[Excerpt 1]: Because of this I greet and love this day [of Christ’s birth] and I put love front and center that I may make you sharers of this love-charm. For this reason, I beg and entreat you all to be here with all diligence and readiness for each should empty his own house that we may see our Master lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes, that awesome and incredible spectacle. What defense can we have, what excuse, when he has come down from heaven for our sake, but we don’t come out of our house to him? When the Magi, those barbarians and foreigners, ran from Persia to see him lying in a crib. But you, O Christian, do not remain a little while so as to enjoy this blessed sight. For when we approach with faith we too will certainly see him lying in the manger for this table fulfills the order of the manger.
[Excerpt 2]: For the Master’s body shall lie here too, not wrapped in swaddling clothes as then, but wrapped on every side with the Holy Spirit. Those initiated into the mysteries know the things said. Now the Magi only worshiped, but you, if you approach with a pure conscience and receive, we will be united to you and you can depart for home. Come then and bring your gifts, not like those of the Magi but rather more solemn. They brought gold. But you, you bring discretion and virtue. They offered frankincense but you, you bring pure prayers, spiritual sacrifices. They offered myrrh, but you, you should offer humility, a humble heart and alms. If you approach with these gifts, you will enjoy this holy table with much confidence. For this reason, I want to motivate you now with these words since I know that certainly many will approach on that day and will stumble over the spiritual sacrifice.
[Excerpt 3]: Someone may say to me, I am filled with shame. I have a conscience full of sin. I bear the heaviest burden possible. The appointed time of five days is sufficient to cut off the weight of sins if you are sober, and pray, and are vigilant. Do not look at the shortness of time but rather focus on this, that the Master loves humanity. Now since the Ninevites fended off such wrath in three days, and the constriction of the time hindered nothing, but the willingness of their souls, being seized by the Master’s love of men effected everything [necessary]. And the prostitute was washed clean of all disgrace when she came to Christ in a brief moment of time.
[Excerpt 4]: Don’t you know that this table is full of spiritual fire? As springs gush forth the nature of water, so it has a certain inexplicable flame. So, don’t come with straw, or wood and grass so as to bring about a greater conflagration and to burn up the receiving soul. But come with precious stones, gold and silver that you may make a purer forest so that you may depart with much gain.
[Excerpt 5]: If there is anything evil, banish it, drive it from your soul. Does anyone have an enemy? Has he been wronged in a great way? Let him banish the enmity; let him keep in check his mind full of disorder that no one may be distracted or troubled. It is the King himself you are about to receive through communion. As the King enters your soul, there should be great tranquility, great silence, deep in your thoughts. Have you been greatly wronged and cannot bear to let go of your anger? What greater, more severe wrong will you do yourself? Those things which your enemy has done, however great they be, are not so bad as you do to yourself if you are not reconciled to him but rather trample on the law of God. Has he insulted you? So are you going to insult God? Tell me. Not being reconciled to the one who has caused your pain is not so much a matter of the one who defends himself as it is of the one who insults God who laid down these laws. So don’t look at your fellow servant nor at the greatness of his offenses. Rather, as you put God and respect for Him in your mind, examine this. The greater the act of violence you suffer in your soul in being reconciled to the one who has caused [you] pain after being troubled by a thousand evils, that much more will you enjoy a greater honor from the God who commanded these things. And as you receive him here with much honor, so he will also receive you there with much glory, rewarding your obedience infinitely greater. May it be that we all attain to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and his love for humanity. Along with him glory, honor, power, and adoration belong to the Father together with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
[Excerpt 1]: Διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα ἀσπάζομαι τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην καὶ φιλῶ, καὶ τὸν ἔρωτα εἰς μέσον προτίθημι, ἵνα κοινωνοὺς ὑμᾶς ποιήσω τοῦ φίλτρου· διὰ τοῦτο δέομαι πάντων ὑμῶν καὶ ἀντιβολῶ μετὰ πάσης σπουδῆς καὶ προθυμίας παραγενέσθαι, τὴν οἰκίαν ἕκαστον κενώσαντα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, ἵνα ἴδωμεν τὸν Δεσπότην ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς φάτνης κείμενον, ἐσπαργανωμένον, τὸ φρικτὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ παράδοξον θέαμα. Ποία γὰρ ἡμῖν ἀπολογία, ποία δὲ συγγνώμη, ὅταν αὐτὸς μὲν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν δι’ ἡμᾶς καταβαίνῃ, ἡμεῖς δὲ μηδὲ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐρχώμεθα; ὅταν μάγοι μὲν, ἄνθρωποι βάρβαροι καὶ ἀλλόφυλοι, ἐκ Περσίδος τρέχωσιν, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς φάτνης κείμενον· σὺ δὲ ὁ Xριστιανὸς μηδὲ μικρὸν διάστημα ὑπομένῃς, ὥστε τῆς μακαρίας ταύτης ἀπολαῦσαι θεωρίας; Καὶ γὰρ, ἂν μετὰ πίστεως παραγενώμεθα, πάντως αὐτὸν ὀψόμεθα ἐπὶ τῆς φάτνης κείμενον· ἡ γὰρ τράπεζα αὕτη τάξιν τῆς φάτνης πληροῖ.
[Excerpt 2]: Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα κείσεται τὸ σῶμα τὸ δεσποτικὸν, οὐχὶ ἐσπαργανωμένον, καθάπερ τότε, ἀλλὰ Πνεύματι πανταχόθεν ἁγίῳ περιστελλόμενον. Ἴσασιν οἱ μεμυημένοι τὰ λεγόμενα. Οἱ μὲν οὖν μάγοι προσεκύνησαν μόνον· σὺ δὲ, ἂν μετὰ καθαροῦ προσέλθῃς συνειδότος, καὶ λαβεῖν σοι αὐτὸ συγχωρήσομεν καὶ ἀπελθεῖν οἴκαδε. Πρόσιθι τοίνυν καὶ σὺ δῶρα προσάγων, μὴ τοιαῦτα οἷα ἐκεῖνοι, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ σεμνότερα. Προσήνεγκαν ἐκεῖνοι χρυσόν· προσένεγκε σὺ σωφροσύνην καὶ ἀρετήν· προσήνεγκαν ἐκεῖνοι λιβανωτόν· προσένεγκε σὺ εὐχὰς καθαρὰς, τὰ θυμιάματα τὰ πνευματικά· προσήνεγκαν ἐκεῖνοι σμύρναν· προσένεγκε σὺ ταπεινοφροσύνην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην καρδίαν καὶ ἐλεημοσύνην. Ἂν μετὰ τούτων προσέλθῃς τῶν δώρων, μετὰ ἀδείας ἀπολαύσῃ πολλῆς τῆς θῃς τῶν δώρων, μετὰ ἀδείας ἀπολαύσῃ πολλῆς τῆς ἱερᾶς ταύτης τραπέζης. Καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ διὰ τοῦτο τούτους κινῶ τοὺς λόγους νῦν, ἐπειδὴ οἶδα ὅτι πάντως πολλοὶ κατ’ ἐκείνην προσελεύσονται τὴν ἡμέραν, καὶ ἐπιπεσοῦνται τῇ πνευματικῇ ταύτῃ θυσίᾳ.
[Excerpt 3]: Καὶ μή μοι λεγέτω τις, αἰσχύνης γέμω, ἁμαρτημάτων ἔχω τὸ συνειδὸς πεπληρωμένον, φορτίον ἐπιφέρομαι βαρύτατον· ἱκανὴ γὰρ τῶν πέντε ἡμερῶν τούτων ἡ προθεσμία, ἐὰν νήφῃς καὶ προσεύχῃ καὶ ἀγρυπνῇς, τὸ πολὺ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ὑποτέμνεσθαι. Μὴ γὰρ ὅτι βραχὺς ὁ χρόνος ἴδῃς, ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνο σκόπησον, ὅτι φιλάνθρωπος ὁ Δεσπότης· ἐπειδὴ καὶ Νινευῗται ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις τοσαύτην ὀργὴν ἀπεκρούσαντο, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐνεπόδισεν ἡ τοῦ καιροῦ στενοχωρία, ἀλλ’ ἴσχυσεν ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς προθυμία τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἐπιλαβομένης τοῦ Δεσπότου τὸ πᾶν ἐργάσασθαι. Καὶ ἡ πόρνη δὲ ἐν βραχείᾳ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ προσελθοῦσα τῷ Χριστῷ, τὰ ὀνείδη πάντα ἀπενίψατο.
[Excerpt 4]: Οὐκ ἴστε ὅτι πυρὸς αὕτη γέμει ἡ τράπεζα πνευματικοῦ, καὶ καθάπερ αἱ πηγαὶ φύσιν ὕδατος ἀναβλύζουσιν, οὕτω καὶ αὕτη φλόγα τινὰ ἔχει ἄῤῥητον; Μὴ τοίνυν προσέλθῃς καλάμην ἔχων, μὴ ξύλα καὶ χόρτον, ἵνα μὴ πλείονα τὸν ἐμπρησμὸν ἐργάσῃ, καὶ κατακαύσῃς τὴν μεταλαμβάνουσαν ψυχήν· ἀλλ’ ἔχων λίθους τιμίους, χρυσὸν, ἄργυρον, ἵνα καθαρωτέραν ποιήσῃς τὴν ὕλην, ἵνα πολλὴν λαβὼν τὴν ἐμπορίαν, ἀπέλθῃς.
[Excerpt 5]: Εἴ τι πονηρὸν, ἐξόρισον, φυγάδευσον ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς σου. Ἔχει τις ἐχθρὸν, καὶ τὰ μεγάλα ἠδίκηται; καταλυέτω τὴν ἔχθραν, καταστελλέτω τὴν διάνοιαν λεγμαίνουσαν, οἰδοῦσαν, ἵνα μηδεὶς ἔνδον θόρυβος ᾖ μηδὲ ταραχή. Βασιλέα γὰρ ὑποδέχεσθαι μέλλεις διὰ τῆς κοινωνίας· βασιλέως δὲ ἐπιβαίνοντος τῇ ψυχῇ, πολλὴν εἶναι δεῖ τὴν γαλήνην, πολλὴν τὴν ἡσυχίαν, βαθεῖαν τῶν λογισμῶν τὴν εἰρήνην. Ἀλλὰ μεγάλα ἠδίκησαι. καὶ οὐ φέρεις ἀφεῖναι τὴν ὀργήν; τί τοίνυν σαυτὸν πολλῷ μείζονα ἀδικεῖς καὶ χαλεπώτερα; Οὐ γὰρ τοιαῦτά σε διαθήσεται ὁ ἐχθρὸς ὅσαπερ ἂν ποιῇ, οἷα σὺ σαυτὸν μὴ καταλλαττόμενος πρὸς ἐκεῖνον, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τοῦ μὴ καταλλαττόμενος πρὸς ἐκεῖνον, ἀλλὰ τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ καταπατῶν νόμους. Ὕβρισέ σε ἐκεῖνος; διὰ τοῦτο οὖν σὺ τὸν Θεὸν ὑβρίζεις, εἰπέ μοι; Τὸ γὰρ μὴ καταλλάττεσθαι τῷ λελυπηκότι, οὐκ ἐκεῖνόν ἐστιν ἀμυνομένου τοσοῦτον, ὅσον τὸν Θεὸν ὑβρίζοντος τὸν ταῦτα νομοθετήσαντα. Μὴ τοίνυν πρὸς τὸν σύνδουλον ἴδῃς, μηδὲ πρὸς τὸ μέγεθος τῶν ἀδικημάτων ἐκείνου· ἀλλὰ τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τὸν ἐκείνου φόβον εἰς νοῦν βαλλόμενος, ἐκεῖνο σκόπησον, ὅτι ὅσῳ ἂν μείζονα πάσχῃς βίαν κατὰ ψυχὴν, μετὰ μυρία κακὰ ἀναγκαζόμενος καταλλάττεσθαι τῷ ελυπηκότι, τοσούτῳ πλείονος ἀπολαύσῃ τῆς τιμῆς παρὰ τοῦ ταῦτα κελεύσαντος Θεοῦ· καὶ καθάπερ αὐτὸν μετὰ πολλῆς ὑποδέχῃ τῆς τιμῆς ἐνταῦθα, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς μετὰ πολλῆς ὑποδέξεταί σε τῆς δόξης ἐκεῖ, μυριοπλασίους ἀποδιδούς σοι τῆς ὑποκοῆς ταύτης τὰς ἀμοιβάς· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ’οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα, τιμὴ, κράτος καὶ προσκύνησις, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.