionysios, Plato and the renowned Saint Peter the Wonderworker and Bishop of Argos (Jan. 3 and May 3). The entire family together decided to embrace the monastic life, though the older brothers Paul and Dionysios embraced it first, while the younger brothers Plato and Peter embraced it in imitation of them, followed by their parents.

Saints and Feasts of March 27

On the twenty-seventh Matrona died in prison.

Holy Martyr Matrona of Thessaloniki

Holy Martyr Matrona of Thessaloniki

Venerable Kyrikos of Apros

Venerable Kyrikos of Apros

Holy Martyrs Philetos the Senator, Lydia his wife,
Theoprepios and Makedonos their two sons,

Amphilochios the Duke and
Cronides the Prison Warden

Holy Martyrs Philetos, Lydia, Makedonos, Theoprepios, Cronides and Amphilochios

Holy Martyrs John and Baruch

Holy Martyrs John and Baruch

Holy Prophet Hanani

Holy Prophet Hanani

Venerable Paul the Sign-Bearer, Bishop of Corinth

Saint Paul the Sign-Bearer, Bishop of Corinth (+ c. 925)

Venerable Eutychios

Venerable Eutychios

Venerable Father John the Clairvoyant of Lycopolis

Holy Abba John the Clairvoyant of Lycopolis in the Egyptian Thebaid (Palladius of Helenopolis)

Holy Abba John the Clairvoyant of Lycopolis in the Egyptian Thebaid (Rufinus of Aquileia)

Saint Ambrose the Confessor,
Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia

Saint Ambrose the Confessor, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia (+ 1927)

March 26, 2018

The Drowning of Mary, A Woman Who Was a Sinner

By St. John Moschos

Palladius also told us that he had heard a certain sea captain once tell him about a voyage of his when he had several male and female passengers aboard. Out on the high seas other ships seemed to be sailing well under a favorable wind, some to Constantinople, some to Alexandria, some to other places, but he could make no progress at all.

"We stayed put for about fifteen days," he said, "unable to move from where we were. We became very depressed and desperate, not knowing whatever could be causing this. As captain responsible for the care of the ship and everyone in her I began to pray about it to God. And indeed on a certain day a voice came to me saying: 'Get rid of Mary and you will sail well.' 'What did that mean,' I thought, 'and who is Mary?' And as I turned this over in my mind the voice came again, saying: 'I tell you, get rid of Mary and you will be alright.'

The Conversion and Life of Mary the Harlot

By St. John Moschos

Two elders were traveling from Aegaion to Tarsus in Cilicia when, by the Providence of God, they stopped for rest at a small inn, for the heat was intense. There they found three young men who had with them a harlot. The elders settled themselves down apart and one of them got out his holy Gospel and began to read [aloud]. When the harlot who was with the young men saw the elder begin to read, she came and sat down near him, forsaking the young men. The elder, however, drove her off, saying to her:

Holy Martyrs Kodratos, Theodosios, Manuel and the Forty Martyrs With Them

Verses

To Kodratos.

I admire the bravery of Kodratos,
How the blessed one bravely subjected himself and was slaughtered.

To Theodosios.

Theodosios lived for God alone,
Giving up his life for Him by the sword.

To Manuel.

By the sword I shed forth a cup,
Manuel declared of his blood.

To the Forty.

Forty Martyrs by the sword,
Approached God, O the bravery!

Saint Stephen the Confessor and Wonderworker, Abbot of Triglia Monastery (+ 815)

St. Stephen the Confessor and Wonderworker (Feast Day - March 26)

Verses

Divine Stephen worker of the vineyard,

You stand before God receiving the wages for your toil.

Saint Stephen the Confessor was Abbot of Triglia Monastery in Bithynia during the reign of the iconoclast emperor Leo the Armenian (813-820). From a young age, the holy ascetic dedicated his life to God and received monastic tonsure. He later became abbot of the Triglia Monastery in Bithynia.

Saints and Feasts of March 26

On the twenty-sixth Gabriel rises to sing hymns for creation.

Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel

Synaxis In Honor of the Archangel Gabriel (March 26)

Why We Celebrate the Archangel Gabriel's Synaxis Twice

Archangels Michael and Gabriel Resource Page

Holy Twenty-Six Martyrs of Gothia

Holy 26 Martyrs of Gothia in the Crimea

Holy Martyrs Kodratos, Theodosios, Manuel

and the Forty Martyrs With Them

Holy Martyrs Kodratos, Theodosios, Manuel and the Forty Martyrs With Them

Venerable Stephen the Confessor, Abbot of Triglia

Saint Stephen the Confessor and Wonderworker, Abbot of Triglia Monastery (+ 815)

Holy Hieromartyr Theodore of Cyrene with the

Holy Martyrs Irenaeus the Deacon and

Serapion and Ammonius the Readers

Holy Hieromartyr Theodore of Cyrene with the Holy Martyrs Irenaeus the Deacon and Serapion and Ammonius the Readers

Holy Hieromartyr Montanus and Maxima his Wife

Holy Hieromartyr Montanus and Maxima his Wife

Holy Martyr Eutychios the Subdeacon

Holy Martyr Eutychios the Subdeacon of Alexandria (+ 356)

Venerable Basil the New

Saint Basil the New (+ 944) - with some critical notes

On Gaining Riches as a Pretext for Almsgiving

Holy New Martyr George of Sofia in Bulgaria

Holy New Martyr George of Sofia in Bulgaria (+ 1437)

A Profitable Tale of the Monk Malchus
Who Was Disobedient

A Profitable Tale of the Monk Malchus Who Was Disobedient

March 25, 2018

The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

The feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary is a feast of the Lord and of the Mother of God (Theotokos). It is a feast of the Lord because Christ who was conceived in the womb of the Theotokos. It is a feast of the Theotokos because it refers to the person who aided in the conception and Incarnation of the Word of God, that is, the All Holy Virgin Mary.

Mary (the Theotokos) has great value and an important position in the Church, precisely because she was the person whom all generations awaited, and she gave human nature to the Word of God. Thus the person of the Theotokos is associated closely with the Person of Christ. Furthermore, the value of the Virgin Mary is not only due to her virtues, but also mainly to the fruit of her womb. For this reason, Theotokology is very closely associated with Christology. When we speak of Christ we cannot ignore her who gave Him flesh. And when we speak of the Virgin Mary, we simultaneously refer to Christ, because from Him she draws Grace and value. This shows clearly in the service of the Salutations, in which the Theotokos is hymned, but always in combination with the fact that she is the mother of Christ: "Rejoice, for you are the throne of the king. Rejoice for you bear Him Who bears all things".

Homily on the Annunciation (St. John of Kronstadt)

By St. John of Kronstadt

The mystery that transpired upon this day awes not only the human mind; it likewise astonishes all angelic, exalted minds. They, too, are amazed at how God, Who is without beginning — Who is unencompassable, unapproachable — how He could lower Himself to the status of a servant and become a man, without ceasing to be God — and without in any way diminishing His Divine glory.

How could the Virgin contain within Her most-pure womb the unbearable fire of Divinity and remain unscathed — and, throughout all ages to come, be the Mother of God-incarnate?

Sermon on the Annunciation (St. Proclus of Constantinople)

By St. Proclus of Constantinople

Our present gathering in honor of the Most Holy Virgin inspires me, brethren, to say of Her a word of praise, of benefit also for those come unto this churchly solemnity.

It comprises a praise of women, a glorying of their gender, which (glory) is brought it by Her, She Who is at one same time both Mother, and Virgin. O desired and wondrous gathering! Celebrate, O nature, that wherein honor be rendered to Woman; rejoice, O human race, that wherein the Virgin be glorified. "For when sin did abound, grace did superabound" (Rom 5:20). The Holy Mother of God and Virgin Mary hath gathered us here, She the pure treasure of virginity, the intended paradise of Second Adam -- the locus, wherein was accomplished the co-uniting of natures, wherein was affirmed the Counsel of salvific reconciliation.