Sermon 299F

SERMON 299/F

On the Feast of the Holy Martyrs of Scillium

Martyrs, it is a Greek name.

About the martyrs of Christ, that is, about the witnesses of Christ who were not ashamed to confess His name before men, this day of solemnity exhorts. He who said to them: "Do not worry about what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say, grants us that we may speak to you what is expedient for you." "Martyrs" is a Greek name, in Latin they are called "witnesses." Therefore, the holy martyrs, witnesses not false but true, bore testimony with their blood that another life is to be preferred to this life, because they bravely despised this passing one. You heard the confessions of the martyrs, whose solemnity is celebrated today, when they were recited. What constancy burned in them, what desire for the kingdom of heaven appeared in the fire of their words where they were when they were heard, to which they clung from where perhaps they drew what they were saying, since we cannot recall everything, let us at least remember something.

To deny Christ is false testimony.

Remember, beloved, how, when the judge who was hearing the case called their confession "the persuasion of vanity," one of them replied: "The persuasion of vanity is to commit murder, to bear false witness." What is to be understood by the persuasion of vanity in these two cases? Evil indeed. Were not the things that vanity persuaded evil? Thus, it was not in vain that he, who was foretold not to worry about what he would speak because he would receive it from the Holy Spirit at that hour, said these two things not without reason. For that was the issue at hand. The very cause was being debated. He said, "The persuasion of vanity is to commit murder, to bear false witness." This is to say: You want to commit murder, and you force me to bear false witness. To deny Christ is false testimony. "Say that Christ is not God, and that the gods whom we worship are gods." Both are false: He is God, and they are not gods. "Deny what you believe." What you do not want me to have on my lips, take away from my heart; but how can you forbid me to speak what you cannot take away from my heart? What is inside is what the true witness brings forth outwardly. For I heard from the Apostle; rather, from Christ through the Apostle: "With the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." But the mocker of truth, the lover of vanity, says: "How is confession made with the mouth unto salvation? They speak and die. How do they speak unto salvation, when, by speaking, they are killed? If they did not speak, they would not be killed." How is this? Confession unto salvation is made, which was seen by those who bore witness, but was not seen by those who threatened with death. For the adversary threatened to take away their salvation, but they saw another salvation which they were to receive and never lose. Gazing at this, they were strong and, inflamed by its beauty, they despised transitory salvation, common with animals. One salvation is shared with Angels, another with beasts. Man is in the middle. He has something similar to Angels. What does he have? Mind, reason, intelligence, wisdom. What does he have similar to beasts? Flesh, weakness, need, mortality. Let him focus on the former, dissimulate the latter. Love the former, despise the latter. The former remain, the latter pass away. The salvation will come that the Savior Himself promised, who taught us to despise this salvation by His death, and taught us what should be loved by those who despise it through His resurrection. All this was shown to me in my Lord. All this was shown to me in the Word that became flesh and dwelled among us. For He deigned to have flesh for us, so that in that flesh which He took from us, He would show us what to love and what to despise. For there was no blood in the Word to be shed for us, nor was there death in life. For He was the life and light of men. From where then comes blood, from where death, from where suffering for us, except that the Word became flesh and dwelled among us? He took from us that which He could die with, giving us great things from His own. We knew how to die. We had nothing from which to live. For we remained poor on this earth. It is usual to say of those extremely poor: He is extremely poor, he has nothing from which he can live. This is what we all were, both the poor and the rich were thus. For even the rich, who do not know eternal life, have nothing from which to live. Look at us, the sons of men, from below. The Word of God, the Son from above. Neither did we have anything from which we could live, nor did He have anything from which He could die. The Word, the only-begotten Son of God, equal and co-eternal with the Father, He from above, we from below. Sons of men, mortal, weak, needy, puffed up, covetous, truly sad, vainly joyful, we had nothing from which we could live, nor did He have anything from which He could die. What did He take from us, what did He give to us? He took from us that from which He could die. He gave to us that from which we could live. For the Word became flesh and dwelled among us. Being the Son of God, He became the Son of Man. He hungered to feed, thirsted to give drink, slept to awaken, was weary on His journey to offer Himself as provision to the weary, and finally, He was dishonored to honor us, died to give us life.

Blessed saints spoke the truth and were killed.

This true witness held, his future gifts perceived in the mind. Therefore, they despised all passing things: The salvation of man is vain. Therefore, he was not terrified when he heard: "If you confess Christ, you will be punished," because he considered that a false witness will not go unpunished. Blessed saints told the truth and were killed. What then? If no one had killed them, would they still be alive? How much better did the testimony of truth which fever would soon make. Life is spared so that the true life may perish. The transient is spared so that the eternal is not received. Buy the rich, buy the poor. Let no one say: I have nothing wherewith. Let him not seek the price in his chest. Let no one say: I have nothing wherewith, I am poor. He who is to be bought gives wherewith he may be bought. He speaks to you: "I will dwell in you, so that you may have wherewith to buy me; you confess me and possess me."

We have one source: God.

Let the holy martyrs pray for us so that not only we celebrate their feasts but also imitate their ways. Let us love their confessions, praise their crowns, and not despair. For we too are men like them, and we are created by Him just as they are. We have one source, one granary from where we are fed, where we drink, and from where we live. Let no one say: He could do it, I cannot. How could he do it? What could he by himself, unless He provided it who said to His own: Without me, you can do nothing? Therefore, the Apostle says: Who, he says, shall separate us from the love of God? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, as it is written: For thy sake we are killed all day long? O good cause: For thy sake we are killed all day long. Therefore fruitfully, therefore happily because for thy sake. Because the cause is good, therefore the crown. For thy sake, we are killed all day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Those who were killed everywhere and sacrificed by the ignorant were publicly spread out and secretly crowned.

For your sake, we are put to death all day long.

For your sake, we are put to death all day long. What is the value of love itself speaks, for you it comes from the Spirit of God. The desire of the world is from the world, not from God, and yet it is strong in its own way. How much do men endure for money, how many dangers! They commit themselves to waves and storms. They want to die rather than live poor. And yet while loving life, when they begin to be in danger, they make a loss. Whatever they carry on the sea, they throw overboard, and to live they discard what they live by. There life is sweet and preferred over money, but when the sailor escapes naked he reproaches God: "See where you have led me, why did you not drown me in the sea?" Fool, when you were in danger you did not ask for this. See how lovers of money endure many things for their beloved! Some are exhausted by labors and faint from working, some are slaughtered by robbers, some drown in waves, others perish by various deaths. They can also say to money what martyrs say to wisdom: For your sake, we are put to death all day long, they can absolutely in the same words: For your sake, we are put to death all day long, but they say it to one who does not hear. And if it did hear and did feel and did respond, perhaps it would correct you and say to you: "Fool, wisdom says to the martyrs: When you have died for me you will have me. But I tell you: When you have died for me, you lose both yourself and me."