In occursum domini

Of Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium, on the Mother of God and on Symeon and Anna. Many great people admire virginity; and indeed it is admirable as the innate quality of angels, as the companion of the higher powers, as the kin of incorporeal natures, as the lamp-bearer of the holy church, as conquering the world, as trampling upon the passions, as bridling the appetites, as not sharing in Eve, as free from grief, as possessed of purity, as delivered from groans, as not accepting the condemned decree which declares: "I will multiply, I will multiply your sorrows and your groaning; in sorrows you will bear children, and your return will be to your husband, and he will rule over you." Therefore virginity is admirable as an unenslaved possession, as a free dwelling, as an ascetic ornament, as superior to human condition, as released from passions that involve necessity, as having entered together with the bridegroom Christ into the bridal chamber of the kingdom of the heavens. And these are the glories of virginity and those similar to them. But honorable marriage surpasses every earthly gift, as a fruitful tree, as a most noble plant, as the root of virginity, as the cultivator of rational and animate branches, as the blessing of the world's increase, as the comforter of the race, as the creator of humanity, as the painter of the divine image, as possessing the Lord who blesses, as accepting to bear the whole world, as living in accordance with him whom it also persuaded to become incarnate, as able to say with boldness: "Behold, I and the children whom God has given me.

Remove honorable marriage and you will not find the flower of virginity; for from this and from nowhere else is the flower of virginity gathered. Saying these things, we do not introduce a conflict between virginity and marriage; we admire each as mutually indebted. Since the Lord is the provider of both, he does not balance one against the other; for both parts pertain to the fear of God. For without pious fear of God, neither is virginity chaste nor marriage honorable. These things were brought forward in my discourse because of what was written in the law, confirmed in grace, spoken universally, not found universally, and fulfilled in the Lord alone—I mean concerning the firstborn fruit of marriage. What fruit is this? You heard just now the evangelist saying: And it came to pass that when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising the child, his name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before his conception. And when the days of their purification were fulfilled, they brought him up to the temple and presented him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. Do you see the blessing of marriage and what was spoken commonly but found only in the Lord? That which says, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord," has reference only to the Lord, and not to any other, even though it was spoken universally. For every virgin's womb is first opened by intercourse with a man, and then she gives birth.

But in the case of our Savior it is not so; rather, without intercourse, He Himself, having opened the womb of the virgin, came forth ineffably, so that the saying, "Every male that opens a womb shall be called holy to the Lord," refers to the Lord alone. Is Cain, then, holy—he who ended his life in profanity—because he was the first of all to issue from his mother's womb? Is Esau holy—the enemy and heir of the sword—because he too was the first to fall from his mother's belly? Is Reuben holy—he who defiled his father's bed and boiled over with a curse of condemnation—because he too was the first to come forth from Leah's fertile womb? None of these is holy; all of them are under penalties. From this it is shown that the saying, "Every male that opens a womb shall be called holy to the Lord," has its reference to the Lord, according to Gabriel, who said to the virgin, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you," wherefore the one born shall be called holy, Son of God. But it is certainly possible for one of the objectors to say, "If, then, the saying, 'Every male that opens a womb shall be called holy to the Lord,' refers to the Lord, the virgin did not remain a virgin. For Scripture declared, 'Every male that opens a womb'; the virginal womb was certainly opened, if it has its reference to the Lord." Listen attentively: with respect to the virginal nature, the virginal gates were not opened at all by the will of the one just conceived, according to the saying about Him: "This is the gate of the Lord, and He will enter and go out, and the gate will be closed.

As regards the virginal nature, then, the virginal gates were not opened at all; but as regards the power of the born Lord, nothing is closed to the Lord, but all things are opened. There is nothing hindering, nothing troubling; all things are opened to the Lord. Whence also the highest powers above, passing the word downward, have cried out, saying: "Raise the gates, you who are your own rulers, and the King of Glory will enter." Wonderful, therefore, is virginity, true virginity, since there is also a difference within virginity: some have slumbered, others have kept watch. Wonderful also is marriage, true and honorable marriage; for many have preserved it and many have shaken it. Wonderful also is widowhood; for it is good to recall the three orders. And, as I said before, wonderful also is widowhood, true widowhood, which has conquered the contest of unstained struggles; such as was the Anna recently read to us, the prophetess, who grew old well and was renewed like an eagle. You heard just now the evangelist Luke saying: "And there was Anna, a prophetess, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was advanced in many days, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who served in the temple with fasts and prayers night and day." You see in what and of what sort the widow Anna is adorned in the divine Gospels? Truly "grace" is Anna; the appellation of the name coincided with the good repute of her ways. Let women hear and emulate the glorious Anna; let them run the same course, that they may enjoy equal crowns.

Let no one plead lack of advocacy as an excuse to cast off the chastity of monogamy. The crown of widows is Anna: a woman in form, a prophetess in rank; living in widowhood, nurtured in royalty; her body relaxed, her soul strengthened; her face wrinkled, her understanding stretched taut; bent with age, walking upright in knowledge; aged by many years, vigorous in the knowledge of God; fasting and not gluttonous; praying and not wandering; frequenting the sanctuary, not running about in others’ houses; singing psalms, not babbling; prophesying, not spinning myths; meditating on divine things, not procuring indecencies. Anna surpassed the widow blessed by the apostle. Which one? Listen to Paul saying: “Let a widow be enrolled who is not less than sixty years old, if she has raised children, if she has washed the feet of saints, if she has assisted those in need, if she has followed every good work.” This woman surpassed the one blessed by the apostle both in years and in conduct. For she who was deemed worthy of prophecy, who became a vessel of the Holy Spirit, and who announced the signs of the Lord’s presence to all who awaited his incarnate advent—how did she not outstrip all, as the evangelist said about her, just as you heard a moment ago: “And this Anna,” he says, “at that very hour, coming up, gave thanks to the Lord and spoke to all who awaited redemption in Jerusalem.” Do you see the greatness of Anna? She pleaded on behalf of the Lord, speaking in his presence about his own affairs. O paradoxical things!

A widow, yet she stung the high priests and scribes, and by stinging she led the whole people, revealing the coming redemption in Jerusalem under the Lord's authority, speaking to those present and disclosing the Lord's signs. Anna saw the Lord as an infant, gifts and purifications offered for him and with him, and she did not stumble at the utter smallness of his age; Anna confessed the infant as God, a physician, a mighty redeemer, a destroyer of sins. Do not pass over Anna's words lightly. Disclosing the Lord's power to all present, she said to those gathered: Do you not see this child sucking the breast, borrowing the teat, resting in his mother's bosom, not yet deigning to step the ground with his feet, circumcised on the eighth day? Do you not see this child? This child laid the foundations of the ages, this child vaulted the heavens, this child spread out the earth, this child fenced the sea with sand. This child releases winds from his storehouses, this child opened the floodgates of the deluge for Noah, this child works the threads of rain, this child shakes snow like wool, this child freed our forefathers from the land of Egypt through the Mosaic staff, this child cut the Red Sea and led them through as through a grassy plain, and in the desert, raining down manna, granted a land flowing with milk and honey.

This child caused this temple to be raised to a height through the fathers; this child, placing oaths with Abraham, said: "I will multiply and multiply your seed as the stars of the sky and as the sand on the shore of the sea." Concerning this child, the prophetic chorus, offering a supplication, said: "Rouse your power and come to save us." Do not, because it is a child, stumble at the child. The same is both a child and co-beginningless with the father, the same is both numbered with times and without genealogy, the same is both a lisping child and bestowing both mouth and wisdom. For the one is because of the birth from a virgin, the other because of the incomprehensibility of existence. Since Isaiah also presented this, saying: "A child was born to us, a son, and was given to us." The one "was born," the other "was given"; the one because of the visible, the other because of the intelligible. These are the prophecies of Anna, these are the noble utterances of the woman, these are the achievements of the widow, of the widow indeed, of the one who exchanged her life well, of the one who sent her husband on his way and received the Lord. She lived with her husband for seven years, having completed a hebdomad from her virginity, and in the seventh year she ceased from marital intercourse. She kept the Sabbath well, she well attained the Lord's day of grace. Anna followed the order of a turtledove: she did not forget her spouse, she did not repudiate her first faith, she did not bring an insolent man to her bed, she did not place upon another the yoke of monogamy. She held memory in her bed as if the dead one were living.

It did not defile the bridal veil, nor did the reproach of Paul touch it, saying: "But when they have grown wanton against Christ, they wish to marry, having the judgment that they have rejected the first faith." Truly worthy of judgment is she who buries the memory with her divinely yoked spouse, and especially when a child or children are present; for this reason the law of marriage has been established by nature. But if there is no child with the young widow, it is likely that she rushes into a second marriage, goaded by the desire for childbearing. Since the blessed Paul also cries out, exhorting this: "I wish younger widows to marry." Then, showing what the sign of the advancement of the second marriage is, he added, saying: "I wish younger widows to marry, to bear children, to manage a household." So the addition of the second marriage concerns childbearing. But when there are children with the young widow who rushes into marriage, such sowing is then superfluous, since the rational ears of grain rival one another. Let us return again to the discourse. What then does the evangelist say? For it is good to take up the whole matter. You were just hearing the evangelist Luke telling how Symeon said to the Virgin: "Behold, this one lies for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a disputed sign, and a sword will pass through your own soul as well." What is "And a sword will pass through your own soul as well"? Listen attentively. When Symeon had said concerning the Lord, for the hearing of the virgin ears, "Behold, this one lies for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a disputed sign," the mother of the Lord was likely indignant against Symeon, saying to him:

You do not know what you are saying, man. Are you proclaiming grievous things against Christ? You do not know the conception of the child, and you indicate a sign of contradiction as if concerning an ordinary birth. There is no fall in him, but much elevation and condescension to those who are benefited. Why then do you not bless, saying: Behold, this one lies not for a fall, but for the raising up of many in Israel; and why also: And for a sign that is contradicted? But Symeon to the virgin: It is enough for you, virgin, that you are called mother; it is sufficient for you to be found the nurse of the one who nourishes the world; it is great for you to have carried in the flesh the one who carries all things. The Christ now dwelling in you, and the same now in me, has prepared that these things about him be spoken: That this one lies for a fall and a raising up of many in Israel; for a fall of the unbelieving Jews, for a raising up of the believing nations. Behold, this one lies for a fall and for a raising up of many in Israel and for a sign that is contradicted; having called the cross a sign of contradiction. Since on that very cross many of the unbelievers brought words of contradiction against the Lord, mocking him with words and deeds, striking him with a reed, giving him vinegar, offering gall, placing a crown of thorns, piercing his side with a spear, slapping him with their hands, crying out with reproachful words: He saved others, he cannot save himself. Interpreting this, then, he said: And for a sign that is contradicted. Many contradicted when Peter denied and all the apostles were scattered like shepherdless sheep. In the sign of the cross, then, even the heart of the virgin was filled with grief.

Therefore she said: “Why did I not die before? Why did I come upon this day? I have remained a virgin, and I am bitten in my bowels more than mothers.” These countless reasonings of the virgin Symeon called a sword, as piercing the inward parts, as bringing scandals, just as the Lord foretold: “All of you will be scandalized in me on this night.” Hence Symeon added, saying: “And a sword will pass through your own soul, so that reasonings may be revealed from many hearts.” Do you see how he called the countless reasonings a sword, as piercing the inward parts, as touching the kidneys and marrow? The virgin fell into these, not yet knowing the power of the resurrection and not yet knowing that the resurrection was near. Hence after the resurrection there is no longer a two-edged sword, but joy and exultation. Therefore Symeon called the sign of the cross a sign of contradiction, at the time when a sword of reasonings passed through the soul of the virgin. But someone may certainly say: “And whence is the proof to us?” From the teachings of the Lord himself. Hear him saying: “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, and a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so also will the son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. Do you see how the passion of the cross was called a sign, not only in the New Testament, but also in the Old? For the old things strongly agree with the new.

Since it is one and the same God who legislated there and who adjudicates here. And who is witness to this? The Lord himself. Hear him speaking through the prophet Ezekiel, announcing the universal consummation to the reaper angels: “Do not spare your eyes, and do not have mercy on an old man nor on a youth, nor on a virgin nor on a child, and put women to death for obliteration, but do not touch those who bear the sign upon their foreheads.” Behold the sign of the Old and the New. For it is the cross that saves the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom is the glory and the power unto the ages of ages. Amen.