Homily II — The apostles gather like eagles
And what honours were paid to her then by the One who made it law to honour parents (Exodus 20:12)? There were those who had been scattered over all the earth to fish for men (Matthew 4:19) through the many-voiced and varied tongues of the Spirit, and who with the net of the word were catching men alive (Luke 5:10) out of the depth of error, for the spiritual and heavenly table of the mystical supper, the sacred banquet of the spiritual wedding of the heavenly Bridegroom, which the Father gives, splendidly and most royally, for the Son who is equal to him in power and one with him in nature (Matthew 22:2): these a divine command drove toward Jerusalem, like a net or a cloud, pressing and gathering them like eagles from the ends of the earth. For 'where the body is,' said Christ the Truth, 'there the eagles will be gathered' (Matthew 24:28). For although this saying was spoken beforehand about the second, great and glorious coming of the very One who said it, and his descent from heaven, it will not be out of place to take it up here too, as a seasoning for the discourse. So there were present the eyewitnesses and servants of the Word (Luke 1:2), to serve his mother as well, as was their duty, and to draw from her the blessing as a costly and priceless inheritance. For whose mind is in doubt that she is the spring of blessing and the source from which all good things well up? With them were present their followers and successors too, to share both the service and the blessing; for those who share the labour share alike in the fruits. And there stood by as well the whole company of God's chosen in Jerusalem. It was fitting, too, that the foremost of the righteous and the prophets of old should attend and share in this sacred escort, those, that is, who had foretold that God the Word would be born from her in the flesh, for our sake and in his love for mankind. Nor was the assembly of the angels left without a share. For all of them who obeyed the King of their own will, and so were worthy to stand in his honoured presence, had to escort his Mother according to the flesh, truly all-blessed and happy, more excellent than all generations and the whole creation. All stood by her as she shone with the beacon-fire of the Spirit and with brilliant flashes lit up those who, with reverence and fear and unwavering longing, fixed on her the pure eye of the mind. For there is nothing among the things that are which is not of this nature, except the One alone: for by being beyond them it is none of the things that are, and, set beside nothing, it comes down, and indeed comes down to all, acting and not admitting of being acted upon.
Greek
Τίνα δὲ τὰ ἐπ' αὐτῇ γέρα τότε τελούμενα πρὸς τοῦ γεραίρειν τοὺς τεκόντας θεσμοθετήσαντος; Τοὺς μὲν ἁπανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς πρὸς ἀνθρώπων ἁλείαν διασπαρέντας ταῖς πολυαρμονίαις καὶ ποικίλαις γλώσσαις τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ τῇ τοῦ λόγου σαγήνῃ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ζωγροῦντας ἐκ τοῦ τῆς πλάνης βυθοῦ πρὸς τὴν πνευματικὴν καὶ ἐπουράνιον τράπεζαν τοῦ δείπνου τοῦ μυστικοῦ τῆς ἱερᾶς πανδαισίας τῶν πνευματικῶν τοῦ οὐρανίου νυμφίου γάμων, οὓς ὁ Πατὴρ τῷ ἰσοσθενεῖ καὶ ὁμοφυεῖ Υἱῷ λαμπρῶς ἑστιᾷ, καὶ λίαν βασιλικώτατα θεῖον πρόσταγμα πρὸς Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ὥσπερ τις σαγήνη ἢ νεφέλη κατήπειγεν, ἐκ τῶν τερμάτων τῆς γῆς οἷά τινας ἀετοὺς συνωθοῦσα καὶ συναθροίζουσα. Ὅπου γὰρ τὸ πτῶμα, Χριστὸς ἡ ἀλήθεια ἔφησε, τοὺς ἀετοὺς συναχθήσεσθαι. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ περὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ τοῦ ταῦτα λέξαντος δευτέρας μεγάλης καὶ ἐπιφανοῦς παρουσίας, καὶ οὐρανόθεν καταφοιτήσεως, ἡ ῥῆσις ἥδε προλέλεκται, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀτόπως ὥσπερ ἡδύσματι τοῦ λόγου κἀνταῦθα παραληφθήσεται. Παρῆσαν τοίνυν οἱ αὐτόπται καὶ τοῦ λόγου θεράποντες, κατ' ὀφειλὴν καὶ τῇ τούτου μητρὶ λειτουργήσοντες, καὶ κλῆρον ὥσπερ τινὰ πολυτελῆ καὶ ὑπέρτιμον τὴν εὐλογίαν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀρυσόμενοι. Τίνι γάρ ἐστιν ἡ γνώμη ἀμφίβολος, ὡς αὕτη τῆς εὐλογίας πηγὴ καὶ πάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν ὑπάρχει ἀνάβλυσις; Συμπαρῆσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ τούτων ὀπαδοὶ καὶ διάδοχοι, τῆς λειτουργίας ἅμα καὶ τῆς εὐλογίας μεθέξοντες. Ὧν γὰρ κοινὸς ὁ πόνος, καὶ αἱ ἐπικαρπίαι κατάλληλοι. Παρειστήκει δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὅσον θεόλεκτον σύστημα. Ἐχρῆν δὲ καὶ τῶν πάλαι δικαίων καὶ προφητῶν τοὺς ἀκρέμονας συμπαρομαρτεῖν, ταύτης τῆς ἱερᾶς δορυφορίας μεθέξοντας, τοὺς προκατηγγελκότας δηλαδὴ τὴν ἐξ αὐτῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου δι' ἡμᾶς ἔνσαρκόν τε καὶ φιλάνθρωπον γέννησιν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀγγέλων ὁμήγυρις ἄμοιρος. Ὅσον γὰρ τῷ βασιλεῖ κατὰ γνώμην ὑπήκουον, κἀντεῦθεν τῆς αὐτοῦ τιμαλφοῦς παραστάσεως ἄξιον, ἔδει δορυφορεῖν τὴν τούτου κατὰ σάρκα Μητέρα, τὴν πανολβίαν ὄντως καὶ μάκαρα, τὴν πασῶν γενεῶν καὶ κτίσεως ἁπάσης προφερεστέραν. Ταύτῃ παρειστήκεισαν ἅπαντες, τῇ φρυκτωρίᾳ λαμπομένῃ τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ τοῖς ἐκλάμπροις μαρμαρυγαῖς καταλαμπούσῃ τοὺς αἰδοῖ τε, καὶ φόβῳ, καὶ ἀκλινεῖ τῷ πόθῳ εἰλικρινὲς αὐτῇ ὄμμα νοητὸν ἐνερείδοντας. Ἔστι γὰρ τῶν ὄντων οὐδὲν, ὃ μὴ τοῦτο πέφυκεν, ἢ τὸ μόνον ἕν· ὅτι μηδὲν τῶν ὄντων τῷ ὑπερεῖναι, καὶ πρὸς οὐδὲν παρατιθέμενον κάτεισι, καὶ κατιόν γε πρὸς ἅπαντα, καὶ ποιοῦν, καὶ μὴ τὸ δρᾶσθαι δεχόμενον.