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Do you want to enjoy luxury? Enjoy it at home, where, even if drunkenness occurs, there are many to look after you; not in a tavern, so that you are not a public spectacle to those present and a scandal to others. And I say these things, not commanding you to get drunk at home, but not to linger in a tavern. Consider how great the laughter is, after such a gathering, after all-night vigils, after hearing the holy Scriptures, after partaking of the divine mysteries, and after spiritual provision, for a man or woman to be seen spending the day in a tavern. Do you not know how great a punishment is laid up for drunkards? For they are cast out of the kingdom of God, and they fall away from the ineffable good things, and are sent into eternal fire. Who says these things? The blessed Paul; Neither the covetous, he says, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

What could be more wretched than the drunkard, when for a little pleasure he loses the enjoyment of so great a kingdom? Rather, the drunkard cannot even reap pleasure; for in moderation are the things of pleasure, but in excess, the things of insensibility. But he who does not perceive where he is sitting, or lying down, how could he perceive the pleasure of the drink, being unable to even see the sun itself because of the thick cloud of drunkenness, how could he enjoy gladness? For so great is his darkness, that the rays are not sufficient for him to dispel that gloom. Always indeed, beloved, drunkenness is evil, but especially on a day of martyrs. For with the sin there is also the greatest insolence and madness, and a despising of the divine oracles; whence the punishment would also be twofold. If, therefore, having come to the martyrs, you intend to get drunk after departing from here, it is better to stay at home, and not to behave indecently, nor to insult the feast of the martyrs, nor to scandalize your neighbor, nor to besiege the mind, nor to add sins. You came to see men being scraped, drenched with blood, adorned with a chorus of wounds, having stripped off the present life, flying towards the one to come; become worthy of the contestants. They despised life, you despise luxury; they stripped off the present life, you strip off the desire for drunkenness. But do you want to be luxurious? Remain by the tomb of the martyr, pour out springs of tears there, break your mind, take up a blessing from the tomb; having taken it as an advocate in prayers, dwell always on the narratives of his struggles; embrace the coffin, be fastened to the reliquary; not only the bones of the martyrs, but also their tombs, and their reliquaries pour forth much blessing. Take holy oil, and anoint your whole body, your tongue, your lips, your neck, your eyes, and you will never fall into the shipwreck of drunkenness. For the oil through its fragrance reminds you of the struggles of the martyrs, and restrains all intemperance, and holds it 50.665 in much endurance, and overcomes the diseases of the soul. But do you wish to spend time in gardens, and meadows and paradises?

Not now, when there is such a crowd, but on another day; for today is a time for struggles, today a spectacle of contests, not of luxury, nor of relaxation. You came here, not to give yourself over to ease, but to learn to struggle, to fight in the pancration, and being a man to crush the strength of the unseen demons. For no one coming to a wrestling school indulges in luxury, nor having arrived at the time of struggles does he beautify himself, nor at the time of battle array does he seek for tables. Therefore, do not you also, having come to behold the courage of soul and vigor of mind, and a new and strange trophy, and a certain extraordinary battle, and wounds and wars, and the pancration of a man, introduce demonic practices, by giving yourself over to drunkenness and luxury after this strange and dreadful spectacle, but having gathered the profits of the soul, thus go home, showing to all by your appearance, that you departed having beheld martyrs. For just as those coming down from the theaters, are clearly disturbed to all, 50.666 confused,

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Βούλει τρυφῆς ἀπολαύειν; ἀπόλαυε ἐν οἰκίᾳ, ὅπου, κἂν μέθη γένηται, πολλοὶ οἱ περιστέλλοντες· μὴ ἐν καπηλείῳ, ἵνα μὴ κοινὸν ᾖς θέατρον τοῖς παροῦσι καὶ σκάνδαλον ἑτέροις. Καὶ ταῦτα λέγω, οὐ κελεύων οἴκοι μεθύειν, ἀλλ' ἐν καπηλείῳ μὴ διατρίβειν. Ἐννόησον ἡλίκος γέλως, μετὰ τοιαύτην σύνοδον, μετὰ παννυχίδας, μετὰ Γραφῶν ἁγίων ἀκρόασιν, μετὰ μυστηρίων θείων κοινωνίαν, καὶ μετὰ πνευματικὴν χορηγίαν, ἄνδρα ἢ γυναῖκα ἐν καπηλείῳ φαίνεσθαι διημερεύοντας. Οὐκ οἴδατε ἡλίκη κεῖται κόλασις τοῖς μεθύουσι; τῆς γὰρ βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκβάλλονται, καὶ τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων ἐκπίπτουσιν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ εἰς τὸ αἰώνιον πῦρ ἐκπέμπονται. Τίς ταῦτά φησιν; Ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος· Οὐ πλεονέκται, φησὶν, οὐ μέθυσοι, οὐ λοίδοροι, οὐχ ἅρπαγες βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσι.

Τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἀθλιώτερον τοῦ μεθύοντος, ὅταν διὰ μικρὰν ἡδονὴν τοσαύτης ἀπολέσῃ βασιλείας ἀπόλαυσιν; Μᾶλλον οὐδὲ ἡδονὴν ὁ μεθύων καρπώσασθαι δύναται· ἐν γὰρ τῇ συμμετρίᾳ τὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἀμετρίᾳ τὰ τῆς ἀναισθησίας. Ὁ δὲ οὐκ αἰσθανόμενος ποῦ κάθηται, ἢ κατάκειται, πῶς ἂν αἴσθοιτο τῆς τοῦ πόματος ἡδονῆς, μηδὲ τὸν ἥλιον αὐτὸν δυνάμενος ὁρᾷν διὰ τὴν πυκνὴν τῆς μέθης νεφέλην, πῶς ἂν ἀπολαύσειεν εὐφροσύνης; τοσοῦτον γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸ σκότος, ὡς μὴ ἀρκεῖν αὐτῷ τὰς ἀκτῖνας εἰς τὸ λῦσαι τὸν ζόφον ἐκεῖνον. Ἀεὶ μὲν, ἀγαπητοὶ, κακὸν ἡ μέθη, μάλιστα δὲ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μαρτύρων. Μετὰ γὰρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ ὕβρις ἐστὶ μεγίστη καὶ παραφροσύνη, καὶ ἐξουδένωσις θείων λογίων· ὅθεν διπλῆ γένοιτ' ἂν καὶ ἡ κόλασις. Εἰ μέλλεις τοίνυν, εἰς μάρτυρας παραγενόμενος, μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀναχώρησιν μεθύειν, βέλτιον οἴκοι μένειν, καὶ μὴ ἀσχημονεῖν, μηδὲ ὑβρίζειν τῶν μαρτύρων τὴν ἑορτὴν, μηδὲ σκανδαλίζειν τὸν πλησίον, μηδὲ πολιορκεῖν τὴν διάνοιαν, μηδὲ ἁμαρτήματα προστιθέναι. Ἦλθες ἰδεῖν ἀνθρώπους ξεομένους, αἵματι περιῤῥεομένους, τραυμάτων χορῷ καλλωπιζομένους, τὴν παροῦσαν ἀποδυσαμένους ζωὴν, πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἱπταμένους· γενοῦ τῶν ἀγωνιστῶν ἄξιος. Κατεφρόνησαν ἐκεῖνοι ζωῆς, καταφρόνησον σὺ τρυφῆς· ἀπεδύσαντο ἐκεῖνοι τὸν παρόντα βίον, ἀπόδυσαι σὺ τῆς μέθης τὸν πόθον. Ἀλλὰ βούλει τρυφᾷν; παράμενε τῷ τάφῳ τοῦ μάρτυρος, ἔκχεε πηγὰς δακρύων ἐκεῖ, σύντριψον τὴν διάνοιαν, ἆρον εὐλογίαν ἀπὸ τοῦ τάφου· λαβὼν αὐτὴν συνήγορον ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς, ἐνδιάτριβε ἀεὶ τοῖς διηγήμασι τῶν παλαισμάτων ἐκείνου· περιπλάκηθι τὴν σορὸν, προσηλώθητι τῇ λάρνακι· οὐχὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ μόνον τῶν μαρτύρων, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ τάφοι αὐτῶν, καὶ αἱ λάρνακες πολλὴν βρύουσιν εὐλογίαν. Λάβε ἔλαιον ἅγιον, καὶ κατάχρισόν σου ὅλον τὸ σῶμα, τὴν γλῶτταν, τὰ χείλη, τὸν τράχηλον, τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ οὐδέποτε ἐμπεσῇ εἰς τὸ ναυάγιον τῆς μέθης. Τὸ γὰρ ἔλαιον διὰ τῆς εὐωδίας ἀναμιμνήσκει σε τῶν ἄθλων τῶν μαρτύρων, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀκολασίαν χαλινοῖ, καὶ κατέχει 50.665 ἐν πολλῇ καρτερίᾳ, καὶ περιγίνεται τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς νοσημάτων. Ἀλλὰ κήποις ἐνδιατρίψαι βούλει, καὶ λειμῶσι καὶ παραδείσοις;

Μὴ νῦν, ὅτε δῆμος τοσοῦτος, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑτέρᾳ ἡμέρᾳ· σήμερον γὰρ παλαισμάτων καιρὸς, σήμερον θεωρία ἀγωνισμάτων, οὐ τρυφῆς, οὐδὲ ἀνέσεως. Ἦλθες ἐνταῦθα, οὐχ ἵνα εἰς ῥᾳστώνην δώσῃς σεαυτὸν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθῃς ἀγωνίζεσθαι, παγκρατιάζειν, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὢν τῶν ἀοράτων δαιμόνων συγκόπτειν τὴν ἰσχύν. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ εἰς παλαίστραν ἐλθὼν τρυφᾷ, οὐδὲ εἰς καιρὸν παλαισμάτων παραγενόμενος ὡραΐζεται, οὐδὲ ἐν καιρῷ παρατάξεως τραπέζας ἐπιζητεῖ. Μὴ τοίνυν καὶ σὺ ψυχῆς ἀνδρείαν καὶ γνώμης εὐτονίαν ἐλθὼν θεάσασθαι, καὶ τρόπαιον καινὸν καὶ παράδοξον, καὶ μάχην τινὰ ἐξηλλαγμένην, καὶ τραύματα καὶ πολέμους, καὶ παγκράτιον ἀνθρώπου, πράξεις δαιμονικὰς εἰσαγάγῃς, μετὰ τὴν ξένην καὶ φρικτὴν ταύτην θεωρίαν μέθῃ καὶ τρυφῇ ἑαυτὸν ἐκδοὺς, ἀλλὰ τὰ κέρδη τῆς ψυχῆς συναγαγὼν, οὕτως οἴκαδε ἄπιθι, διὰ τῆς ὄψεως πᾶσιν ἐνδεικνύμενος, ὅτι μάρτυρας θεωρήσας ἀνεχώρησας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν θεάτρων κατιόντες, δῆλοι πᾶσίν εἰσι συντεταραγμένοι, 50.666 συγκεχυμένοι,