through whom all things were made (Jn 1:3), and who was himself made among
SERMON 187
ON CHRISTMAS DAY
Date: before 4lll
The greatness and the humility of Christ
1. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord (Ps 51:15); of that Lord through whom all things were made (Jn 1:3), and who was himself made among all things; who is the revealer of the Father, creator of his mother; the Son of God from the Father without mother, the son of man from his mother without father; great as the day of the angels,2 little in the day of men; the Word, God before all times, the Word, flesh at the appropriate time; the maker and placer of the sun, made and placed under the sun;3 marshaling all the ages from the bosom of the Father, consecrating this day from the womb of his mother; remaining there, coming forth from here;4 producer of heaven and earth, appear¬ ing on earth under heaven; unspeakably wise, wisely speechless as an infant; filling the world, lying in a manger; directing the course of the stars, sucking his mother's breasts; so great in the form of God, so small in the form of a servant,5 in such a way that neither the greatness was diminished by the small¬ ness, nor the smallness overwhelmed by the greatness.
When he took human limbs to himself, after all, he did not abandon his divine works; nor did he stop reaching mightily from end to end, and disposing all things sweetly.6 When he clothed himself with the weakness of the flesh, he was received, not locked up, in the virgin's womb; thus the food of wisdom was not withdrawn from the angels, while at the same time we were enabled to taste and see how sweet is the Lord.7
The human word and the divine Word
2. Why should all this surprise us about the Word of God, seeing that this sermon I am addressing to you flows so freely into your senses, that you hearers both receive it, and don't imprison or comer it? I mean, if you didn't receive it, you wouldn't leam anything; if you cornered it, it wouldn't reach anyone else. And of course this sermon is divided up into words and syllables; and yet for all that, you don't each take portions and pieces of it, as you would of food for