Homily 42: On the Nativity of the Mother of God

By: St. Gregory Palamas

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Length: 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Opening passage "THE time is always right to make a beginning of a way of life that will lead to salvation. To prove this, the great Paul says, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). “Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us do the works of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day” (cf. Rom. 13:12–13). He does not mean that one particular hour or day is the acceptable time, but the whole period after the manifestation of Our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ. When the visible sun has risen upon earth it is time for men to do physical work, as David tells us: “The sun ariseth, and man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening” (Ps. 104:22–23). In the same way, since the Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2) appeared to us in the flesh, all the time following His appearing is appropriate for spiritual work. The same Prophet makes this point in another passage where, after saying of the Lord’s Coming, “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner” (Ps. 118:22), he adds, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24). In the case of the visible sun, which is interrupted by the night, he says, “Man goes forth unto his work until the evening”, but as the Sun of righteousness knows no evening, and has, according to the Epistle, “no variableness neither shadow of turning” (Jas. 1:17), it offers an unbroken opportunity for spiritual labour. "If, however, it were necessary to name the most appropriate season of all, and if, just as there is a time to sow and a time to reap, a time to plant and a time to harvest, and a time for everything else (cf. Eccl. 3:1–8), you are looking for a season especially suited for beginning a good work, then it is autumn, particularly this month, which is our first month and the start of the year, when our salvation had its origin, as we celebrate today. This sacred feast and holiday that we are keeping is the first to commemorate our recall and re-creation according to grace, for on it all things began to be made new, enduring precepts began to be brought in instead of temporary ones, the spirit instead of the letter, the truth instead of shadows. "Today a new world and a mysterious paradise have been revealed, in which and from which a New Adam came into being, re-making the Old Adam and renewing the universe. He is not led astray by the deceiver, but deceives him, and bestows freedom on those enslaved to sin through his treachery. Today a paradoxical book has been made ready on earth, which in an indescribable way can hold, not the imprint of words, but the living Word Himself; not a word consisting of air, but the heavenly Word; not a word that perishes as soon as it is formed, but the Word Who snatches those who draw near Him from perdition; not a word made by the movement of a man’s tongue, but the Word begotten of God the Father before all ages. Today the living Tabernacle of God not made with hands appears, the inspired human Ark of the true Bread of Life sent down from heaven for us (cf. John 6:32ff). Today, according to the Psalms, “Truth has sprung up from the earth”, the true image of human nobility which comes from above, “and righteousness has looked down from heaven” (Ps. 85:11 Lxx). This righteousness has deposed the unrighteous ruler from his unjust dominion, after being wrongfully condemned by him and rightly condemning him, and having bound the strong and evil one, plundered his goods (cf. Matt. 12:29), and transformed them, rendering them receptive to divine righteousness. Thus Christ took sin’s prisoners to live with Him for ever, justifying them by faith in Him, but He bound the prince of sin with inescapable bonds, and delivered him to eternal fire without light. Today, as prophesied, out of the “stem of Jesse” a rod has come forth (cf. Isa. 11:1), from which a flower has grown which knows no wilting. This rod recalls our ...