Lectio
altera
Ex Capítibus quínquies centénis sancti
Máximi Confessóris abbátis
(Centuria 1, 8-13: PG 90, 1182-1186)
Mysterium
semper novum
Dei Verbum, carne
semel natum (quæ eius propénsa benígnitas ac humánitas est), iis qui velint,
semper volens spíritu náscitur; fitque infans, se in illis virtútibus
infórmans; ac quo módulo cápere novit suscipiéntem, seípsum maniféstat, nulla
livóris labe ac invídia, suæ magnitúdinis amplitúdinem mínuens, sed quasi
mensúra ac modo cupiéntium vidére facultátem explórans, sempérque præ mystérii
excelléntia, cunctis inaspectábilis perínde persevérans.
Quámobrem divínus
Apóstolus, mystérii vim sapiénter consíderans: Iesus Christus, inquit, heri et
hódie; ipse et in sæcula; ita nimírum, mystérium semper novum intéllegens,
nulláque umquam mentis comprehensióne consenéscens.
Náscitur Christus
Deus, assumptióne carnis ánima intellegénte præditæ, factus homo; qui ipse
rebus concésserat, ut ex níhilo procéderent: stella ab Oriénte intérdiu
conspícua micat, magósque ducit quo loco Verbum assúmpta carne iacet; ut
osténdat Verbum, quod continétur in lege et prophétis, mýstice superáre sénsuum
notítiam et gentes addúcere ad máximum cognitiónis lumen.
Plane enim legis
sermo ac prophéticus, stellæ instar, pie intelléctus, eos qui grátiæ vi
secúndum propósitum vocáti sunt, ad Verbum incarnátum agnoscéndum addúcit.
Idcírco Deus fit
perféctus homo, nihil eórum quæ erant natúræ, uno dumtáxat dempto peccáto
(quando nec ipsum ex censu natúræ erat), demútans; ut carnis esca obiécta, eius
vorándæ insatiábilem dracónem, illíque inhiántem, provocáret; carnis scílicet,
quæ illi venénum futúra erat, obténtu, Deitátis in ea occúltæ poténtia, ipsum
pénitus proflígans; humánæ vero natúræ remédium foret, ad prístinam eam grátiam
instáurans, Deitátis ítidem in ea poténtia.
Quemádmodum enim
ille, effúso in sciéntiæ lignum venéno suo, natúram gustu corrúperat; sic et
ipse domínicam carnem vorándam præsúmens, Deitátis in ea virtúte, corrúptus
interitúque sublátus est.
Magnum divínæ
incarnatiónis mystérium, semper mystérium manet; quo plane modo Verbum in
carne, persóna sua essentiáliter est, quod essentiáliter éadem persóna totum
útique exsístit apud Patrem? Quómodo idem, tum totum Deus natúra est, totúmque
natúra homo factum est; neutra prorsus desideráta natúra, neque divína, qua
Deus est, neque vero nostra, qua homo factum est?
Hæc sola fides
capit mystéria, ipsa nimírum substántia et basis eárum rerum, quæ omnem mentis
sensum et ratiónem excédunt.
Second Reading
The Five Hundred Chapters by St Maximus the Confessor
A mystery ever new
The Word of God, born once in the flesh (such is his kindness and his goodness), is always willing to be born spiritually in those who desire him. In them he is born as an infant as he fashions himself in them by means of their virtues. He reveals himself to the extent that he knows someone is capable of receiving him. He diminishes the revelation of his glory not out of selfishness but because he recognises the capacity and resources of those who desire to see him. Yet, in the transcendence of mystery, he always remains invisible to all.
For this reason the apostle Paul, reflecting on the power of the mystery, said: Jesus Christ, yesterday and today: he remains the same for ever. For he understood the mystery as ever new, never growing old through our understanding of it.
Christ is God, for he had given all things their being out of nothing. Yet he is born as man by taking to himself our nature, flesh endowed with intelligent spirit. A star glitters by day in the East and leads the wise men to the place where the incarnate Word lies, to show that the Word, contained in the Law and the Prophets, surpasses in a mystical way knowledge derived from the senses, and to lead the Gentiles to the full light of knowledge.
For surely the word of the Law and the Prophets when it is understood with faith is like a star which leads those who are called by the power of grace in accordance with his decree to recognise the Word incarnate.
Here is the reason why God became a perfect man, changing nothing of human nature, except to take away sin (which was never natural anyway). His flesh was set before that voracious, gaping dragon as bait to provoke him: flesh that would be deadly for the dragon, for it would utterly destroy him by the power of the Godhead hidden within it. For human nature, however, his flesh was to be a remedy since the power of the Godhead in it would restore human nature to its original grace.
Just as the devil had poisoned the tree of knowledge and spoiled our nature by its taste, so too, in presuming to devour the Lord’s flesh he himself is corrupted and is completely destroyed by the power of the Godhead hidden in it.
The great mystery of the divine incarnation remains a mystery for ever. How can the Word made flesh be essentially the same person that is wholly with the Father? How can he who is by nature God become by nature wholly man without lacking either nature, neither the divine by which he is God nor the human by which he became man?
Faith alone grasps these mysteries. Faith alone is truly the substance and foundation of all that exceeds knowledge and understanding.
