Homily 56 #

On Thursday of the Sixth Week of Lent — Parables from the Prophetic Sayings, with Interpretation.

Proverbs. Chapter 9: #

Wisdom hath builded her house…

Interpretation.
“Wisdom” is Christ, and the “house” is the Holy Mother of God.

She hath hewn out her seven pillars.

Interpretation.
The “seven pillars” are the seven Ecumenical Councils.

She hath killed her beasts.

Interpretation.
Christ was pierced on the Cross.

She hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

Interpretation.
The mingled wine is the Body and Blood of Christ in the chalice. The furnished table refers to the Eucharist.

She hath sent forth her maidens.

Interpretation.
These are the apostles.

She crieth upon the highest places of the city…

Interpretation.
The “high places” signify the Gospel—the high preaching—and the “cup” refers to the Eucharist.

Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither.

Interpretation.
She calls unbelievers to the faith.

As for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

Interpretation.
She commands those who seek the Gospel’s teaching to come and partake of the Holy Eucharist.

Forsake the foolish, and live…

Interpretation.
Forsake unbelief, and you shall be saved.

…and go in the way of understanding.

Interpretation.
Seek Christ, and you shall be saved.

Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

Interpretation.
Do not rebuke a proud and unbelieving man. But correct one who is faithful and humble, and he will love you.

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser.

Interpretation.
Give teaching to one who is faithful, humble, obedient, and God-fearing, and he will become better.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Interpretation.
Understanding has been given to the saints—that is, to the prophets, apostles, and all other holy ones—when the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit communed together.

For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

Interpretation.
The holy ones, having meditated in wisdom, took up a life of virtuous labor by which they inherit eternal rest and joy. By this, they gained great benefit over many years, and the “years of life” are lengthened—meaning eternal joy and peace without end.

Genesis. Chapter 28. #

And behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it.

Interpretation.
The ladder is the Cross, and the One who stood upon it is the Lord Jesus, who was crucified upon the Cross. The angels ascending and descending prefigure the events when Christ was crucified—at that time, the faithful began to ascend to heaven, while the Jews and all unbelievers began to descend into hell.

And the gate shall be shut.

Interpretation.
This signifies the womb of the Virgin Mother of God.

For the prince shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord.

Interpretation.
This means He will begin to preach the teaching of His Father for the salvation of believers.

And, lo, the house of the Lord was filled with glory.

Interpretation.
The house is the Mother of God, and the glory is the Lord, the Son of God, who filled her with the Holy Spirit. The apostles were also filled with understanding, for the enlightenment of the faithful.

Genesis. Chapter 49. #

Jacob, prophesying of Christ, said:

“Binding his foal unto the vine…”

Interpretation.
The vine is the faith, and the foal are the nations.

“He washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.”

Interpretation.
The Body of Christ was stained with blood when He hung upon the Cross. His garment is His Flesh, and the wine is His Blood.

“His eyes shall be red with wine…”

Interpretation.
The eyes represent the prophets, who rejoiced at His coming.

“And his teeth white with milk.”

Interpretation.
The teeth signify the commandments of the Lord—they are pure and without fault.

Micah. Chapter 4. #

Thus saith the Lord: “I will assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; and I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.”

Interpretation.
Those who “halt” are the Jews, and the “remnant” gathered from among the broken ones are the apostles, whom He placed among the nations. Those “cast off” are the Gentiles—cast away since the time of the Tower of Babel—but they became strong, that is, they became Christians.

“And the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.”

Interpretation.
The apostles first turned to preach to the Jews.

“And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord.”

Interpretation.
Christ stood upon the Cross and fed the Christians with the power of the Cross.

Isaiah. Chapter 11. #

Isaiah said: Thus saith the Lord: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.”

Interpretation.
The rod is the kingdom of David, the root is the Mother of God, and the Branch is Christ.

“He shall reprove with righteousness the mighty of the earth.”

Interpretation.
That is, He shall reprove kings and princes through baptism.

“And with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked.”

Interpretation.
He shall capture the whole world by the Gospel, and by the breath of His lips He shall destroy the wicked—that is, the devil.

“He shall be girded with righteousness about His loins…”

Interpretation.
This means He is clothed in His divinity.

“And with faithfulness the girdle of His reins.”

Interpretation.
This means He is bound in His humanity.

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb…”

Interpretation.
The proud shall dwell with the meek.

“And the leopard shall lie down with the kid…”

Interpretation.
The cunning with the shameful.

“And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together…”

Interpretation.
Princes, nobles, and common people shall all be united in faith and baptism.

“And a little child shall lead them.”

Interpretation.
The child is Christ, the Son of God.

“And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.”

Interpretation.
Princes and nobles shall accept fasting.

“And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den; they shall not hurt nor destroy.”

Interpretation.
This was fulfilled in Paul, when he contended with the high priests and scribes of the Jews: he placed the word, like a hand, into their hearts—which were dens of demons—and they did him no harm.

“For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

Interpretation.
The sea is the world, and the waters are the knowledge of Scripture.

“And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people: to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious.”

Interpretation.
The root is Christ. He who “shall stand” means that before His death and Resurrection, the Gentiles did not know Him—but after His Dormition and Resurrection, the Gentiles came to know Him. His Dormition and Resurrection became honored among the nations.

Baruch. Chapter 4 #

The Prophet Baruch said: “This is the book of the commandments of God, and the law that endureth for ever: all they that keep it shall live; but such as leave it shall die.”

Interpretation.
The book is Christ, the Son of God. The Gentiles who keep it shall be saved, but the Jews, having rejected it, shall perish.

“Turn thee, O Jacob, and take hold of it: walk in the presence of the light thereof, that thou mayest be illuminated. Give not thine honour to another, nor the things that are profitable unto thee to a strange nation.”

Interpretation.
The Jews did not desire the glory—that is, the rest of the age to come—nor the benefit—that is, Christ. Instead, they handed over their benefit, Christ, to us, the Gentiles, and upon themselves they took His blood.

Daniel. Chapter 2. #

The Prophet Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar: “Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee…”

Interpretation.
The great image is the world.

“The head of this image was of fine gold…”

Interpretation.
The golden head is the Babylonian Empire.

“His breast and his arms of silver…”

Interpretation.
This is the Persian Empire.

“His belly and his thighs of brass…”

Interpretation.
This is the Macedonian Empire.

“His legs of iron…”

Interpretation.
This is the Roman Empire.

“Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image…”

Interpretation.
The stone is Christ, and “cut out from the mountain” means that He came from heaven to earth.

“Cut out without hands…”

Interpretation.
That is, He was incarnate without seed, from the Virgin.

“And it smote the image, and became a great mountain…”

Interpretation.
He turned the world to baptism, lifted all to heavenly heights, and destroyed the kingdom of the pagans.

Isaiah. Chapter 9. #

The Prophet Isaiah said: “For unto us a child is born.”

Interpretation.
The child is Christ.

“And the government shall be upon his shoulder.”

Interpretation.
The government is the Cross, for the Lord Himself, going to His crucifixion, bore the Cross upon His shoulder.

[Isaiah, ch. 8] And the Lord said unto me: Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man’s pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz. For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and My mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.

Interpretation.
Christ descended into Hades and swiftly took it captive; He bound Satan and took his spoil—that is, the souls of the righteous.

And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.

Interpretation.
These two serve as witnesses: at that time, Joseph took Mary from the temple.

And I went unto the prophetess, and she conceived and bare a son.

Interpretation.
The prophetess is the Virgin Mary. The archangel came to her, and she is the one who said: “From henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”

Jeremiah. Chapter 11. #

Jeremiah said: “Come, and let us devise devices against him… let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof.”

Interpretation.
The tree is the Cross, and the fruit (or bread) is the Body of Christ.

Ezekiel. Chapter 9. #

Ezekiel saw, and the Lord said: “Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done.”

Interpretation.
The mark is the sign of the Cross.

Zechariah. Chapter 9. #

Zechariah said: “By the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.”

Interpretation.
Christ freed the souls from Hades.

Genesis. Chapter 49. #

Jacob said: “He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?”

Interpretation.
The shoot (or branch) is the Virgin Mother of God, and He who passed forth from her is Christ.
“He lay down as a lion…”—Christ rose from the tomb, leaping up quickly like a lion awakened from rest.

Isaiah. Chpater 42. #

Isaiah said: “The former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare.”

Interpretation.
The former things are the old Jewish law, and the new things are the Christian faith.

To our God be glory, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.