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Homilia in martyres

HOMILY ON THE MARTYRS

50.661 The feasts of the martyrs are judged not only by the cycle of days, but also by the disposition of those who celebrate 50.662 them. What I mean is this: have you imitated a martyr? Have you emulated his virtue? Have you run in the footsteps of his 50.663 philosophy? Then even when it is not a martyr's day, you have celebrated a martyr's feast. For the honor of a martyr is the imitation of a martyr. For just as those who do evil things are without a feast even on feast days; so also those who pursue virtue, even when there is no festival, celebrate a feast; for the feast is characterized by a pure conscience. Paul, declaring this, also said: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Therefore, there is unleavened bread among the Jews, and there is also among us; but among them, the unleavened is from flour, while among us it is purity of life, and a life freed from all wickedness.

So he who keeps his life clean from filth and stain, celebrates a feast every day, always holding a festival, even if not on the day, nor in the shrines of martyrs, but even sitting at home. For it is possible to celebrate a feast of martyrs even by oneself. And I say these things, not so that we do not go to the tombs of the martyrs, but so that when we do go, we may attend with the appropriate zeal, and not only on their days, but even apart from these, we may offer the same reverence. For who would not admire our assembly today, this splendid theater, the fervent love, the warm disposition, the irrepressible desire? Since almost the whole city has re-anchored here, and neither did fear of a master restrain a servant, nor the necessity of poverty a poor man, nor the weakness of age an old man, nor the tenderness of nature a woman, nor the pride of wealth a rich man, nor the arrogance of power a ruler; but the desire for the martyrs, having cast out all this inequality, and the weakness of nature and the necessity of poverty, has drawn so great a multitude here with one chain, and has given it wings with the desire for the martyrs, so that you now live as citizens in heaven; for having trodden down every passion of licentiousness and debauchery, you are consumed with desire for the martyrs. For just as when the sunbeam rises, the wild beasts flee and sink into their own lairs; so when the light of the martyrs shines down upon your minds, all sicknesses are buried, and the bright flame of philosophy is kindled. But let us keep this flame, not only now, but also continuously, and when this spiritual theater is dismissed, and let us depart for home with the same reverence, not abandoning ourselves to taverns and brothels, and drunkenness, and revelries. You have made the night day through the sacred all-night vigils; do not make the day night again through drunkenness and hangover, and wanton songs.

You have honored the martyrs by your presence, by your listening, by your zeal; honor them also by your orderly departure, lest someone seeing you misbehaving in a tavern say that you did not come for the martyrs, but to increase your passion, to gratify your evil desire. I say these things, not forbidding you to feast, but forbidding you to sin, not forbidding you to drink, but forbidding you to get drunk. For wine is not evil, but excess is wicked; for wine is a gift of God, but excess is an invention of the devil. Serve 50.664 the Lord therefore with fear, and rejoice in Him with trembling.

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Homilia in martyres

ΕΙΣ ΜΑΡΤΥΡΑΣ ΟΜΙΛΙΑ

50.661 Αἱ τῶν μαρτύρων ἑορταὶ οὐκ ἐν τῇ περιόδῳ τῶν ἡμερῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ γνώμῃ τῶν ἐπιτελούν 50.662 των κρίνονται. Οἷόν τι λέγω· ἐμιμήσω μάρτυρα; ἐζήλωσας αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀρετήν; κατ' ἴχνος αὐτοῦ τῆς 50.663 φιλοσοφίας ἔδραμες; καὶ οὐκ οὔσης ἡμέρας μάρτυρος, ἑορτὴν μάρτυρος ἐπετέλεσας. Τιμὴ γὰρ μάρτυρος, μίμησις μάρτυρος. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ τὰ φαῦλα πράττοντες, καὶ ἐν ἑορταῖς ἀνέορτοί εἰσιν· οὕτω καὶ οἱ τὴν ἀρετὴν μετιόντες, καὶ πανηγύρεως οὐκ οὔσης, ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελοῦσιν· ἐν γὰρ τῷ καθαρῷ τοῦ συνειδότος ἡ ἑορτὴ χαρακτηρίζεται. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ὥστε ἑορτάζωμεν μὴ ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ κακίας καὶ πονηρίας. ἀλλ' ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας. Ἔστι τοίνυν ἄζυμα παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις, ἔστι καὶ παρ' ἡμῖν· ἀλλὰ παρ' ἐκείνοις μὲν ἄζυμον ἐξ ἀλεύρου, παρ' ἡμῖν δὲ καθαρότης βίου, καὶ ζωὴ κακίας ἁπάσης ἀπηλλαγμένη.

Ὥστε ὁ ῥύπου καὶ κηλῖδος καθαρὰν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διατηρῶν ζωὴν, καθ' ἡμέραν ἑορτάζει, πανηγυρίζων ἀεὶ, κἂν μὴ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, μηδὲ ἐν σηκοῖς μαρτύρων, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἴκοι καθήμενος. Ἔστι γὰρ καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἑορτὴν μαρτύρων ἐπιτελεῖν. Καὶ ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχ ἵνα μὴ παραγινώμεθα πρὸς τοὺς τάφους τῶν μαρτύρων, ἀλλ' ἵνα παραγενόμενοι μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης ἀπαντῶμεν προθυμίας, καὶ μὴ μόνον ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτων χωρὶς, τὴν αὐτὴν εὐλάβειαν παρεχώμεθα. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἀγάσαιτο σήμερον ἡμῶν τὸν σύλλογον, τὸ λαμπρὸν τοῦτο θέατρον, τὴν ζέουσαν ἀγάπην, τὴν θερμὴν διάθεσιν, τὸν ἀκατάσχετον ἔρωτα; Ὡς πᾶσα μὲν σχεδὸν ἡ πόλις ἐνταῦθα μεθώρμισται, καὶ οὔτε οἰκέτην δεσπότου φόβος κατέσχεν, οὔτε πένητα ἡ τῆς πτωχείας ἀνάγκη, οὔτε γηραιὸν τῆς ἡλικίας ἡ ἀσθένεια, οὔτε γυναῖκα τὸ τῆς φύσεως ἁπαλὸν, οὔτε πλούσιον τῆς περιουσίας ὁ τῦφος, οὐ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας ἡ ἀπόνοια· ἀλλ' ὁ τῶν μαρτύρων πόθος πᾶσαν ταύτην τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν ἐκβαλὼν, καὶ φύσεως ἀσθένειαν καὶ πενίας ἀνάγκην, μιᾷ ἁλύσει πλῆθος τοσοῦτον ἐνταῦθα εἵλκυσε, καὶ τῷ πόθῳ τῶν μαρτύρων ἐπτέρωσεν, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ νῦν πολιτευομένους διατρίβειν· πᾶσαν γὰρ ἀκολασίας καὶ ἀσελγείας πατήσαντες προσπάθειαν, τῷ τῶν μαρτύρων καταφλέγεσθε πόθῳ. Καθάπερ γὰρ τῆς ἀκτῖνος ἀνισχούσης δραπετεύει τὰ θηρία, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους καταδύεται χηραμούς· οὕτω τοῦ φωτὸς τῶν μαρτύρων εἰς τὰς ὑμετέρας καταλάμποντος διανοίας, ἅπαντα κατορύττεται τὰ νοσήματα, καὶ ἡ λαμπρὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἀνάπτεται φλόξ. Ἀλλ' ὅπως μὴ νῦν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διηνεκῶς, καὶ τοῦ θεάτρου λυθέντος τοῦ πνευματικοῦ τούτου, ταύτην διατηρῶμεν τὴν φλόγα, καὶ μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς εὐλαβείας οἴκαδε ἀναχωρῶμεν, μὴ εἰς καπηλεῖα καὶ πορνεῖα, καὶ μέθην, καὶ κώμοις ἑαυτοὺς ἀφιέντες. Ἐποιήσατε τὴν νύκτα ἡμέραν διὰ τῶν παννυχίδων τῶν ἱερῶν· μὴ ποιήσατε πάλιν τὴν ἡμέραν νύκτα διὰ τῆς μέθης καὶ τῆς κραιπάλης, καὶ τῶν ᾀσμάτων τῶν πορνικῶν.

Ἐτίμησας τοὺς μάρτυρας τῇ παρουσίᾳ, τῇ ἀκροάσει, τῇ σπουδῇ· τίμησον αὐτοὺς καὶ τῇ κοσμίῳ ἀναχωρήσει, μή τις ἰδών σε ἀσχημονοῦντα ἐν καπηλείῳ εἴπῃ, ὅτι οὐ διὰ τοὺς μάρτυρας παρεγένου, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸ πάθος αὐξήσῃς, ἵνα τῇ πονηρᾷ ἐπιθυμίᾳ χαρίσῃ. Ταῦτα λέγω, οὐ κωλύων τρυφᾷν, ἀλλὰ κωλύων ἁμαρτάνειν, οὐ κωλύων πίνειν, ἀλλὰ κωλύων μεθύειν. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ οἶνος φαῦλον, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀμετρία πονηρόν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ οἶνος τοῦ Θεοῦ δῶρον, ἡ δὲ ἀμετρία τοῦ διαβόλου εὕρημα. ∆ουλεύσατε 50.664 τοίνυν τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν φόβῳ, καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε αὐτῷ ἐν τρόμῳ.