The martyrs' festival compels speech and displays victory over death
The preacher opens the sermon by explaining why he speaks despite his unpolished tongue, then describes how the holy martyrs draw all ages to the festival and leap against death.
Bless, Master. I wanted to remain silent and not publish a tongue speaking rustically, for silence is a great thing whenever the word is cheap, and stillness is admirable when lack of learning is present; and the highest philosopher is one who hides ignorance through silence. This is what I too chose to do, knowing the weakness of my own tongue. But the sight of what I see drags me toward speaking. Since, then, the festival is splendid and the theater is packed, and our assembly is boiling in faith, I will turn to the beginning of my speech with confidence—especially since the Father prays, the Church strives alongside, and the holy martyrs strengthen my weakness for this task.
For these martyrs persuaded old men to complete a long journey with much sweat, and they compelled them to steady their faltering steps by the staff of the word. They urged the female sex to travel together with young men, and they led the infant age crawling here. The martyrs leap against death, laugh at swords, plunder the tyrant's rage, seize death as the agent of immortality, make victory their own in their very fall, and leap through their bodies toward heaven. They scatter their limbs in order to bind their souls; they break the bars of life in order to open the keys of heaven.
Let the one who disbelieves that death has been destroyed, that Hades has been trampled, that its bonds have been torn apart, that the tyrant has been bound—let that one look at the martyrs tumbling against death and acclaiming the victory of Christ. O the wonder! From the time Christ plundered Hades, human beings have triumphed over death. Where, O death, is your sting? Where, O Hades, is your victory? (Hosea 13:14 / 1 Corinthians 15:55). Hades has been plundered, and the devil too; he has been stripped of his ancient armor, and he has been cast out from his own dominion.
Greek
Εὐλόγησον, Δέσποτα. Ἠρεμεῖν ἐβουλόμην, καὶ μὴ δημοσιεύειν ἀγροικίζουσαν γλῶσσαν· μέγα γὰρ σιωπή, ὅτ' ἂν ὁ λόγος εὐτελής· καὶ θαυμαστὸν ἡσυχία, ἀπαιδευσίας παρούσης· φιλόσοφός τε ἄκρος διὰ σιγῆς καλύπτων ἀμαθίαν. Τοῦτο κἀγὼ πράττειν προῃρούμην τὸ ἀσθενὲς τῆς οἰκείας ἐπιστάμενος γλώσσης· ἀλλ' ἕλκει με πρὸς τὸ λέγειν τῶν ὁρωμένων ἡ ὄψις. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡ πανήγυρις λαμπρὰ καὶ τὸ θέατρον συνεχές, καὶ ζέων ἐστὶ τῇ πίστει ὁ ἡμέτερος σύλλογος· ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ λόγου θαρροῦντος τραπήσομαι· μάλιστα τοῦ Πατρὸς εὐχομένου, τῆς Ἐκκλησίας συναγωνιζομένης, μαρτύρων ἁγίων πρὸς τοῦτο ῥωννύντων τὸ ἀσθενές. Οὗτοι γὰρ καὶ γέροντας ἔπεισαν σὺν ἱδρῶτι πολλῷ μακρὰν ἐξανύσαι πορείαν, καὶ τὰ σφαλλόμενα βήματα τῇ βακτηρίᾳ τοῦ λόγου στηρίζειν κατηνάγκαζον· καὶ τὸ θῆλυ προέτρεψαν συνοδοιπορεῖν νεανίσκοις· καὶ τὴν νηπιάζουσαν ἡλικίαν ἕρπουσαν ἐνταῦθα παρήγαγον μάρτυρες κατὰ θανάτου σκιρτῶντες, ξίφεσιν ἐγγελῶντες, θυμὸν τυραννικὸν διαρπάζοντες, θάνατον ἀθανασίας πρόξενον ἀνθαρπάζοντες, ἐν ἰδίῳ πτώματι τὴν νίκην οἰκειούμενοι, διὰ σώματος ἀναπηδῶντες πρὸς οὐρανόν. Τὰ μέλη διασκορπίζοντες ἵνα σφίγξωσι τὰς ψυχάς, τὰ κλεῖθρα τῆς ζωῆς διαρρήξαντες ἵνα τὰς κλεῖς ἀνοίξωσι τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ὁ ἀπιστῶν ὅτι θάνατος καταλέλυται, ᾅδης πεπάτηται, ὅτι τούτου τὰ δεσμὰ διεράγη· ὅτι τύραννος δέδεται· βλεπέτω μάρτυρας κυβιστῶντας κατὰ θανάτου, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ νίκην ἀνευφημοῦντας. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος. Ἀφ' οὗπερ Χριστὸς τὸν ᾅδην ἐσκύλευσεν, ἄνθρωποι κατωρχήσαντο τοῦ θανάτου. Ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον; ποῦ σου, ᾅδη, τὸ νῖκος; Ἐσκύλευται ὁ ᾅδης καὶ ὁ διάβολος· καὶ τῆς ἀρχαίας ἀφῄρηται πανοπλίας· καὶ τοῦ οἰκείου κράτους ἐκβέβληται.