Sermon 273
SERMO 273
ON THE BIRTHDAY OF THE MARTYRS FRUCTUOSUS THE BISHOP, AUGURIUS, AND EULOGIUS
Deacons
The death of the soul is to be feared, not of the body. God is the life of the soul.
The Lord Jesus instructed his martyrs not only with a command but also strengthened them with an example. For, so that they would have something to follow in suffering, He first suffered for them: He showed the journey and made the way. Death is either of the soul or of the body. But the soul cannot die, and it can die: it cannot die because its feeling never perishes; however, it can die if it loses God. For just as the soul is the life of its body, so God is the life of its soul. Therefore, just as the body dies when the soul, that is, its life, leaves it; so the soul dies when God leaves it. But so that God does not leave the soul, it must always be in faith, so that it does not fear death for God; and it does not die, being held by God. Thus, it remains that the death which is feared should be feared for the body. But also from this, the Lord Christ made His martyrs safe. For how could they be uncertain about the integrity of their members, who had received security concerning the number of their hairs? He says, Your hairs are numbered. Moreover, in another place, He says more clearly: I tell you that not one hair of your head will perish. Does Truth speak, and does frailty tremble?
The solemnities of the martyrs for the exhortation of the faithful. Response of St. Fructuosus.
Blessed are the saints whose memories we celebrate on the day of their passion: they have received in exchange for temporary safety an eternal crown, immortality without end; they have left us an exhortation in these solemnities. When we hear how the martyrs suffered, we rejoice and glorify God in them: nor do we grieve because they have died. For if they had not died for Christ, would they still be living today? Why should confession not accomplish what illness would have done? You have heard the questions of the persecutors, you have heard the responses of the confessors, when the passion of the saints was read. Among other things, consider the response of the blessed Bishop Fructuosus. When someone said to him and asked him to remember him and pray for him, he responded, "I must pray for the Catholic Church, spread from the east to the west." For who prays for individuals? But no one of the individuals is overlooked by him who prays for all. No member is neglected by him whose prayer is poured out for the whole body. Therefore, what do you think he admonished, from whom he was asked to pray for him? What do you think? Without a doubt, you understand. You are remembered by us. He asked that he might pray for him. "And I," he said, "pray for the Catholic Church, spread from the east to the west." If you want me to pray for you, do not withdraw from that Church for which I pray.
The response of the deacon Eulogius. Martyrs ought to be honored, God ought to be worshipped. Worship offered to dead men by Pagans.
What, too, is that of the holy deacon who suffered and was crowned with his bishop? The judge said to him, "Do you also worship Fructuosus?" And he replied, "I do not worship Fructuosus, but I worship God, whom Fructuosus also worships." In which way he admonished us to honor the martyrs and to worship God with the martyrs. For we ought not to be such as we lament the pagans to be. Indeed, those people worship dead men. All those, whose names you hear, to whom temples have been constructed, were men; and most of them, and nearly all, held royal power among human affairs. You hear of Jupiter, you hear of Hercules, you hear of Neptune, you hear of Pluto, Mercury, Liber and others: they were men. These things are declared not only in the fables of poets but also in the history of nations. Those who have read know this: those who have not read should believe those who have read. Those men, therefore, through certain temporal benefits, won over human affairs to themselves and began to be worshiped by vain men and those seeking vanity, in such a way that they were called gods, were held as gods; temples were built for them as if they were gods, they were supplicated as if they were gods, altars were built as if for gods, priests were ordained as if for gods, sacrifices were offered as if for gods.
The temple and sacrifice owed to the one true God.
The temple, however, ought to belong only to the true God, and sacrifice ought to be offered only to the true God. Therefore, these things which are rightly and integrally owed to the one true God, the wretched and deceived were offering to many false gods. Hence, distorted error besieged human misery: hence, the devil lay upon the minds of all who had been cast down. But when the grace of the Savior and the mercy of God at last regarded the unworthy, it was fulfilled what was prophetically predicted in the Song of Songs: "Arise, O north wind; and come, O south; blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out." It is as if it was said: Arise, O north wind. For the northern part of the world is cold. Under the devil, as under the north wind, souls grew cold, and having lost the warmth of charity, they froze. But what is said to it? Arise, O north wind. It is enough that you have oppressed, it is enough that you have possessed, it is enough that you have lain upon those cast down: Arise. Come, O south, wind from the part of light and warmth: blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out. These spices were being harvested a little while ago.
Aromatics: saints and martyrs.
What are these spices? About which the very Lord's bride says: "We will run after the fragrance of your perfumes." Remembering this fragrance, the apostle Paul says: "We are the good fragrance of Christ in every place, to those who are being saved and to those who are perishing." A great sacrament: "We are the good fragrance of Christ in every place, to those who are being saved and to those who are perishing." To some indeed, a fragrance from life to life, to others a fragrance from death to death. And who is suitable for understanding these things? How does a good fragrance refresh some and kill others? A good fragrance, not a bad one. For he did not say: "A good fragrance refreshes the good, and a bad fragrance kills the bad." He did not say: "To some indeed we are a good fragrance unto life, to others a bad fragrance unto death." He did not say this, but: "We are the good fragrance of Christ in every place." Woe to the wretched, whom the good fragrance kills. So if you are a good fragrance, O Paul, why does this fragrance kill some and refresh others? I hear how it refreshes some, I understand: how it kills others, I find difficult to grasp: especially because you said: "And who is suitable for these things?" It is not surprising that we are not suitable. Make us suitable, by whose fragrance we speak. For soon the Apostle responds to me: Understand: "We are the good fragrance of Christ in every place, to those who are being saved and to those who are perishing." However, we are the good fragrance, to some a fragrance from life to life, to others a fragrance from death to death. This fragrance refreshes those who love, kills those who envy. For if there were no clarity among the saints, envy would not rise among the wicked. The fragrance of the saints began to suffer persecution: but just like jars of perfumes, the more they were broken, the more the fragrance spread.
Blessed Agnes. The gods of the pagans are not to be compared to the martyrs.
Blessed are those whose passion has been recited. Blessed Agnes the saint, whose day of passion is today. A virgin who was what she was called. Agnes means "lamb" in Latin; in Greek, "chaste." She was what she was called: deservedly she was crowned. What then, my brothers, what shall I say to you about those men whom the Pagans worshipped as gods, to whom they offered temples, priesthoods, altars, and sacrifices? What shall I say to you? That they are not to be compared to our martyrs? Even this is an insult because I even mention it. To any, however weak, faithful believers, even those still carnal and needing milk, not solid food, let it be far from us that those sacrilegious ones be compared. Against one faithful old Christian woman, what is Juno worth? Against one weak and trembling old Christian man with all limbs shaking, what is Hercules worth? He defeated Cacus, Hercules defeated the lion, Hercules defeated the dog Cerberus: Fructuosus conquered the whole world. Compare man to man. Agnes, a girl of thirteen years, conquered the devil. This girl defeated him who deceived many about Hercules.
Temples and sacrifices are not offered to the martyrs, but to God alone. Martyrs are mentioned in a better place at the altar.
And yet, dearest, we do not consider our martyrs, in whom they in no way are comparable, as gods, nor do we worship them as gods. We do not exhibit temples, altars, or sacrifices to them. Priests do not offer to them: far from it. These are rendered to God. Indeed, these are offered to God, from whom all things are granted to us. Even at the memorials of holy martyrs, when we make offerings, do we not offer to God? The holy martyrs have an honorable place. Consider this: in the recitation at the altar of Christ, they are recited in a better place; yet they are not worshipped instead of Christ. When did you hear anyone say at the memory of Saint Theogenes, from me, or from any brother and colleague of mine, or any presbyter: I offer to you, Saint Theogenes? or, I offer to you, Peter? or, I offer to you, Paul? You have never heard it. It is not done: it is not allowed. And if someone asks you whether you worship Peter, respond as Eulogius responded about Fructuosus: I do not worship Peter, but I worship God, whom Peter also worships. Then Peter loves you. For if you wish to consider Peter as a god, you offend the rock, and be careful not to break your foot by stumbling against the rock.
The holy ones shudder to receive the worship due to God.
That you may know that what I say is true; listen, I admonish you. In the Acts of the Apostles, when the Apostle Paul performed a great miracle in Lycaonia, the citizens of that region or province believed that gods had descended to men, and thought that Barnabas was Jupiter and Paul was Mercury, because he was very eloquent in speech. Believing this, they brought garlands and victims and wanted to offer them a sacrifice. They immediately did not mock but were frightened; they tore their garments at once and said to them: Brothers, what are you doing? We also are humans like you, subject to suffering, but we proclaim to you the true God. Turn away from these vain things. You see how the saints shuddered at the idea of being worshipped as gods. Likewise, blessed John the Evangelist, who wrote the Apocalypse, when he was amazed by the marvelous things shown to him, in fear at one point fell at the feet of the angel, who was showing him everything. And the angel, whom no man can compare to, said to him: Arise, what are you doing? Worship God. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren. The martyrs hated your drinking vessels, hated your frying pans, hated your drunkenness. Without insulting those who are not such, let them apply this to themselves who do such things: the martyrs hated these things, they do not love those who do such things. But they would hate much more to be worshipped.
In the days of the martyrs, it is to be thought about following their footsteps. Martyrs are to be praised and loved, God of the martyrs is to be worshiped.
Therefore, beloved, rejoice in the days of the holy martyrs: pray that you may follow in the footsteps of the martyrs. For you are not men, and they were not men: for you were not born, and they were not born from elsewhere: they did not carry flesh of another kind than you carry. We are all from Adam, we all strive to be in Christ. Our own Lord, the head of the Church, the only-begotten Son of God, the Word of the Father through whom all things were made, did not have flesh of another kind than we have. Therefore he wished to take on flesh from a virgin, to be born of the flesh from one of the human race. For if he had made a body for himself from elsewhere, who would have believed that he bore the flesh which we also bear? But yet he bore flesh in the likeness of sinful flesh, we bear sinful flesh. For he was not born from male seed, nor from the concupiscence of male and female: but what? By the announcement of the Father. And yet, although he was born miraculously, he deigned to be born mortal, and to die for us, and to redeem us with his blood, as a man. See what I say, brothers: Christ, though he is God, though he is one God with the Father, though he is the Word of the Father, the only-begotten, equal to the Father and coeternal; yet inasmuch as he deigned to be man, he preferred to be called a priest, rather than to demand a priest for himself; he preferred to be a sacrifice, rather than to require one; insofar as he is man. For inasmuch as he is God, all that is due to the Father is also due to the only-begotten Son. Therefore, beloved, venerate the martyrs, praise, love, proclaim, honor them: worship the God of the martyrs. Turned to the Lord, etc.