Sermon 335D

Sermon 335/D

ON THE MARTYRS

The martyrs were made safe by hope. Holy intoxication of the martyrs.

The holy martyrs, when they suffer evils here, hope in the Lord. For by hope they are made safe: they walk toward the promises, not yet holding what is given. Therefore, since they hoped under the covering of wings to endure the evils of the world bravely and patiently, what will you give them? They will be inebriated from the abundance of your house. If they had more to say, they would say it. For what would they say? "Drink"? Drinking is little. What would they say? "They will be satisfied"? They will be satisfied and sober. They will drink so much that they become inebriated. By that inebriation, they forget all past evils. O holy inebriation! I wish that we all were inebriated by this inebriation.

Behold what kind of drunkenness those desire who inebriate themselves in the places of martyrs, and those whom they persecuted with stones, they persecute with cups; moreover, they even dance and give the members of Christ to play for demons, and they think they please the martyrs while they please unclean spirits. How much do we speak of these things? Let them certainly consider those at whose memorials they become drunk: if they had loved these things, they would not be martyrs.

There are not only persecutions but temptations never cease. He who is in bed is a martyr.

Do not think therefore, most beloved brothers, that you cannot have the merits of martyrs because there are no persecutions like those in the times when the martyrs were crowned. There are no persecutions now, but temptations never cease. Truly, my brothers, there are Christians among those sons of men who hope under the shelter of God's wings. And when the time of hope passes, and the joy of reality comes, they will be intoxicated with the abundance of His house and He will give them drink from the torrent of His pleasures. From where will He give them drink? From where will they be intoxicated? Hear from where. For with you is the fountain of life. The intoxication of life is living without end. This intoxication cannot be digested: no one digests it and returns to thirst. Therefore, there are men from this number of the sons of men who hope under the shelter of God's wings who struggle and conquer in their bed, conquer and are crowned. But the men belonging to man, not the sons of man, because they care only for that health which, when passing, they consider none following, when that health begins to be in danger, even if they are called Christians, seek out sorcerers, send to astrologers, hang illicit remedies around their necks. They desire health and tie themselves up, they bind the neck of their outer man and suffocate the throat of their inner man. But he who says: "I do not do it" - when a friend suggests, a neighbor murmurs or a maid whispers, sometimes even from his own register - who says: "I do not do it: I am a Christian; God forbids this; these are the sacraments of demons; hear the Apostle: I do not want you to be partners with demons," is answered by the one who suggests: "Do it and you will be well; such and such did it. What? Are they not Christians? Are they not faithful? Do they not run to the church? And yet they did it and are well. He did it and was immediately healed. Do you not know that he is a Christian, faithful? Behold, he did it and is well." But the sick man, because he does not love the health common to men and beasts, says: "If he was made well from that, I do not want to be made well from it. For He can save me to whom it was said: Lord, you save both man and beast, as you have multiplied your mercies, O God." - See the athlete of God, hear the athlete of Christ! O sick and healthy man! O weak and strong! O lying in bed and reigning in heaven! - "But behold he does not want to. Does he deprive me of that divine health? It follows: But the sons of men will hope in the protection of your wings. But you do not see that health because the health of the righteous is from the Lord. I know that He saves me. He who made me remade me. But am I terrified of death for which life itself died? Christ gave His death to the wicked; will He not give life to the pious?" He who says this, and rejects such remedies, more proven, more so-called experienced, who avoids them, is a martyr in bed. He languishes and conquers, barely moves his limbs and wages battles. Therefore, this man suffers no evil, even if he dies from that disease. For he does not perish, but loses nothing, rather he finds what he seeks then. He will go out to his Lord, with the front marked with the cross of Christ, to whom he did no injury by illicit ties. Will He therefore not give him what He promised whom He protected as he fought? The Lord surely protected him lest he suffer any evil, and helped in the contest so that the devil might be conquered by him. For many say, my brothers: "How did the martyrs conquer the devil?" How do good faithful men conquer him? Hear the Apostle saying: You are not wrestling against flesh and blood. For flesh and blood raged against the holy martyrs. What is flesh and blood? Mortal men. Emperors, governors, judges, solders, were flesh and blood. Insane people, raging crowds are nothing other than flesh and blood. Therefore, these raging and furious men, lest the martyrs hate them and be conquered by evil, the Apostle instructs against whom they have the battle. It is not, he says, your wrestling against flesh and blood. Those whom you see raging, raging, shouting: Crucify, crucify, are flesh and blood. They are not alone, they are not whom you see, the devil rages through them. You beware in your gold against the thief devil. Why do you fear straw in straw? Why do you fear earth for earth. What is a wicked man except earth? For what reason do you fear him except for your earth that is for the flesh that was made from earth? The other passes and yours will rise again. Therefore, do not fear them, but pray for them and speak to them: - Why do you rage, brother, why are you agitated? Although you rage against me you perish for yourself. O if you would change your mind! O if you would change your life! Because we all will die and rise again. Indeed, I have hope in God for whom I suffer these things. But you, if you remain in such wickedness, for a little while, and you will not be, and may you not be for your good, but you will be for your own evil with unquenchable fire and undying worm." But he says this: "These are the words of proud Christians boasting of resurrection. Who has come from there and told you that what you say is true?" "You speak the truth: your grandfather did not come from there, but your Lord returned from there, He whom you persecute in me, God, and because of Him you kill me as a criminal from whom God is not offended."

Our struggle is against the devil, not against man.

Let us return to the order, my brothers. Your struggle is not against flesh and blood. They rage indeed, but they are alien vessels. Fear the armed one, not the bow; that is, the devil, not the man through whom the devil works. Yet do not fear him, but beware. How will you not fear him? By hoping under the protection of God's wings, from whom is the salvation of the righteous, because He is their protector in times of tribulation. For it is not, he says, struggle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and rulers of the world; that is, men who love the world. He did not call those unclean spirits rulers of heaven and earth, but rulers of the world, because he called people who love the world "the world," because they are ruled by them to rage. They proceed against you as they have been instigated. The Apostle speaks of the prince of the power of the air, that is, the devil. And what did he add? Who now works in the children of disobedience. These children of disobedience: flesh and blood. Therefore beware of them because the devil works in them to rage against you. Beware of him, love them; fight him, pray for them that he might be expelled even from them and they become your imitators who were once your persecutors. Therefore, they must be avoided. But you will say, "I do not see them. How do I fight against them?" Against the spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places, he said. He says "in the heavenly places" about this air. Not in that heaven where the sun, moon, stars are, where birds fly and yet are called the birds of heaven, hence unclean spirits, because they were sublime angels, in this air, nay, as in their prison, having been driven back, they deceive those with whom they will burn.

The martyr conquered in the arena, the Christian in bed.

Do not, therefore, say that there are no persecutions because temptations do not cease. Abstain, therefore, from illicit things, from spells, from incantations, from astrologers, from sorcerers. When you are sick, do not seek such things and do not depart from God, lest you perish. But say with the Apostle: For when I am weak, then I am strong. You lie in bed and are an athlete of God. You do not move your limbs and accomplish battles. The fever does not recede and faith advances toward God. But behold, a neighbor and friend and servant stand by, even I say, perhaps from the register, carrying wax or an egg in their hands and say: "Do this and you will be saved. Why prolong your illness? Make this binding. I heard that whoever invokes the name of God and angels there will be healed. To whom do you leave your widow wife, to whom your tender children?" But he replies: "I do not do it, because I am a Christian. Thus I will die lest I die from this." Hear the word of the martyr. See if this is not what the pagan said: "Sacrifice and you will live." But he replied: "I do not do it." O merits of the martyrs never to be withdrawn! They conquered in the arena, he on the bed; they by the executioner, he by the seducer. But he is not conquered, relying on Him who hung on the wood for him.