Homily I — Praise offered like a farmer's gift
For neither human tongue nor the mind of the angels above the world can praise her as she deserves, she through whom it has been given to us to behold clearly, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). What then? Shall we keep silent, shrinking back in fear, because we cannot praise her as she deserves? Not at all. Shall we then, as the saying goes, step beyond the threshold, ignore our proper limits, lay hands freely on what may not be touched, and spit out the bridle of fear? By no means. Rather, let us blend fear with longing, and weave from the two a single crown; and with holy reverence, with a trembling hand and a longing soul, let us gratefully pay, as a debt, the poor first-fruits of our mind to the Queen and Mother, the benefactress of all nature.
For there is a story that some farmers, cutting furrows in the earth with their ploughing oxen, saw a king passing by, solemnly arrayed in purple, shining with the splendour of his diadem, and surrounded on every side by a countless throng of guards. Since they had nothing at hand to bring the ruler as a gift, one of them at once drew up water in his hands (for streams flowed abundantly close by) and brought it to the sovereign as a gift. The king said to him, "What is this, my boy?" And he answered boldly, "I have brought what I had, judging it best not to let my poverty hide my eagerness. For you have no need of what is ours, and want nothing from us but our goodwill. But for us, what we do is at once a debt and a source of praise; for glory usually follows those who are grateful." Then the king, in wonder, praised his wisdom, accepted his eagerness with goodwill, and generously repaid him with a great many gifts.
If, then, that haughty tyrant preferred goodwill to costliness, will not this truly good Lady, the Mother of the only good God, whose condescension is boundless, who preferred the two small coins to the many offerings (Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4), much rather accept our intention, judging it not by our ability? Yes indeed, she will accept us as those who bring what they owe, and she will repay us with what is beyond compare. Since, then, it is altogether necessary to speak, so as to discharge the debt, come, let us turn our speech to her in this way.
Greek
Ταύτην γὰρ οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνη γλῶττα, οὐκ ἀγγέλων νοῦς ὑπερκοσμίων, κατ' ἀξίαν εὐφημῆσαι δύναται, δι' ἧς ἡμῖν δέδοται τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου τηλαυγῶς ἐνοπτρίζεσθαι. Τί τοίνυν; σιγήσομεν ἄρα, ὅτι μὴ πρὸς ἀξίαν εὐφημῆσαι δυνάμεθα, φόβῳ συστελλόμενοι; Ἥκιστα. Ὑπερβάθμιον δὲ τὸν πόδα τείνωμεν, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους ἀγνοήσωμεν ὅρους, καὶ τῶν ἀθίκτων ἀνέδην ἀψώμεθα, τῷ φόβῳ τὸν χαλινὸν ἀποπτύσαντες; Οὐδαμῶς. Πόθῳ δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν φόβον κεράσαντες, καὶ σύνθετον ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἕνα πλέξαντες στέφανον, μεθ' ἱερᾶς εὐλαβείας τρεμούσῃ χειρὶ, καὶ ποθούσῃ ψυχῇ, τῆς ἡμετέρας διανοίας τὸ εὐτελὲς ἀκροθίνιον τῇ βασιλίδι μητρὶ, εὐεργέτιδι πάσης τῆς φύσεως, εὐγνωμόνως εἰς ὀφειλὴν ἀποτίσωμεν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ λόγος ἐστὶν, ἀγρώτας τινὰς τοῖς ἀροτῆρσι βουσὶ τῆς γῆς τοὺς αὔλακας τέμνοντας, βασιλέα παριόντα θεάσασθαι, σεμνῶς μὲν τῇ ἁλουργίδι κοσμούμενον, φαιδρυνόμενον δὲ τῇ αἴγλῃ τοῦ διαδήματος, καὶ τῷ ἀπείρῳ πλήθει τῶν δορυφόρων κύκλῳ περιστοιχιζόμενον, ἐπεὶ παρῆν οὐδὲν, ὃ τότε τῷ μέδοντι δωροφορήσωσιν, ἀμελλητὶ ταῖς χερσὶν ὕδωρ ἀπαρυσάμενον ἕνα (παρέῤῥει γὰρ ἐγγύθεν ἀφθόνως τὰ νάματα), δῶρον κεκομικέναι τῷ αὐτοκράτορι. Πρὸς ὃν φάναι τὸν βασιλέα· Τί τοῦτο, ὦ παῖ; τὸν δὲ θαρσαλέως ἀνταποκρίνασθαι· Ὅ μοι παρῆν, τοῦτο κεκόμικα, κρίνας ἄριστα τῇ ἐνδείᾳ τὴν προθυμίαν μὴ ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι. Σὺ γὰρ τῶν ἡμετέρων οὐκ ἐπιδεὴς, οὐδὲ ἐθέλων τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν ἢ τὴν εὔνοιαν. Ἡμῖν δὲ χρέος ἐστὶν ἅμα καὶ ἔπαινος τὸ τελούμενον. Δόξα γὰρ οἶδεν ἐπακολουθεῖν ὡς τὰ πολλὰ τοῖς εὐγνώμοσιν. Εἶτα τὸν βασιλέα θαυμάσαντα, ἐπαινέσαι μὲν τὸ σοφὸν, ἀποδέξασθαι δὲ μετ' εὐνοίας τὴν προθυμίαν, πλείσταις δ' ὅσαις δωρεαῖς φιλοτίμως αὐτὸν ἀνταμείψασθαι. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐκεῖνος ὁ ὑπέροφρυς τύραννος τῆς πολυτελείας προκέκρικε τὴν εὔνοιαν, αὕτη ἡ ὄντως ἀγαθὴ Δέσποινα, ἡ τοῦ μόνου ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ Μήτηρ, οὗ ἡ συγκατάβασις ἄπειρος, τοῦ τὰ δύο λεπτὰ τῶν πολλῶν καρπωμάτων προκρίναντος, οὐ μᾶλλον ἡμῶν ἀποδέξεται τὴν πρόθεσιν, οὐ τὴν δύναμιν κρίνουσα; Ναὶ μὴν ἀποδέξεται, ὡς ὀφειλὴν μὲν προσάγοντας, ἀντιμετρήσει τὰ ἀσύγκριτα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ λέγειν ἐκ παντὸς ἀναγκαῖον, ὥστε τὸ χρέος ἀφοσιώσασθαι, φέρε πρὸς αὐτὴν τὸν λόγον τρέψωμεν ὧδε.