Nativity 21

Change of melody, the eighth. Blessed is the one who was small without measure, who without measure grew great over his birth, and on the day of his commemoration spoke, giving on his day hidden gifts. If the defiled one on his feast and on the commemoration of his day gives the gift of wrath, the first one over the mouth, how much more does the blessed one give blessings to the tree that sings on his feast. Do not compare him to the month as to the months of the calendar. [The feast is that which gives its reward, one in a hundred, more.] For it is a feast that offers silence with its month; it is a speaker that offers silence with its voice. All the blessed ones are clothed by the great commander of feasts, and of joys they are darkened. The day-angels and even the chief angels brought down a new praise and praised on earth. With that mystery they descended and with the months they are vigilant. With that offering they praised, the choir was full. Blessed is the birth-giver in whom the world now thunders with the melodies of praise. For it is the night that rules the watchers above in the months. The watcher came who makes watchers within creation. The months are now made partners to the watchers; the praisers are made companions with the seraphs. Blessed is the one who became a crown for your praise and became your reward of life. For his birth, then, he sang to him who is like this: Divinity in the womb kindled the good news for herself; she sent it to her flesh, and it went out in the birth-giver; again she sent it in death. Once she sent it, twice she sent it to her flesh; she turned its left side and removed it from her, and placed it on the right.

He began with small wombs, the power that governs all, when he began to command, the commands of all were stripped bare. He cried out to his begetter, that his will might be fulfilled. The heavens were filled from him, and all creatures. The sun entered the womb, and in height and depth his rays were loosed. He began with the spacious wombs of all creatures. Small ones came to contain his greatness in the womb, as if that womb of Mary sufficed for him. A wonder sufficed for him [---] From all the wombs that held him, one womb sufficed for him, that of the great one who bore him. The womb that held him was equal, for it held him entirely, with the wondrous womb that is greater than its begetter. And who would dare say that the small womb is equal? Enough! The base and vile one with the great essence. He began because of his smallness, and because his nature was great, he was not limited by anything. Peace, the pastoral one, was sent to the peoples; a joyful shoot came to the mournful; the strong leaven conquers all in silence; a gentle spirit that hunts creation one by one. Blessed is the one who placed your joys in his heart, and in your sorrows he errs. The mouth of the watchers proclaimed peace to the wakeful; the good news met the wakeful from the watchers who brought it. Who sleeps on this night that awakened creation? For they proclaimed that peace of agitation existed. Blessed is the silence that saw greatness in its quiet, of the talkers who agitated it. The watchers mingled with the watchers, rejoicing that the world lived; shame on the evil one who counseled and bound the crown of arrogance.

He cast his throne like a god in the world, the cunning one who fell into the snare from his authority he cast down. The sun, the divider of worship, with its rays bowed down its honor; with its worshippers they worshipped him. God saw that the creatures were worshipping; he put on a created body, that by custom he might hunt. Behold, by this created thing the creator heals, and by this creation the creator brings to life. Not that his knot was loosed, blessed one who came in my likeness, and by my likeness he mixed. Or the great one from the measure of the immeasurable became small; from the glorious glory he descended to the lowly. All this, stretch out the mercies that are loosed in you; stretch out your compassion to me, I who am mocked in my wickedness. Blessed is he who was a spring of voices and led all your all. He was a servant on earth, he was a lord in heaven; he inherited height and depth that were hidden. And his knowledge in the world was a knower of truth; and they stoned him in his face, the wind blew in the faces of him who held the hard staff, the weak one was a staff for the world, which grew old and upon him it leaned. He who stood served the servants while he sat and was worshipped; that scribes might conquer through him, seraphs sanctified before him. This glory he desired, that Adam might hide in secret. Look, the serpent that overthrew the tree, the height was raised; its desire was upon that which consumed its fruits, the feet of Eve, which cast a net from her hands. The barren one was paired and standing over fruits; her knot, however, which of Mary, holy, was hidden in the wombs to be pregnant and in the fingers to be amazed.

That image which was taken and without shame was made public, the nature that was purified, the womb did violence to it, and without giving its fruit, Mary was purified in Elizabeth through the barren one who ended the desire that was found, and he took the open door, for the one who was shut opened it. The crooked one deceived the Most High, the crooked one increased the virgin, for the people were a denier, he made her a pregnant woman, he deceived the face of the pure one. When he found and sprinkled the breasts, the barren and the dead, he drove away and uprooted while he was a child, he cast down and uprooted while he was old. The nature changed in its sacrifice and without its sacrifice, the lord of natures changed the nature of the virgin, for the people were a root, he made her an old woman, a mouth instead of a girl. And as he began with the begetter, he persecuted and ended with death, he took his son as worship, his death paid the debt. As he came to the begetter, the magi worshipped him, again he came to suffering, and the executioner seized him. Between his birth and his death he placed the world in the middle, through birth and death he lived.