On Palm Sunday

Of the Hosannas Homily 21. Of the Hosannas. It is his, when it is his, the homily of twenty-one, and it is fitting for the Hosannas. Beginning: The Son, from the mouth of the begetters, strengthened the one who is before you in the Hosannas. My brethren. A glorious shoot from the Father, a Son not separated from his begetter. The eternal Word of the Father, whose essence is established with his Father. He shone like the sun in his divinity, and filled the world with his glory. He extinguished and caused darkness to vanish from the rays of his praise. And when the eye was unable to behold him, it grew dark and became troubled at his nature. From the beginnings he put on from them, covering the radiance of his greatness. His glory he showed to creatures, not the nature of his concealment. And the power of his lordship he made known to us, not the limit of his essence. The garment of the body he put on through love, the Word of the Father, and dwelt in it. And he interpreted by his hand to the mute, the power of the knowledge of his wisdom. The vessel of flesh for the silent one, love mounted for his revelation. To gladden by his melodies both spirits and bodies. With mortal bodies he bound the will of his concealment. And angels and men marvelled at the sweetness of his utterances. He imprinted the image of his essence, his weight from all by means of love. And by her he gladdened the creatures, when she was embittered by sins. The wickedness of men was disturbed, the ruler of the whole inhabited world. And his glory dwelt in a human, that he might rule by it over creatures. The hidden mystery of wonder came to revelation in his incarnation.

At his sight the heavenly and earthly ones were enflamed. The books of truth proclaimed his coming, teaching you of the future that was to come. And they completed and fulfilled the words of the prophets who proclaimed his mysteries. It was the request of the one who reigned, and from the seed of David it was revealed. As they spoke before the ages through the mouth of all his saints. Through his birth he freed from error and sanctified through the mysteries of his baptism. And he made for us a pattern of purifications through his radiant and holy fast. And when he saw how the demons were overthrown by the rod upon the race, he desired that through the sign of humility he might abolish the pride of the rebel. For he rode upon a wild ass and entered the city of Jerusalem. The youths, boys, and children were holding branches in their hands, while they cried out, "Hosanna," to the king who was from David. For on this day the word of the righteous Jacob was fulfilled, that he would come from before, concerning his coming to us. Therefore the tribe that reigned over Judah did not cease, and the revelation of hidden things, and the coming from the house of his feet, until he whose it is should come, his royal authority. And then the king ceased, and the coming from Judah, for his is the eternal kingdom without end for generations. And he is the completion of mysteries and the fulfillment of all peoples. And as Jacob was revealed, as he learned from the revelation.

Like his word there is none in Judah, neither a king nor a priest. Judah could not say that he has a king from his race, nor can he show that a priest is in his tribe. But from now on a priest and a king are appointed for him, as they were promised. By this the priesthood of the father Jacob is confirmed. Do not be divided in your thoughts, son of the Hebrew, who is naturally inclined to circumcision. Remain clearly distinct in the words of the righteous Jacob. See the signs that were given beforehand, and prepare yourself for the one who is to come, who is destined to come and abolish priests and kings from your people. For he said that he would bind his yoke with this one, the son of his sign, and he would not cease to shake the yokes and cut off the remission from it. By this sign he shows us the power of all that he has done. And just as he subdues the upper one, he also subdues the lower ones under his kingdom. And he rides today upon the yoke and upon the gates of Jerusalem, so that the word spoken by the priest in spirit before the ages may not be annulled. Zechariah the priest, son of Jacob, also examines like his father, and proclaims concerning him, saying joyfully in his priesthood: He shook from the midst of his censer and raised his voice, saying: Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Zion, and shout for joy, for your king has come. Behold, your deliverer has arrived and rides upon the sons of his sign. Open your gates, Jerusalem, for the deliverer has come to you.

Rejoice well now, daughter of Zion, and cry out to him a fitting glory. Receive his sweet fragrance and bow down to him with a pure heart. Daughter of Zion did not ask whence is the sign of that king. And he began to appease her with his words: that which he accomplished at his coming. Humble, your king, more than kings, and by his will he humbled himself. And he rode upon a lowly ass, while ruling over height and depth. He set aside from you all your burdens and the afflictions of your dignities for you. And do not be afraid because of the peoples who persecuted you. Righteous and humble and a saviour is your king. And with the peoples he speaks peace, that they also might be his. And he said again that with Uriah he would destroy the swift horse. And with Ephraim he would raise his chariot and cause that it should not be again. For before the factions, Jerusalem loved iniquity. When she heard the sign of the king that Zacharias proclaimed in spirit. Uriah fulfilled in deed also the words that were to be verified concerning his coming. And when he came to enter Jerusalem, the elders of Zion did not receive him. They therefore darkened her glory, that of the king who came against them, and they cried out from the river, the children who would praise him with hosannas. The youths repaid him the glory that the elders of the daughter of Zion owed him. And the sound of the praise that was fitting for his honour was heard.

They stopped their mouths, the oppressors, the priests, and the scribes and the Pharisees. And the children rose up, companies upon companies, to go out to meet him with hosannas. "Blessed is the one who came in the name of the Lord," cried out to him the pure in soul. And the path of the king's son was adorned with a new glory; they praised him. The trees that they cut down for him, branches of olive and of palm, ran before him, so that with their fruits the path of the heavenly king might be strewn. They wove crowns and offered them for glory, the children with the branches of their tongues, while rejoicing in him, in the Messiah, because they saw him among their schools. Not every time that the Lord entered Jerusalem did they go out to his path as the children went out on this day that you have praised. On this day, indeed, a multitude of schools went out to his path, that they might see the glory of his greatness in Lazarus the dead who lived. They went out, then, though they were not able to understand what was the cause of their going out. For his power stirred them that they went out to his path with hosannas. Some carried branches of olive, and some palm fronds, and some again made their garments resemble that path on which the Lord walked. There were also, again, young men who sang with cymbals. And with the sound of their hosannas, the city of Zion was shaken. The Pharisees and scribes stopped their mouths from the praise of the Savior, and the children praised in their stead with an indescribable wonder. The praise of the children was stirred up to the fathers.

In that they cried out a new praise, which men had never heard from the beginning. Above nature they spoke, the children before Christ. A new voice which the tongue of man had not spoken like it. A new praise the children sang to the new king from David. With a joyful mouth which had not yet let a word escape from it. Hosanna to them in the heights. The children cried out in their cries. Hosanna again to the son of David, whose interpretation is praise. Zachariah cried out to his daughter, that she might praise with the children. The bride, being deaf, did not heed the voice of her father the priest. For she was running in the streets after that which had come, a difficult thing. And because of this she did not heed that she might receive her betrothed. For immediately her heart was captivated, and she loved him cheaply. For this reason she did not hear the priest who cried out, "Rejoice!" For in the form of the four-faced one, the old man was her father, and she was not willing to open the door for Christ who came to her. She was intent on her idols, to serve them in fear. And the glory of her Lord she did not regard, and from his radiance she turned away her face. She openly worshipped the star, and made lamentation for Tammuz. She loved the king of the house of Malkom with false love, and offered sacrifices to Baal. In Egyptian enchantments she was vain in her faith. And it was not fitting that praise be sung to the son with the children.

In the sacrifices of demons she was eager, and she did not turn to the good. Nor did she go out to learn the branches with the children in the streets. The servants bless and praise the king who descended to her. And the daughter of Zion was a dancer, and with her timbrels she was playing. And the gates were shut to her doors while she was awakened from sleep. And she who was sleeping in her error with evil demons of love. The daughter of Zion rejoiced and did not grieve; she loved calves and colts. And she cried out over the coming to her city of the pure bridegroom. For she knew that he would separate her, and over this her mind was troubled. And when she was amazed by the children, she did not wish to be oppressed. Her heart was set on silence, and she was silent, keeping quiet from praise. She was vexed at those who praised, that they might be silent from his praise. And she did not wish to praise the king who came for her salvation. And she was eager that the praise which the children were singing should cease. These were praising with joy, and she was angry at their voices. And she threatened them as if they would be silent, but the children sang all the more. That they might be silent, she alone wished, and she was agitated in her anxiety. And she sought pretexts according to her will, that their hearts might be silenced. Those who praised did not cease from the praise of the son of David. For truly a fire went forth to praise him with their voices.

She was a wonder at his entry, and a marvel to the Pharisees, that the heavens and the earth were not sufficient to contain her joy. The youths rejoiced and the children were glad in her, and they danced before the king's son, like David before the ark. A new hymn of praise, fitting for her, the streets sang to him, and to the son of David, in their love, they raised their voices in his praise. With David his father, they praised the son of David in their acclamations, and they cried out with their trumpets, in the streets of the high walls, with a loud voice of cymbals, with lyres and harps, and with flutes and instruments of song, in the tones of their melody, with tambourines and cymbals of sound, with sweet melodies they sang to him who was crowned in his humility and subdued the rebellions of the rebellious one. While their branches were in their hands and their hosannas in their mouths, with myrtles and olives and all trees, they proclaimed the glory of his greatness. For it was their custom to honor their idols, with hearts not of fig trees, and with organs they went out to meet him. He received glory from the youths and acclamations from their elders, and the angels marveled in heaven at the wonders of his entry. At the great wonder, the watchers stood on the day of the entry of our Savior, when they saw him riding on a colt and turning through the streets of the city. The high ones looked and saw him, humble and peaceful in his gentleness.

Among the houses of the youths, they marveled at his humility. The angels were astonished at the sight, that on both sides he is praised. From the heights, from the clouds, and from below, from the youths and children, all were looking, therefore, at his great chariot in heaven. Seeing him in the garment of the body, while the branches are shaken, he who rides the heavens of heavens in his concealment, he rides upon the colt in his humanity. And the dominion of his divinity rules the height and the depth. In heaven, his lightnings are humble, and on earth, with palms and branches, when they cried out "Hosanna" to him, hands and branches equally. The cherubim and seraphim tremble, who bear his chariot in the heights, and they cry out his praise in the depths. The youths and children without fear. But the daughter of Zion, when she saw him, envied him as he was praised, and she wished that his praise would cease from all mouths and praisers. She was not content with the upper ones nor with the lower ones who praise. For the path of the chariot of the Savior, which is full of wonder and marvel, that the youths might be silenced, for many are the crosses, and that their mouths might be filled with truth, their voices were not silenced. The great ones among the angels praise the Son in his holy place, and within the streets of the daughter of Zion, simple voices with Hosannas. From the thanksgivings of the daughter of Tebow, he was praised by the children.

They were envious of him because of the children. The glory that is not yours has been snatched away. They were jealous of the youths, as if they had been robbed of her praise. When they thought that they had silenced it, the glory of his honor departed. O wicked Jews, true witnesses of the light. Where does the praise of him cease, with which heaven and earth are filled? To the disciples and to the children, you leave off in your freedom. Behold, he has censers in the height, which without ceasing praise him. Thousands of angels and ten thousands of seraphs. Behold, they sanctify him with their voices, around the throne of his honor. You do not know the great mystery, that he was praised by earthly ones, because for their sake he put on a body, to save them from death. The Pharisees heard and were amazed at the insolence of the youths. How they burned with envy and turned away from their Savior. For her praise from the censers, and the youths, and the children, the witnesses of the soul heard and listened, and they did not [???] to the elder. With an evil and bitter heart, they approached the one who subdues all. The youths said to him, "It is not fitting that you be praised thus." Our Lord turned and said to them, "You have not read anything that is written. For from all the children, the sound of the praise of the Lord goes forth. The order of the sacrifice follows, in which all the seasons stand. And if these have been silenced, these stones will cry out.

And this is the truth, as our Savior said: if these stones had been silent, the stones would have spoken her praise. It was a sacrifice in which it was fitting that the praise be taken from all. And if the children had tasted, the stones would have cried out her glory. If the youths and children had not praised among the palm branches, the pure branches would have praised on the day of his entry. The Lord of kings humbled himself, and in his humility he rode a colt. And the stones that had been robbed of glory were envious of his humility on their behalf. The leaders of the peoples who submitted to the law were guilty along with the stones, for they spoke about his praise at the sacrifice that came against them. And the priests who tasted his glory were guilty of praising. The youths cried out praises to him, the son of the king, for their salvation. And if the praisers had been silent, praise would not have been lost from the mouth, for the stones would have cried out to him with trembling, salvation for the king of kings. The whole creation was amazed at the humility of his coming, for it was stirred to give praise with a loud voice in hosannas. For to those who know, the word that our Savior spoke is true: that if he had commanded, the rocks would have cried out and the stones would have praised his greatness. He said this to the one who ascended to the demonstration of the truth, that from the clear things it was easy for him to perceive the hidden things. In his crucifixion on the wood, the praisers were silent.

And the stones and rocks cried out praise that is owed to his divinity. Instead of the disciples and children who did not praise him when he hung on the wood. The dead came forth from their tombs and cried out praise to his honor. The praise of our Lord does not diminish all the elements of the world. For behold, they hasten to praise his lordship at all times. Even from stones and from wood it was easy for his word to speak. For at his sign, the elements were moved to cry out the greatness of his praise. The speaking ones with the silent ones, in their forms, behold, they sing. The praise that befits his honor is hidden in their elements. At the wonder that happened on that day, the speaking and the deaf were astonished. And they did not understand his power, the foolish people of the Jews. This is one wonder: that our Lord rode on a colt. That one which the cherubim in the heights proclaim the praise of his lordship. And another wonder is this: that with branches they went out to meet him. And they do not know why it was that they proclaimed their ranks. The third wonder is this: that heaven and earth were astonished at it. That the children of the Hebrews were crying out to him with hosannas. The children silenced the priests and the scribes with their hosannas, so that when they did not speak of their own accord, they proclaimed anew with their voices. With praises that cannot be spoken, the elements praised him on that day. To the king who triumphed in battle against death and Satan.

the living, and the spirits praised the Son with the stones. For they saw that he humbled himself, riding on a weak and contemptible ass. And instead of the thirst of his side, his love was not constrained. Behold, all the peoples praise him in the holy church of his love, who rejoices in his holy feasts, the peoples who despised his knowledge. And they proclaim his coming, instead of the fools who did not receive him, while the youths, the elders, and the children praise him in their assemblies. And the virgins of the Holy Spirit sing glory to his lordship. They were astonished from now on at this: the stones, redeemed by the cross, and they learned the mystery of his truth, for which he completed the day. For she who rode on the ass, not because he had no mounts, but to give an example that by his humility he might be imitated. The beauty of his fair ones, the son of his glory received before their eyes, that they might see the blemishes of their conduct and not be exalted in empty glory. For he invites us to his kingdom by means of his coming to us. Prepare the bridal chambers of the feast, that he may enter with us into his bridal chamber. Pure bridal chambers await us on the great day of his revelation. Let the purity of the soul be adorned, and let us see his face also in a pure manner. And in his restless joys, let us exalt his holy name, and let all of us equally cry out: Hosanna to you in the heights. Hosanna to the blessed Son of David, who came in the name of the Lord.