Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana - 01.06.2003, Page 167

Liturgy of St Knud Lavard
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into the potter’s mould and invigorated by the power of life, the material grain at
first seems pleasing to its Creator. He planted it in good ground, in His garden,
in a place of pleasantness and renown, that it should bear fruit. But His enemy
came, even the enemy of mankind, and sowed on top the tåres of disobedience
and discord, and they grew into thoms of sin and ruin, and were multiplied in the
trials of tribulation and misery. The first grain is choked, the second destroyed,
the third cast down to the ground; and thus, by a deadly law, it has inwardly lost
the liberty of life. Beware, brethren! Be on your guard against the sophistry of
the Impostor, who laid low our first parents and ceases not to pursue those that
came after. Resist him, steadfast in the faith!
Ninth respond (§ 2c:2:l:2). The righteous one prospers in all his ways; but
within his own land a foe is stirred up against him, * and for his good deeds he
is sold to death.
Freed from the enslavement of the flesh the faithful soul, offered to the Son of
God, becomes a daughter of Zion; * and for his good deeds, etc.
Tenth lesson of the Passion (§ 2c:2:2:l). The Creator, expecting that His cre-
ation would be exposed to danger, took pity on its distress. For He knew that, be-
ing made of clay, it could be broken, and so happily He took care to grant it help
when it was falling through deceit. Therefore, not from corruptible matter but
rather from the measure of His pity, from the wellspring of His piety, from His
own bosom, and to shore up that which had been undermined by divinely re-
ceiving it in a virginal vessel, He sent His saving seed, a mystical grain made
visible, into the world. But the world knew Him not. For that reason comes the
prince of this same world, who had sentenced the material grain to death and
tried in vain to destroy it. He introduced his seed, the seed of envy, blasphemy,
temptation, persecution, and suffering. All these could not weigh down the grain
of grace. But what of that? The word of truth could not be altered from its proper
State. It could not but become that which it predicted would be made. So for two
reasons, namely lest it should remain alone and that it might bring forth much
fruit, it died just as it wished. For the Son of God made Son of Man made many
sons of men into sons of God. For as many as received Him, to them He gave
power to become the sons of God. Thus the mystical grain made much fruit
through suffering. Brethren, I think it right to receive Him who does not refrain
from sharing a portion of His patrimony with His allies in the covenant of faith.
For if children, then heirs.
Tenth respond (§ 2c:2:2:2). Victory is granted to the victim of the sword, suc-
cour to mortals, and glory to the saints; * his memory remains for ever.
Now it pleases the Creator to pay the reward of his toil; * his memory, etc.