Homily I — Her childhood in the temple and the angel's greeting
So it is that the Mother of God comes forth from a promise. For an angel announces the conception of her who is to be born. For it was fitting that she who was to give birth, according to the flesh, to the only and truly perfect God should fall short of no one even in this, nor take second place. Then she is dedicated to the holy temple of God, and there she lives, showing a zeal and a way of life better and purer than the rest, kept clear of all unseemly company of men and women. But when she reached the prime of her youth, and the law barred her from staying any longer within the sanctuary, the company of the priests entrusted her to Joseph as her betrothed, which is to say, as the guardian of her virginity: a man who, compared with the others, had kept the law untarnished into old age. With him this holy and all-blameless maiden lived, keeping to the tasks of the house and knowing nothing of what lay outside its doors.
But “when the fullness of time had come,” as the divine Apostle says (Galatians 4:4), the angel Gabriel was sent from God (Luke 1:26) to this girl, who was truly God's own child, and said to her: “Rejoice, you who are full of grace; the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). Beautiful is the angel's greeting to her who is above the angels, for it brings joy to the whole world. But she was troubled at the word (Luke 1:29), for she was not used to speaking with men; she had firmly resolved to keep her virginity. And she wondered within herself what kind of greeting this might be (Luke 1:29). And the angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace with God” (Luke 1:30).
Greek
Ἐντεῦθεν ἡ Θεοτόκος ἐξ ἐπαγγελίας προέρχεται. Ἄγγελος γὰρ καταμηνύει τῆς γενησομένης τὴν σύλληψιν. Ἔπρεπε γὰρ κἂν τούτῳ μὴ ἐλαττοῦσθαί τινος, ἢ φέρειν τὰ δεύτερα, τὴν τοῦ μόνου καὶ ὄντως τελείου Θεοῦ ἐσομένην κατὰ σάρκα λοχεύτριαν. Εἶτα τῷ ἱερῷ ναῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνατίθεται, κἀνταῦθα διατρίβει, κρείττονα καὶ καθαρωτέραν τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιδεικνυμένη σπουδὴν καὶ ἀναστροφὴν, ἁπάσης ἐπιμιξίας ἀνδρῶν καὶ θηλειῶν ἀτόπων ἀπηλλαγμένη. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ τῆς ἡλικίας ἡ ἀκμὴ κατελάμβανε, καὶ μένειν τῶν ἀνακτόρων ἔνδον νομίμως ἀπείργετο, μνηστῆρι, ταὐτὸν δὲ εἰπεῖν φύλακι τῆς παρθενίας, πρὸς τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν ἱερέων τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ἐγχειρίζεται, ὃς τὸν νόμον ἀπαραχάρακτον μέχρι γήρως ἐν συγκρίσει τῶν ἄλλων ἐφύλαττε. Πρὸς τοῦτον ἡ ἱερὰ αὕτη καὶ παναμώμος νεᾶνις διέτριβε, τοῖς κατ' οἶκον στοιχοῦσα, καὶ τῶν πρὸ τῆς οἰκίας εἰδυῖα μηδέν.
Ὅτε δὲ ἦλθε τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ὥς φησιν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, ἀπεστάλη ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄγγελος Γαβριὴλ πρὸς ταύτην τὴν ὄντως θεόπαιδα, καί φησι πρὸς αὐτήν· Χαῖρε, κεχαριτωμένη, ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ. Καλὸν τὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου, πρὸς τὴν ὑπὲρ ἄγγελον πρόσφθεγμα. Χαρὰν γὰρ φέρει παγκόσμιον. Ἡ δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ ἐταράχθη, τῆς πρὸς ἄνδρας ὁμιλίας ἀήθης ὑπάρχουσα. Ἀσφαλῶς γὰρ τηρεῖν τὴν παρθενίαν προῄρητο. Διελογίζετο δὲ ἐν ἑαυτῇ ποταπὸς εἴη ὁ ἀσπασμὸς οὗτος. Καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν ὁ ἄγγελος· Μὴ φοβοῦ, Μαριάμ· εὗρες γὰρ χάριν παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ.