MATINS (V)
Luke 24:12-35
24:12. "Departed to his home, literally, "he went away to himself," that is, to his home.
24:13. As a standard of length, one stade equals 606 3/4 English feet; therefore, in this instance, it is almost seven miles.
24:16. St. Gregory the Great: "They were talking about him, even though they did not believe. He did not show them an appearance which they could recognize, but the Lord behaved before the eyes of their bodies in accord with what was going on inwardly before the eyes of their hearts. Within themselves they were both loving and doubting. He his His appearance upon which they would recognize Him on accpunt of their doubts." [Hom. 23, Forty Gospel Homilies, 176; Ho., 323, P.L. 76 (col. 1182).]
24:19. Blessed Theophylact: "Do you see how small a notion they had of the Lord? They called Him a man, a prophet like Elias, or Jesus of Navee, or Moses." [P.G. 123:492D (col. 1113).]
24:28. Saint Gregory the Great: "He did indeed talk with them, reproving the hardness of their understanding and opening to them the mysteries of holy Scripture concerning Himself; and yet, because as an object of Faith He was still a stranger to their hearts, He made a pretense of going on further...He was maniufesting Himself to them as they werer thinking of Him. It had to be shown wether those who did not as yet love Him as Gid were at least able to love Him as a stranger." [Ib., 177.]
24:31. St. Gregory the Great: "They were not enlightened by hearing God's commandments, but by their own actions, for it is written: 'For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified [Rom. 2:13].' Let anyone who wishes to understand what he had heard be quick to fulfill in action what he has already been able to understand. The Lord was not recognized when he was speaking, but He deigned ot be recognized as He was being fed. Dearly beloved, love hospiality, love the works of charity, even as St. Paul said that by doing so, some have entertained angels [Heb. 13:2]." [Ib.]
LITURGY
Ephesians 6:10-17
6:11. Blessed Jerome: "The Savior Himself is He Whom we are told ot put on. It is one and the same tihng to say, 'Put on the full armor of God,' and Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.' Our belt is truth and our breastplate is righteousness. The Savior is also called 'truth' and 'righteousness'. On this principle he is also to be understood as the 'Gospel of peace.' He is Himself the 'shield of faith' and 'the helmet of salvation.' He is 'the sword of the Spirit,' because he is the Word of God, living and efficacious, the uterance of which is stronger than any helmet and sharp on both sides [cf. Heb. 4:12]." ["Epistle to the Ephesians, "3.6.11, P.L. 26:543AB (669), in ACC, VIII:208.]
6:12a. Saint Chrysostom: "He speaks of certain principalities, and powers, and cosmic rulkers of the darkness. What darkness? That of the night? Not at all, but of wickedness. 'For ye were once darkness [Eph. 5:8],' saith he, so naming that darkness which is this present life; for beyond it, it will have no place, not in heaven, nor in the ages to come." [Hom. 22, P,G. 62:169 (col. 159).]
6:12b. Saint Chrysostom: "Having said the the enemies were vehement and violemt, he adds further, that they defraud us of great things. What are these? The fight lies in the heavenlies. It is not about riches, nor about glory, but about our being led to enslavement. And thus the enmity becomes irreconcilable. The rivalry and the fight are more vehement when great interests are at stake. It is not in order that they may gain anything by the conquest, but that they may defraud us...He is doing his best to cast us out of heaven." [Hom. 22, P.G. 62:169 (col. 159).]
Blessed Theophylact: "For greater is the danger, not concerning earthly and corruptible things, but heavenly things. We wage war on account of heavenly things, and for this there is need to be sober.." [P.G. 124:419DA (cols. 1128, 1129).]
Bkessed Jerome: "This does not man that the demons dwell in heaven, but that the air above has received this name." [Epistle to the Ephesians, "3.6.11, P.L. 25:547BC (675), in ACC, VIII:209.]
6:13a. Saint Chrysostom: "By saying 'in the day, the evil one', he means the present life, and calls it too 'the present evil age [Gal. 1:4],' from yhr evils which are done in it." [Hom. 22, P.G. 62:170 (col. 159); cf. Blessed Theophylact, P.G. 124:419A (col. 1129).]
Blessed Jerome: "The 'evil day' may arguably signify the present time...But the better interpertation is a reference ot the final consumation and judgement." ["Epistle to the Ephesians," 3.6.13, P.L. 26:549A-550B (676-678), in ACC, VIII:209.]
6:13b. Saint Chrysostom: " 'And having counteracted all tihngs', says he, meaning being ever armed against foul passions and lusts, and all things else that trouble us. He speaks not merely of taking action, but of countracting it so as not only to slay, but to stand also after we have slain. For many who have gained this victory, have fallen again. 'Having counteracted all things,' says he, 'all things'-not having done one thing and not the other. For even after the vistory, we must stand. But if, after having fallen, they rise up again, so long as we stand, they are fallen. So long as we waver not, the adversary rises not again. Put on the full armor of God." [Hom. 22, P.G. 62:62:170 (cols. 159, 160).]
6:14. Saint Chrysostom: "'Stand therefore, having girt your loins with truth,' means that one ought to be lightly accoutered, in order that there be no hinderance at all in the running. 'And having put on for yourselves the breastplate of righteousness,' Even as the breastplate is invulnerable, in like manner is righteousness. And righteousness herein means, in general, the virtuous life. Such a life noone shall be able to throw down, but on the one hand many wound, but on the other hand noone cuts through him, no, not the devil himself." [Hom. 24, P.G. 62:179 col.167).]
6:15. Saint Chrysostom: "'And having shod your feet in readiness of the Gospel of peace.' Either he means this, that we should be ready for the Gospel, and should make use of our feet for this, and should prepare and make ready its waybefore it; or if not this, at least that we ourselves should be prepared for for our exodus from this life. The readiness then is nothing else than the morally best life." [Hom. 24, P.G. 62:179 (col. 168).]
Blessed Theophylact: "He means it is needful to be in readiness for the Gospel and to preach. For, 'Beautiful are the feet of one preaching glad tidings of peace, as one on preaching good news [cf. Is. 52:7]'; or it means to be ready for our earthly departure...For the feet are indeed a symbol of life. Therrefore also he said, 'Be taking heed thenhow exactly ye walk [Eph. 5:15].'" [P.G. 124:420BC (col. 1132).]
6:16a. Saint Chrysostom: ""'On the whole take up the shield of faith.' In this place he means not knowledge, but that gift by which miracles are wrought..For as a shield is put before the whole body, as it were a wall, even so this faith:for all things yield to it." [Hom. 24, P.G. 62:180 (col. 169).]
6:16b. Saint Chrysostom: 'With which you will be able to quench all the firey darts of the evil one.' By 'the darts of the evil one' he emans temptations and foul desires. And 'firey' he says, for such is the character of desires." [Hom. 24, P.G. 62:180 (col. 169).]
6:17. Saint Chrysostom: "'And take the helmet of salvation'; that is of your salvation. For he is fortifying them all around with armor as leading them on to war. 'And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.'He means either the Spirit or the spiritual sword, for by this all things are severed, by this all things are cut assunder, by this we cut off even the dragon's head." [Hom. 24, P.G. 62:180 (col. 169).]
Blessed Theophylact: "He means either the spirit or the spiritual sword fortifying them with full armor, or the spiritual life by which the head of the dragon is severed; or, this spiritual sword is the Word of God, that is to say, command or ordinance. If this is the sense, he means to cut assunder the crooked serpent, as Esaiassaid: 'The word of our God abideth forever [Is. 40:8]' or 'Whatever word shall proceed out of My mouth shall by no means turn back [Is. 51:11]'; and elsewhere, 'In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ rise up and walk [cf. Acts 3:6],' and other such utterances. Then he may simply mean the sword of the Spirit, that wisdom in the Spirit...and the one who has the grace of this spiritual sword, and is speaking the things of God, as irresistible, and such as one is Saint Paul." [P.G. 124:421BC-442D (col. 1133).]
Luke 13:10-17
13:11. Saint Gregory the Great: "The woman who was bent signified human nature, which was planted well like the fig tree, and created well like the woman, but it fell into sin of its own accord, and preferred neither fruitdful works nor its upright state. It sank into sin by its own free will, and lost its upright state, because it was unwilling ot produce the fruit of obediance...Man was created on the sixth day, and on the same day all the works of the Lord were completed. Six multiplied by three comes ot eighteen. Because man...was unwilling ot oerform perfect works, but was enfeebled before the law was given, under the law and at the beginning of the time of grace, the woman was bent double for eighteen years. Every sinner who thinks about the things of earthand fails to seek those of heavenly things is unable to look upwards." [Ib., 250, 253.]
13:13. Saint Ambrose: "The infirm woman prefigures the Church...This woman could not be healed in any other way than by fulfilling the law and grace: the law in precepts and the grace in Baptism, whereby we die to the worldamd rise again in Christ. For perfection is the Ten Commandments of the law, but the fullness of the resurrection is in the number eight. Thus the work of the Sabbath is the sign of the future, because all who have fulfilled the law and grace are stripped of the vexations of corporeal frailty through the mercy of Christ." [Ib., Bk. VII, 173..]
Saint Gregory the Great: "He called her and straightened her up, because He enlightened and helped her. He calls us, but does not straighten us up...Our repeated sins bund our hearts, so that we can not rise to an upright condition. They try, but then, slip back. Of necessity they fall even when they do not want to, since they have so long acted according to their own wills. The psalmist spoke figuratively: 'I have been wretched and bowed down until the end [Ps. 37(38):8(6)].' Conteplative man was indeed created to behold the heavenly light. Now because his sins deserved it, he was cast out to endure the darkness of his heart." 9Ib., 253. 254.]
13:16a. Saint Kyril: "According to our Master's words Satan bound this woman, which God so permitted. Satan often receives authority over certain persons, such, namely, as those who fall into sin, amd grow lax in their efforts after piety. Whomsoever he gets into his power, he involves, it may be, in bodily diseases, since he delights in punishment and is merciless. The opportunity for this the all-seeing God most wisely grants him, that being sore vexed by the burden of their misery, men may set themselves upon changing to a better course." [Ib.,390.]
13:16b. Saint Kyril: "When He gives me nrest by freeing them from their diseases, dost thou forbid it? Plainly, thou breakest the law of the Sabbath, in not permitting those to rest who are suffering from illness and disease, and whom satan has bound." [Ib., 392.]
Saint Ambrose: "Our worldly, not our religious works, should cease...Although they themselves loose the bonds from the animals on the sabbath [Deut. 5:14], they rebuke the Lord Who set men free from the bonds of sin." [Ib., Bk. VII, 173., 174.]
