3. So the forefather gave the servant precise instruction and bound him with an oath. Let us now look at the good sense of this household, how jealous he was of his master's love of God. Seeing that the righteous man commands him with such power, he says to his forefather: "Perhaps" the woman will not "want to come with me," "Do you want to bring your son back to the land from which you came?" (Gen. 24:5)? If, he says, any obstacle should be encountered in this matter, then, in order that I may not transgress thy command, I ask thee what I should observe in such a case, and whether it pleases thee that Isaac should go thither himself, and take his wife there, and return from thence again, if the wife does not consent to go with me, as thou hast commanded. What about the righteous man? He does not agree to this, and says: "Beware that you do not return my son there" (Gen. 24:6). And you will not need it, he says, because He who gave me the promise and promised to spread his (Isaac's) seed to such a multitude — He will also prosper you in this matter. Thus, "Thou shalt not bring my son back there, O Lord God of heaven and God of earth" (Gen. 24:7). See, just as before the forefather, adjuring the servant, taught him about the Creator of all things, so now, expressing the spirit of prayer, he repeats the same words, thus teaching the household to set out on the journey with firm hope in God, and to be sure of a successful end to the work. He impresses upon him what great favor God has enjoyed from the beginning, and that He who called him from his fatherland, and has hitherto so arranged his affairs, and in his very old age has given him a son, Isaac, will prosper him in the work ahead. "The Lord God of heaven and earth," he says, "took me out of my father's house, and out of the land of my birth," the same "Who said to me, To thy seed I will give this land," the One who showed such great care for me. "He will send his angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there" (Gen. 24:7-8). Go, he says, with confidence: I firmly believe that He who has shown me so many favors will add this (new) one to the former mercies, "He will send His angel before you." He will arrange all things for you; He will show you also a wife, and you will take her and return. But if it happens (which is not the case) that the wife does not agree to go with you, then you will be free from the oath. Only, "Do not return my son there." But I have no doubt that the Lord will be pleased with you. Thus showing how much he trusts in the power of God, (the forefather) forbids the servant to take (Isaac) there. After he had given his command to the servant with such precision, and freed him from doubt (since the servant was afraid to break his oath by not fulfilling the command), "the servant put his hand under the tread of Abraham his master, and swore to him this" (Gen. 24:9), i.e. that he would not take Isaac there. Do you see how from the very beginning the servant showed his master his diligence? See further, how from the instructions of his forefather he became even better and began to imitate the piety of the righteous man. Having taken, it is said, "ten camels, and all the treasures of his master, He arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor, and stopped the camels outside the city, at a well of water, in the evening, at the time when the women go out to draw, and said, 'Lord, God of my lord Abraham' (Gen. 10-12). Notice the good sense of the servant: he calls the Lord of the universe the God of the forefather, saying: "Lord, God of my master Abraham," Thou who hast shown him so many blessings. Why are you surprised if a slave calls him the God of Abraham? And God Himself, showing how much He appreciates the virtue of the righteous, says: "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exodus 3:6). So the servant said: "Lord, God of my master Abraham! send her this day to meet me, and show mercy to my lord Abraham" (Gen. 24:12). As if he were saying: "Create, that his desires may be fulfilled, arrange everything according to his intention; "Have mercy on my lord Abraham." What does it mean: "do mercy"? So, fulfill his wish. Then he says: "Behold, I am standing at a fountain of water, and the daughters of the inhabitants of the city go out to draw water; and the maiden to whom I will say, 'Tilt your pitcher, I will drink,' and who will say, 'Drink, and I will give your camels to drink until they are all drunk; this is the one which Thou hast appointed unto Thy servant Isaac; and by this I know that you are showing mercy to my master" (Gen. 24:13-14). Take note of the servant's prudence: he knew the strangeness of his forefather, and that the maiden whom he was to bring to him must have the same disposition as the righteous man; Wherefore the servant seeks no other sign, but wants to know the character of the maiden by her hospitality, and says, "If she bends the waterpot to me when I ask her for water, she will not only grant my request, but will also show her own hospitality, and say, "I will give your camels a drink too," then by offering water she will give sufficient testimony of the goodness of her disposition.

4. Consider, beloved, how important it was that the gentle maiden who drew water not only did not refuse (the slave's) request, but also took the waterpot off her shoulders, and allowed the beggar to drink from it, moreover a stranger and completely unknown to her, and not only him, but also all the camels, and by this act she presented proof of her spiritual nobility. Or do you not know that many men often refuse such requests? What do I say about almsgiving water? Sometimes people holding lighted candles in their hands, in response to the requests of other people who come up to them to wait a little and let them light their candle, do not want to do even this, while the fire will not diminish in the least, even if there are thousands of people who want to light it. And here a woman, a maiden, carrying a waterpot on her shoulders, not only was not indignant at the request, but did even more than she asked: she gave the wanderer water and voluntarily hastened to water the camels. And all this was arranged by God, the lover of mankind, who heeded the prayers of the forefather and sent His angel before him, so that everything would be done as the servant asked. Thus, the servant actually learned the power of the forefather's prayers, found the maiden he desired, and saw her extreme love of strangers: "And straightway, it is said, she poured water out of her pitcher into the water, and ran again to the well to draw it, and drew for all his camels" (Gen. 24:20). See what diligent helpfulness! In the fact that she "immediately poured the water out of her pitcher into the water, and ran again to the well" – this is precisely the extraordinary helpfulness of the maiden. She did not run away from the slave as if he were a stranger, and did not refuse the request under the guise of chastity, but with great meekness said: "Drink, sir." Just think: at such an age, what strictness of chastity, what great meekness, what zealous love of strangers! Is this not more valuable than any wealth? To what treasures would each of us not prefer this? This is the best dowry; here is incalculable wealth, here is a treasure that never fails. Thus, the prudent servant, seeing in this the manifest providence of God, "with amazement, as it is said, in silence, desiring to understand whether the Lord has blessed his way or not" (Gen. 24:21). What does it mean, "desiring to understand"? This means that he observed the very words of the maiden, and the look, the step, the clothes, and everything else, and waited for an opportunity to find out "whether the Lord blessed his way or not." Everything that had happened up to now had already shown the great and extraordinary virtue of the maiden. Therefore, as a reward for her obedience and for giving her water, the servant offered, as it is said in the Scriptures, "a gold earring, and two wrists"; And then, carefully testing what concerned her, he asked her: "Whose daughter are you? Tell me, is there a place for us to spend the night in your father's house?" (Gen. 24:23)? Notice now the girl's answer. As before, when he asked her for water, she not only fulfilled the request, but, having given him a drink, afterwards gave the camels to drink, so now, to the slave's question: "Is there a place and whose daughter is she?" the maiden answers: "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor" (Gen. 24:24). She mentions her father and grandfather, so that the servant, having come to know them, would become more benevolent. Notice the good nature of the girl: when asked about her father, she tells not only about him, but also about her grandfather. And when the servant asked only: "Is there a place for us to spend the night in your father's house?" she answers: not only a place, but also "we have plenty of straw and fodder" (Gen. 24:25). The servant, hearing this and being amazed at the maiden's zealous love of strangers, also learned that he had not come to strangers, but to the house of Nahor, who was the brother of the forefather, "and the man bowed down, it is said, worshipped the Lord" (Gen. 24:26). Rejoicing at what he had learned, and at the words of the maiden, he "worshipped the Lord," that is, he offered thanks to the Lord, Who had shown such favor to his forefather and such care for himself, and who had arranged everything so happily for him, and said: "Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken my master in His mercy and in His truth" (Gen. 24:27). After the servant saw the good nature of the maiden and learned everything from her in detail, he finally reveals to the maiden who he is, and with his thanks to God he explains to her that he did not come from someone else's house, but that the one who sent him was the brother of Nahor. Learning this, the maiden with great joy "fled," as the Scripture says. See how she shows her diligence in hospitality by all her actions - running, words, and her modest behavior. "She ran, it is said, and told about it in her mother's house" (Gen. 24:28). Everything she heard from the slave, she told her parents. "Laban ran out to that man, to the spring" (Gen. 24:29). So this one shows his diligence by running. And when he saw the man standing by the well with the camels, he said to him, "Come in, blessed of the Lord: why are you standing outside? I have prepared a house and a place for camels" (Gen. 24:30). Notice how this one also blesses the Lord in the presence of a stranger, and already shows him (in words) great courtesy, even before hospitality in deed. "Come," he said, "come in," I had already prepared a temple and a place for the camels. Then, when he entered, "he unsaddled the camels, and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the people" (Gen. 24:32).

5. This is how much people who were still in error cared about the hospitality of strangers. "And he gave water to wash his feet and the people who were with him; and food was offered to him" (Gen. 24:33). But note here the prudence of the slave. What does he say? "I will not eat until I have told my deed." You, he says, have done your work; but I will not think of my rest until I have explained to you the reason why I was sent on such a journey, and why I came hither from Canaan, and how I was brought into your house, so that when you know all things, you also may show your favor to my lord. And he began to tell thus: "I am Abraham's servant; The Lord blessed my lord exceedingly: He gave him sheep and oxen, silver and gold, male and female servants, camels and asses; Sarah, my master's wife, when she was already old, bore my lord a son, to whom he gave all that he had." (Gen. 24:34-36). See how carefully he tells them all things: I am a servant, he says, of Abraham, whom you know. Know also that he has received a blessing from the Lord of all, and lives in great wealth. Then, showing the abundance of this wealth, he says that he has "sheep and oxen, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys." Listen to this, you rich people, who buy a few plots of land every day, build baths and places of entertainment, and magnificent buildings, and see what the property of the righteous man was. He has no field anywhere, no buildings, and no superfluous luxury, but only "sheep and calves, camels and donkeys, male and female slaves." And in order to know whence he had such a multitude of servants, (the Scriptures) says in another place that they were all "members of the household" (Russian translated: his servants born in his house) (Gen. 14:14) [i.e., slaves not hired or bought, but born in his house]. So this lord, who lives in such wealth and deserves great help from above, when he was already in old age, received a son from Sarah. Having only this son, he made him the heir of all: "He gave all that he had." Having thus spoken of the glory of his master and of the birth of Isaac, the servant goes on to speak of the command which he received from his master, and by which he came to Haran. "And he took an oath from me," says he, "my lord, saying, 'Do not take a wife for my son Isaac from among the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, but go to my father's house and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son' (Gen. 24:37-38). Thus he commanded me. Then I, imagining the inconveniences in this matter, and reasoning about its difficulty, asked my master: "Perhaps a woman will not go with me" (Gen. 24:39)? He said to me, "The Lord, in whose face I walk, will send His angel with you, and will make your way prosperous, and you will take a wife for my son from among my relatives and from my father's house." If the wife does not agree to come with you here, "then you will be free from my oath" (Gen. 24:40-41). "And so, my lord," says (the servant), having given me this command, and having instructed me with these prayers, he sent me, and I, encouraged by his prayers, when I came to the well, uttered these words: "Lord, God of my master Abraham! If Thou wilt make good the way which I make, behold, I am standing by a fountain of water, and the virgin who will come out to draw it, and to whom I will say, Give me a little to drink from thy pitcher, and who shall say to me, Thou shalt drink, and I will draw thy camels, this is the woman whom the Lord hath appointed for my master's son" (Gen. 24:42-44). And so, he says, I prayed inwardly and asked God; and before my prayer was finished, it was immediately fulfilled, and the word became a deed. "Before I had ceased to speak in my mind, Behold, Rebekah came out, and her pitcher was on her shoulder, and I said to her, 'Give me a drink.' Immediately she took down her pitcher and said, 'Drink, and I will give your camels to drink' (Gen. 24:45-46). Seeing in this a clear providence of God, I asked her: whose daughter is she? And when I knew from her words that I had not come to strangers, but to the house of Nahor my lord's brother, I dared to offer her "earrings and wrists on her hands. And I bowed down and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my lord Abraham, who hath brought me in a straight way, that I might take the daughter of my master's brother" (Gen. 24:47). It is evident that it is so arranged by God, that the prayers of my lord have ascended to Him. Now, if you, for your part, agree, "Do you intend to show mercy and truth to my lord or not? tell me" (Gen. 24:49). Let me know about it, he says, so that I may know what I must do.

If you do not agree, I will go to another place and turn "to the right or to the left" (Gen. 24:49). But as God Himself arranged everything through the prayers of the forefather, the maiden's father and brother answered (to the servant): "From the Lord came this matter, we cannot tell you in spite of either evil or good" (Gen. 24:50). Your story, they say, shows that all this happened by God's providence; therefore, do not think that we will become contrary to the will of God: this cannot be on our part. Behold, the maiden is before thee; "Take it and go; let her be the wife of your master's son, as the Lord has said" (Gen. 24:51).

6. Do you see how in ancient times people took care of choosing wives for their sons? How was spiritual dignity sought in preference to wealth? They had no records, no contracts, and no other things that happen today; there were no heterogeneous conditions, such as are now entered in the (marriage) records, as, for example, in case the husband dies without children, if this or that happens. The ancients had nothing of the sort, but there was a much more important and reliable record – the temper of the bride. They also had no music or dances. You will see this when you know how this maiden was brought to the bridegroom. The servant, hearing the words of her father and brother, "worshipped the Lord to the ground" (Gen. 24:52). This is how he always gives thanks to the Lord of all, because the Lord Himself helped him in everything, and, according to the word of the forefather, sent an angel before him, who arranged everything for him. Finally, the servant, having made sure that the goal of his efforts had been achieved, "took out the things of silver, and the things of gold, and gave them to Rebekah" (Gen. 24:53). Now he boldly serves her, as if she had already been betrothed to Isaac in words, he also honors both his brother and mother with gifts, and when he saw his master's command fulfilled, then, at last, he allowed himself to rest. "And he ate and drank, and the people who were with him, and spent the night. And when they arose in the morning, he said, Let me go to my master" (Gen. 24:54). As everything has already been arranged for me so successfully, he says, and there is nothing left (for me to do), and it is desirable for you to do so, "let me go to my master. But her brother and her mother said, "Let the maiden stay with us for ten days, and then you will go." He said to them, "Do not hold me back, for the Lord has made my way prosperous; let me go, and I will go to my lord" (Gen. 24:55-56). Why, he says, should I postpone and postpone, when God has given me such success in all things? "Let me go, and I will go to my master. They said, "Let us call the maiden and ask what she will say." And they called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" She said, "I'll go." And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his people. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, "Our sister! let thousands of thousands be born of you, and let your descendants possess the dwellings of your enemies" (Gen. 24:57-60). See how these people, without their own knowledge, predict the future of a maiden, because God Himself directed their thoughts to this. They foretell her two events: that she will be in thousands of thousands," and that her seed "will possess the dwellings of her enemies." Do you see how in all cases the manifest providence of God is revealed, and how the Lord God of all things, even through unbelievers, foretells future events? "And Rebekah and her maidservants arose, it is said, and sat on the camels" (Gen. 24:61). This is the kind of bride the forefather takes! She goes to fetch water, carries a water carrier on her shoulders, and now she mounts a camel. There were no mules with manes decorated with silver, there was no crowd of servants, there was no effeminacy that is visible today; ancient women had such a fortress that they themselves mounted camels and thus made their journeys. "And let's go, it is said, for that man. And when evening came, Isaac went out into the field to meditate, and lifted up his eyes, and saw, Behold, camels are coming" (Gen. 24:63). As Isaac was walking in the field, the Scripture says, he saw camels. "Rebekah looked, and saw Isaac, and got down from the camel. And she said to the servant, 'Who is this man who is coming into the field to meet us' (Gen. 24:64-65)? Notice the nobility of the maiden: when she sees Isaac, she asks who it is. And when she learns that this is the one who wants to take her for himself, she dresses, as it is noted in the Scriptures, in summer clothes, and the servant, coming up, carefully told everything to Isaac. See, beloved, how there is nothing superfluous and empty here, there is no vain pomp, no cymbals, trumpets and dances, no indecent feasts, no backbiting full of all shamelessness, but everything is honest, everything is wise, everything is modest. "And Isaac brought her," it is said, "into the tent of Sarah his mother, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted in sorrow for his mother" (Gen. 24:67). This is whom let the wives imitate. Let men be jealous of them, let them take care to find brides in the same way. Well, tell me, why do you allow the maiden's ears to be filled with shameless songs and inappropriate noise from the very beginning? Or you don't know how easily youth is accessible to temptation. Why do you disgrace the venerable sacrament of marriage? All this should be banished, and from the very beginning the girl should be accustomed to modesty.

Amen.

DISCOURSE 49

"This is the genealogy of Isaac the son of Abraham" (Gen. 25:19).

Isaac's example of patience and perseverance in prayer. — The reasons why the wives of the righteous were barren. — Isaac's twenty-year prayer for Rebecca's barrenness and the urge to imitate the righteous man.

1. Again I would lead you to the usual table, and offer you a refreshment from the words of Moses, or rather, from the words of the Spirit, because Moses does not tell us his narrative of his own accord, but under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And so, let us see today what he teaches us. For it is not without reason and not without purpose that he expounds to us the lives of the righteous, but so that we may imitate their virtue, and be followers of their perfections. Having described in detail the circumstances of the life of the forefather (Abraham) and having described his last feat, the sacrifice of the only-begotten (son), having shown us how the forefather offered this wondrous sacrifice to God, if not by deed, then by intention, Moses thus ended his narration about it. Listen, indeed, to what Paul says: "By faith Abraham, being tempted, sacrificed Isaac, and having the promise, he offered the only begotten" (Hebrews 11:17). And then, in order that we might know exactly how the forefather did all this by faith, and how he was not troubled in spirit, seeing that the command given to him was contrary to the promise, the Apostle says: "Wherefore he also received it as a sign" (Hebrews 11:19). What does it mean, "received as an omen"? It means that by sacrificing his son and showing a resolute intention in this, he himself was worthy of a crown, and he received his son back, and meanwhile the sacrifice was accomplished by offering a ram. In all this, God in every way showed the superiority of His own love for mankind and showed that He had given (the forefather) such a command, not wanting the death of Isaac, but only testing the obedience of the righteous man. Thus, we have seen the virtue of the forefather, shining in all his deeds. Now, reviewing the legends about Isaac, we also see how he also revealed his pious spirit in all his deeds. Let us listen to how the Scripture itself says about this. "This is the genealogy," he says, "of Isaac the son of Abraham: Abraham begat Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he took to wife Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian (Aramean) of Mesopotamia, the sister of Laban the Syrian (Aramean)" (Gen. 25:19-20).

Notice, beloved, the accuracy of the divine Scriptures, how they say nothing unnecessarily. Why does it mean to us the years of Isaac's life, and says, "Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife"? Not without reason, and not without purpose. But since the Scriptures will tell you further about the barrenness of Rebekah, and that it was only through the prayer of the righteous man that she began to bear children, so it wants to depict to you all the strength of Isaac's patience, and to indicate exactly the time during which he was childless, so that we, imitating the righteous man, may also be persistent in prayers to God, when we ask him for something. This righteous man, so virtuous and enjoying such favor from God, showed such great diligence and firmness of spirit, constantly beseeching God to resolve Rebecca's barrenness. What shall we say, burdened with a multitude of sins, and not discovering in ourselves the slightest portion (virtues) of the righteous? And when we have a certain zeal for a short time, then we are confused and retreat from the podvig, if we are not heard immediately. Therefore, I urge you: learning from the events in the life of this righteous man, we will never cease to beseech God for mercy on our sins; let us show fiery zeal and let us not be impatient, let us not be lazy, if we are not immediately heard. Perhaps the Lord is delaying, thereby teaching us unflagging diligence (in prayer) and wants us to receive a reward for patience as well. He also knows the time when it is useful for us to get what we want. And we ourselves do not know so much what is useful for us as He knows, Who leads the most secret thoughts of everyone. Therefore, we should not experience much, reason a lot about what comes from God; but for everything to express our gratitude to Him and marvel at the virtues of the righteous. So; The Divine Scripture, having said how old Isaac was, goes on to say of Rebekah, his wife, that she was barren. Pay attention to the piety of the righteous man. As soon as he saw the defect of nature, he resorted to the Creator of nature and tried to loosen its bonds by the power of prayer. "And Isaac prayed," it is said, "to the Lord for Rebekah his wife, because she was barren" (Gen. 25:21). First of all, it is worth examining one thing here: why was she barren, while both she and her husband were men of wonderful life, and both maintained great chastity? We cannot suspect their lives, and say that their barrenness was the result of sins. And what is surprising, it was not only Rebekah who was barren, but also the mother of the righteous man, Sarah; and not only his mother, but also his daughter-in-law, I mean Rachel, Jacob's wife. What is the meaning of such an assembly of the barren? All of them are righteous, all are virtuous, all have received a testimony (of their righteousness) from God. After all, God said of them: "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exodus 3:6). And Blessed Paul says: "Therefore God is not ashamed of them, calling Himself their God" (Hebrews 11:16). They are praised much in the New Testament, and they are glorified much in the Old. In all respects they are illustrious and eminent: and yet they all had barren wives, and for a long time were childless.

2. Therefore, when you see a husband and wife living virtuously, and yet childless, when you see that they fear God and care for a godly life, but do not have children, do not think that this is a consequence of sins. Many intentions of the divine economy are unknown to us, but for everything we must thank (God), and only those who spend their lives in vices are considered unhappy, and not those who have not begotten children. God often arranges many things in our favor, but we do not know the cause of events. Therefore, in any case, we should marvel at His wisdom, and glorify His ineffable love for mankind. All this is said to you for your benefit, so that you may always show gratitude to God's providence, and not test His destinies. It is necessary, however, to reveal the reason why those wives were barren. What is this reason? So that you do not fall into unbelief, when you hear that the "Virgin" gives birth to our common Lord. Accustom your mind, as the Scriptures would say, to be the example of the barren here, and seeing how the obsolete and barren womb is opened by the grace of God for childbearing, do not be surprised when you hear afterwards that the Virgin gave birth. Or, better yet, be surprised, amazed, but believe in a miracle. Wherefore, when the Jew saith unto thee, How did the Virgin give birth, thou shalt also say unto him, And how did the barren and old woman give birth? In the latter case, there were two obstacles to birth: the untimely age and the inability of nature; and for the Virgin there was only one obstacle – that she was not involved in marriage. Thus, the barren woman prepares the way for the Virgin. And in order to convince yourself that the barren appeared in the past, that we might believe in the virgin birth, listen to the words of Gabriel to the Virgin. When he came to her and said, "Thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bear a son, and shalt call his name Jesus," she was amazed, and in perplexity asked, "How shall this be, since I know no man?" What about the angel? "The Holy Spirit will come upon you," he says, "and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" (Luke 1:31, 34-35). Do not demand, he says, the order of nature, when this matter is above nature. Do not assume the sorrows of marriage, when the manner of birth will be higher than marriage. "How will it be, she says, when I do not know my husband?" Therefore this will come to pass, because you do not know a man. If you knew a man, you would not be worthy to serve this secret. So believe for the very reason you don't believe. Not because, however, marriage is bad in itself, but because virginity is better than it. The image of the coming to earth of the Lord common to all had to be higher than ours, since it was a royal coming. In His birth, He had to have something in common with our birth, but also something different from ours. Both have been accomplished; Listen. That he was born of his mother's womb is what he has in common with us; and that He was born without wedlock is above our nature. To have in the womb is inherent in human nature; but conception without copulation is above human nature. So understand from this both His likeness and superiority over you. Note also wisdom in that neither His superiority has destroyed His likeness and affinity with us, nor His affinity with us has darkened His superiority. But both were revealed in His works: some of them were completely common with us, and others were different from ours. For this reason, as I have said, those women were barren, that we should believe in the birth of a virgin, that she herself might be led (by their examples) to believe in the gospel and promise given to her. Listen to what the angel says to her: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." In this way, he says, you will give birth, and all things will be accomplished by the work of the Holy Spirit; do not look at the ground; this power will come from heaven; this is the work of the grace of the Holy Spirit; do not look here for the order of nature and the laws of marriage. But since these words were beyond her understanding, he wants to present her with another proof.

3. See, beloved, how the barren wife leads the Virgin to believe in this birth. Since the first proof was beyond the understanding of the Virgin, listen to how (the angel) reduces his word to the simplest things, admonishing her with tangible examples. "Behold," he says, "Elizabeth, thy kinswoman, who is called barren, and she conceived a son in her old age; and she is now six months old" (Luke 1:36). Without a doubt, in order to confirm the Virgin, he also pointed to the barren woman. Otherwise, why would he have given her the example of the birth of her relative, and why would he have added, "called barren"? All this he directs her so that she believes in the gospel; for this he mentioned both the age (of Elizabeth) and the exhaustion of nature; for this he also indicated the very time of conception. The angel did not preach the good news to the Virgin immediately, from the very beginning (of Elizabeth's conception), but after six months, so that the clear evidence of pregnancy would clearly confirm the reality of the conception. And note the wisdom of Gabriel: he did not mention to her Sarah, or Rebekah, or Rachel. Why and for what? After all, they were barren and old, and a great miracle was performed on them? But they all belong to ancient history, and therefore the angel points out to her the nearest event in order to confirm (in faith) her thoughts.