“The time is always right to make a beginning of a way of life that will lead to salvation (cf. 2 cor 6:2, Rom 13:12-13). . . . If, however, it were necessary to name the most appropriate season of all, and if, just as there is a time to sow and a time to reap, a time to plant and a time to harvest, and a time for everything else (cf. Eccl. 3:1-8), you are looking for a season especially suited for beginning a good work, then it is autumn, particularly this month, which is our first month and the start of the year, when our salvation had its origin, as we celebrate today. This sacred feast and holiday that we are keeping is the first to commemorate our recall and re-creation according to grace, for on it all things began to be made new, enduring precepts began to be brought in instead of temporary ones, the spirit instead of the letter, the truth instead of shadows. Today a new world and a mysterious paradise have been revealed, in which and from which a New Adam came into being, re-making the Old Adam and renewing the universe. He is not led astray by the deceiver, but deceives him, and bestows freedom on those enslaved to sin through his treachery. Today a paradoxical book has been made ready on earth, which in an indescribable way can hold, not the imprint of words, but the living Word Himself; not a word consisting of air, but the heavenly Word; not a word that perishes as soon as it is formed, but the Word Who snatches those who draw near Him from perdition; not a word made by the movement of a man’s tongue, but the Word begotten of God the Father before all ages. Today the living Tabernacle of God not made with hands appears, the inspired human Ark of the true Bread of Life sent down from heaven for us (cf. John 6:32ff). Today, according to the Psalms, ‘Truth has sprung up from the earth,’ the true image of human nobility which comes from above, ‘and righteousness has looked down from heaven’ (Ps. 85:11 LXX). This righteousness has deposed the unrighteous ruler from his unjust dominion, after being wrongfully condemned by him and rightly condemning him, and having bound the strong and evil one, plundered his goods (cf. Matt. 12:29), and transformed them, rendering them receptive to divine righteousness. Thus Christ took sin’s prisoners to live with Him for ever, justifying them by faith in Him, but He bound the prince of sin with inescapable bonds, and delivered him to eternal fire without light. Today, as prophesied, out of the ‘stem of Jesse’ a rod has come forth (cf. Isa. 11:1), from which a flower has grown which knows no wilting. This rod recalls our human nature, which had withered and fallen away from the unfading garden of delight, makes it bloom again, grants it to flourish for ever, brings it up to heaven, and leads it into paradise. With this rod the great Shepherd moves His human flock to eternal pastures, and supported by this rod, our nature lays aside its old age and feeble senility, and easily strides towards heaven, leaving the earth below for those who, devoid of support, are plunging downwards. But who is the new world, the mysterious paradise, the paradoxical book, the inspired Tabernacle and Ark of God, the truth sprung from the earth, the much extolled rod of Jesse? It is the Maiden who before and after childbearing is eternally virgin, whose birth from a barren mother we celebrate today.”
「任何時候都是開始一條能引領我們走向救恩的生活方式的合適時機（參見哥林多後書6:2：『因為他說：「在悅納的時候，我應允了你；在拯救的日子，我幫助了你。」看哪，現在正是悅納的時候；現在正是拯救的日子。』羅馬書13:12-13：『黑夜已深，白晝將近。我們就當脫去暗昧的行為，帶上光明的兵器。行事為人要端正，好像行在白晝；不可荒宴醉酒，不可好色淫蕩，不可爭競嫉妒。』）。然而，如果我們必須指出一年中最合適的季節，就如同有播種的時候和收割的時候，有栽種的時候和拔出所栽種的時候，以及其他一切事物的時候（參見傳道書3:1-8：『凡事都有定期，天下萬務都有定時。生有時，死有時；栽種有時，拔出所栽種的也有時；殺戮有時，醫治有時；拆毀有時，建造有時；哭有時，笑有時；哀慟有時，跳舞有時；拋擲石頭有時，堆聚石頭有時；懷抱有時，不懷抱有時；尋找有時，失落有時；保守有時，捨棄有時；撕裂有時，縫補有時；靜默有時，言語有時；喜愛有時，恨惡有時；爭戰有時，和好有時。』），如果你在尋找一個特別適合開始行善工作的季節，那就是秋天，特別是這個月，這是我們的第一個月，也是新年的開始，當我們的救恩開始時，如同我們今天所慶祝的。這個神聖的節日是我們依據恩典被重新召喚和重生的第一個紀念日，因為在這一天，一切事物開始被更新，永久的誡命開始取代暫時的誡命，聖靈取代了律法，真理取代了陰影。今天，一個新的世界和一個神秘的樂園被揭示出來，在這裡，一個新的亞當出現了，重塑了舊亞當，並更新了宇宙。他不會被欺騙者所迷惑，反而欺騙了他，並通過他的背叛將那些被罪奴役的人釋放。今天，一本矛盾的書籍在地上準備好了，它以無法形容的方式，不是容納文字的印記，而是容納活生生的道；不是由空氣組成的話語，而是來自天上的道；不是一形成就消失的話語，而是那拯救接近他的人脫離毀滅的道；不是由人的舌頭動作所造的話語，而是在萬世之前由天父所生的道。今天，那無人手所造的活生生的上帝帳幕出現了，這是真正生命之糧的靈感賦予的人的約櫃，為我們從天上降下來（參見約翰福音6:32及以下經文：『耶穌對他們說：「我實實在在地告訴你們，那從天上來的真糧不是摩西賜給你們的，我父將真糧賜給你們。因為神的糧就是那從天上降下來賜生命給世界的。」』）。今天，按照詩篇的說法，『真理從地上生出，公義從天上俯視』（詩篇85:11 LXX）。這公義已經罷黜了那不義的統治者，從他的不義統治中被錯誤地判罪，並正確地判定他，捆綁了那強壯的惡者，奪走了他的財物（參見馬太福音12:29：『人怎能進壯士家裡，搶奪他的家具呢？除非先捆住那壯士，才可以搶奪他的家財。』），並將它們轉化為能夠接受神聖公義的事物。因此，基督將罪的俘虜帶到永遠與他同住，藉著對他的信心使他們稱義，但他用無法逃脫的繩索捆綁了罪的君王，並將他交給了永遠沒有光的火焰。今天，正如預言的那樣，『從耶西的樹幹必發一條，從他根生的枝子必結果實』（參見以賽亞書11:1），從這根杖上長出了永不枯萎的花朵。這根杖使我們枯萎並從那不衰的樂園中掉落的人性重新復甦，使其再次盛開，使其永遠繁榮，將其帶上天堂，並引導其進入樂園。這根杖是那位偉大的牧人用來引導他的人類羊群到達永恆的牧場，並在這根杖的支撐下，我們的本性放下了它的老年和衰老，輕鬆地邁向天堂，將地面留給那些缺乏支撐的人，他們正在向下墜落。但是，誰是那新世界，那神秘的樂園，那矛盾的書籍，那受啟示的帳幕和神的約櫃，那從地上生出的真理，那大受稱頌的耶西的杖？她就是在生子前後永遠是童貞女的少女，我們今天慶祝她從一個不孕的母親中出生。」
http://thoughtsintrusive.wordpress.com/2012/09/21/nativity-of-the-theotokos/
