Sermon 299D

It is necessary for the faithful to know that there are various kinds of baptism. For, besides the sacrament of the font, which is now given to them, there is also the baptism of tribulation, which is when someone, confessing Christ before persecutors, is baptized in his own blood. There is also the baptism of fire, when, inflamed by the Spirit, he is purified internally.

On the Birth Day of the Holy Martyrs of Scillium

Neither for the sake of superfluous things, nor for the sake of necessary things, should Christ be denied. Two things are necessary: salvation and a friend.

Holy martyrs, witnesses of God, chose rather to live by dying than to die by living; lest by fearing death they would deny life, by loving life they despised life. That Christ be denied, the enemy promised life, but not the kind Christ offered. Believing, therefore, in what the Savior promised, they laughed at what the persecutor threatened. Brothers, when we celebrate the solemnities of the martyrs, let us acknowledge the examples set before us, which we should follow. For by holding this assembly, we do not increase the glory of the martyrs. Their crown is already known among the people and the angels. We could hear what they suffered when it was read. But what they received: Neither eye has seen, nor ear heard. The goods of this world are either superfluous or necessary. Let us briefly speak of this, and pay attention, and distinguish, if we can, what are the superfluous and necessary goods of this world; so that you may see that Christ should not be denied neither for the superfluous nor for the necessary. Who can enumerate the superfluous of this world? If we wanted to list them, it would take us a long time. So let us speak of the necessary things; whatever other things there are, these will be superfluous. In this world, these two are necessary: health and a friend; these are the things to value greatly, which we ought not to despise. Health and a friend are natural goods. God made man to be and to live: that is health; but, so that he would not be alone, friendship was sought. Therefore, friendship begins with a spouse and children, and proceeds even to strangers. But if we consider that we had one father and one mother, who will be a stranger? Every man is a neighbor to every man. Ask nature. Is he a stranger? He is a man. Is he an enemy? He is a man. Is he a foe? He is a man. Is he a friend? Let him remain a friend. Is he an enemy? Let him become a friend. How wisdom has made our neighbor.

Every man is neighbor to every man.

To these two necessities in this world, salvation and a friend, comes foreign wisdom. It found all foolish, erring, worshipping the unnecessary, delighting in the temporal, ignorant of the eternal. This wisdom was not a friend to fools. Since it was not a friend to fools and was far from fools, it took on our neighbor, and became our neighbor. This is the mystery of Christ. What is so far as foolishness from wisdom? What is so near as a man to another man? What is so distant, I say, as wisdom from foolishness? Therefore wisdom took on man and became near to man through that which was near. And behold, since wisdom itself said to man: Behold, piety is wisdom; and it pertains to the wisdom of man to worship God, for this is piety, two commandments were given to us: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. The other: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And he who heard this said: And who is my neighbor? He thought the Lord would say: Your father and mother, your wife, your children, your brothers, your sisters. He did not reply this, but wishing to commend every man as a neighbor to every man, he established a story. A certain man, he said. Who? A certain one, nevertheless a man. A certain man. Who then is a man? A certain one, but nevertheless a man. He was descending from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers. They are called robbers, who also pursue us. Wounded, stripped, left half-dead on the road, he was scorned by passersby, by a priest, by a Levite; but observed by a passing Samaritan. He approached him: after seeing to his care, he was raised onto a beast, led to an inn; care was ordered for him, expense was incurred. He who had questioned was asked who was a neighbor to this half-dead man. Because two had scorned him, and scorned neighbors, a stranger approached. For this Jerusalemite man had neighbors, priests, and Levites, Samaritans were aliens. His neighbors passed by, and a stranger became a neighbor. Who then was a neighbor to this man? You say, who had questioned saying: Who is my neighbor? Now answer what is true. Arrogance had questioned: let nature speak. What then does he say? I believe, the one who showed him mercy. And the Lord to him: Go, and you do likewise.

Greetings to you, and health to your friend.

Let us return to the cause. Now we see three things: health, a friend, wisdom. But health and a friend are also from this world; wisdom from another source. Because of health, food and clothing, and if bad health strikes, medicine. The Apostle, speaking in safety, says: But godliness with contentment is great gain. We brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it. Having food and clothing, let us be content with these. These are necessary for health: but for the superfluous things? For those who want to become rich - to be sure for the superfluous things - fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge men into ruin and destruction. Where therefore is health? Therefore, for health, having food and clothing, let us be content with these. For a friend, what? What more could be said to you than love your neighbor as yourself? Therefore, let health be for you, let it also be for your friend. For the clothing of a friend: Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none. For the food of a friend: and whoever has food, should do likewise. You are fed, you feed; you are clothed, you clothe. These are from this world; but from another source, which is wisdom: you learn, and you teach.

How the martyrs despised superfluous things.

Set before your eyes now the contest of the martyrs. The enemy comes, compels one to deny Christ. But let us imagine him still coaxing, not yet raging. He promises riches and honors. These are superfluous: those who are tempted with such gifts to deny Christ have not yet reached the contest, have not yet found the struggle, have not yet provoked the most ancient enemy with a true fight. However, the faithful man, to whom such things were promised, despised them and said: Should I deny Christ for the sake of riches? Should I deny riches for the sake of riches? Should I deny the treasure for the sake of gold? For he is the one: who, though he was rich, became poor for our sakes, that through his poverty we might be enriched. For he is the one, about whom the Apostle also said: in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. You consider what you promise, because you cannot see what you are trying to take away. I see by faith what you wish to take from me: you by the eyes of the flesh, what you want to give; better are those things which the eye of the heart beholds, than those which the eye of the flesh sees. For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. Therefore I despise your gifts, says the faithful soul, because they are temporal, superfluous, fleeting, volatile, full of dangers, full of temptations. No one has these when he wishes, he loses them even when he does not want to. The promiser is despised, another comes, that is, the persecutor, the flatterer is despised, he begins to rage; the serpent is despised, he has turned into a lion. Do you not want, he says, to receive greater riches from me? If you do not deny Christ, I will take away what you have. You still rage against my superfluities. Like a sharp razor, you have wrought deceit. You shave the hair, you do not cut the skin: take even these things from me. Indeed, because you saw that I gave these things to the poor, received strangers, did what Paul advised: Command, he says, the rich of this world, command not to be high-minded, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us everything richly to enjoy. Let them do good, let them be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation for the future, that they may lay hold on eternal life. Taking these things from me, I will not perform those works: will I be less before God because I am willing, but not able? Or am I so deaf to the voice of the Angels: Peace on earth to men of goodwill? Take therefore my superfluities. We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.

Indeed, even necessary.

But the persecutor says: I take away your food, I take away your clothing. The struggle is approached, the enemy raged more fiercely; the superfluous things have been left behind, we have come to the necessary. Do not depart from me, for tribulation is near. Nothing is so close to one's soul as one's flesh; hunger and thirst and heat you feel in the flesh. There I want to see you, good martyr, witness of God! See, He says, see! Who will separate us from the love of Christ? What is it that you threaten? I take away your food, I take away your clothing. Tribulation? Or distress? Or hunger? Or nakedness? He threatens from another side. I take away your friend, I kill your dearest ones before your eyes, I will slaughter your spouse and children. You kill, you kill? They do not deny, and you do not kill. What is it? Because you do not terrify me about me, you terrify me about my own? If they do not deny, you do not kill my own; if they deny, you kill strangers. Let the persecutor still add, and rage, and say: If you do not care about your own, I will take you yourself from this light. From this light: can it be from the eternal light? From which light will you take me? Which I share in common with you. It is not a great light, which you also see. I will not deny the light for this light. There was true light. I know, to whom I should say: For with you is the fountain of life, and in your light we shall see light. Take life, take the light; I will have life, I will have the light. I will have life, where I will not suffer you the killer; I will have the light, which neither you, nor any night can take from me. The martyr has conquered. Is there anything else where we should see a greater struggle? No. He threatens death, he rages in safety, he carves with claws, he tortures with torments, he burns with flames, he brings in beasts: and here he is conquered. Why is he conquered? Because in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

None is more necessary for Christ. Sometimes he is denied by a believer, when he is not defended out of shame.

Therefore, my brothers, let not Christ be denied on account of superfluities, nor be denied on account of necessities: nothing is more necessary than Him. I was speaking of necessities like safety and friendship. You sin for safety, and deny Christ; by loving safety, you will not have safety. You sin for your friend, and, to avoid offending him, you deny Christ. Alas, wretched me! Sometimes He is denied out of shame. The persecutor does not rage, the plunderer does not despoil, the torturer does not press; you deny your Lord merely to avoid displeasing your friend. I see what your friend has taken from you: show what he will give. What will he give? The very friendships through which you sin, through which you are entwined, through which you become an enemy of God. This person would not be your friend if you were your own friend; but, because you are an enemy to yourself, you think a person who is an enemy to you is a friend. And how are you an enemy to yourself? Because you love iniquity: But he who loves iniquity hates his own soul. But Christ is not to be denied to please a wicked and perverse friend; He is not to be denied but is reproached by the wicked, accused by the wicked, and, to avoid shame, not defended by the faithful; He is deserted, silenced, not proclaimed. The tongue of the blasphemer rages, and there is none praising. How many evils are committed as if for necessities, for sustenance, for covering, for safety, for a friend; and all those things that are sought after perish all the more. If, however, you despise present things, God will give you eternal things. Despise safety, you will have immortality; despise death, you will have life; despise honor, you will have a crown; despise a human friend, you will have God as a friend. But there, where you will have God as a friend, you will not be without a neighborly friend; there will be friends with you, whose deeds and confessions were just read a little earlier.

The Passion of the Scillitan Martyrs, men and women, had been read. The city of Christ will be friendly to those confessing Christ.

We have heard of men acting bravely, confessing manfully, and we have also heard of women, not behaving like women, but holding fast to Christ, forgetting their sex. There will be friendship with these people where there will be no lust of the flesh, and there will only be wisdom to enjoy with friends. Behold what we lose if we love them here and deny Christ! There, our neighbor will not terrify us if he dies; there will be no mourning where there will be eternal life; nor will it be necessary to say: Having food and clothing, we will be content with these. Our clothing will be immortality, our food will be charity, life will be eternal; nor will we perform good works there, which are called such by those here; we will not attain to them there if we have not done them here. It will not be said to you: Break your bread for the hungry, where there will be no hunger; it will not be said to you: Take in the stranger, where you will find no stranger; it will not be said to you: Free the oppressed, where there will be no enemy; it will not be said to you: Reconcile the litigants, where there will be eternal peace. See, my brothers, how it is endured here by seeking; there we will have it, where we cannot perish. Do you seek salvation? Despise, and you will have it. Do you deny Christ, fearing to offend human friendships: confess Christ, and the city of Angels will be your friend, the city of Patriarchs, the city of Prophets, the city of Apostles, the city of all Martyrs, the city of all good Faithful. Christ Himself founded it forever.