"And as for the likeness of their faces: there was the face of a man, and the face of a lion... and the face of an ox... and the face of an eagle..." (Ezekiel 1:10)
...For the Only-Begotten Son of God Himself truly became Man; He deigned to die like an ox at sacrifice for our salvation; He, through the virtue of His fortitude, rose as a lion... Furthermore, ascending to Heaven after his Resurrection, He was borne aloft to the heights like an eagle. He is therefore wholly within us...
...since each of the just is formed as a man through reason, an ox through the sacrifice of mortification, a lion through the fortitude of composure, and an eagle indeed through contemplation...
Therefore in all which we do, we ought zealously to examine ourselves inwardly and outwardly, in order that, emulating the winged creatures, we may be present to ourselves and always walk before our face, having as our helper the Only-Begotten of the Father, Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Him in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for all ages of ages. Amen.
Gregory the Great, Homilies on the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel I.4
Theodosia Tomkinson trans.
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