Homily I on Saint Longinus the Centurion

1Homily on the Martyrdom of Saint Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with him two soldiers, composed by Hesychius, presbyter of Jerusalem.

Many of the martyrs' writings exist, just as painters' images sometimes imitate the appearances of cities, the heights of towers, and the forms of men and women—sometimes young, sometimes elderly, sometimes royal, sometimes bridal, sometimes grim, sometimes joyful—they show; so also the words of those who have recounted the martyrs' struggles have made firm the substance of the soul, and of the manners the manly, and the presentation in terrifying things fearless and bold and unshaken, and the alliance from God against them coming forward, sometimes by the multitude of signs, sometimes by the richness in the words of the grace confessed, to the ears they reveal.

How shall I worthily record the writing of that wise and brave man, Longinus, especially his testimony concerning Christ which he began by confessing him? For when, having been confused by fear, he entirely denied him, the whole chorus of the apostles, the lame whom he raised, the blind whom he called to see, the lepers moreover whom he freed from the variegated skin and the flesh of blemishes, and others whose misfortunes he ceased and whose diseases he dispelled and toward the better nature he transformed—these all, having been struck dumb by the drama of the cross, endured a winter full of shipwreck. The confession of the God-fearing centurion Longinus existed unto the hearing of the wolf-minded synagogue of the Jews, when he said, 'Truly this was the Son of God.'

For neither did he blush at Pilate having been bribed against Christ, nor did he dread so great a fear of these peoples or he aroused the multitude of those unbelieving myriads of them. Let it be said therefore and written also his most beautiful contest which those from the beginning eyewitnesses narrated and to the generation after this they handed down. From that then proceeding even thus until us, the words of the Longinus testimony as certain pearls blameless adorned the holy bridal chamber of Christ were kept safe. Therefore when the guard having been asked Pilate gave into custody of the tomb of the only-begotten Son of God, Longinus was he of these commanders, for he himself was and was guarding the cross of Christ with those under him soldiers.

3You have prepared and set a table for me, not just for one day, but also for a second and third day.

Have you not seen in your blood, which is sought by us, the wine?

Now, what is there to say or do about you?

Depart, having received the reward of hospitality, which is the forgiveness of our death, for we do not dare to put the sword to you, we become numb, we blush at the table, we fear God, the guardian of hospitality, and we are also red with shame at the table.

It is better for us to risk our lives with Pilate, plotting against Longinus' head, than to melt our conscience and dine with the so-called bloodthirsty demons; how can our dinner be good if we bring our hands against you?

For if we do this, our hands, feet, and entire body will become numb, if we become murderers of our benefactor and host.

They were saying these things to Longinus, but they were not persuading the willing and courageous athlete to abandon the contest for the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Longinus responded boldly to them, saying, 'Do not think me a traitor to life, nor a tempter of grace; may I not become a wolf in sheep's clothing; in no way will I deny what I once confessed.'

May I not lose that glory which I saw the elements trembling at, for I have witnessed the heaven covering its own appearances and the sun veiling the chariots of the lamps, the stadium of the days of light was abandoned, and night was forcibly drawn, because the weight of the cross was not endured and the blame of the Jewish god-fighting was abandoned.

How then will I scatter the wealth of so many goods given to me?

Not even the reproaches of angels will I endure.

As Longinus was still speaking, the cohort of soldiers who had been assigned to execute him arrived, having received the death sentence from Caesar.

With a cheerful face and a joyful heart, Longinus met them and kissed their eyes and neck, saying to them, 'Rejoice, fellow soldiers of Christ, conquerors of the divine contests, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven, for the gate to heaven is opening for us, and angels will receive our souls and offer them to the only-begotten Son of God.'

Behold, I see the lamps and I gaze at the crowns and I consider the prizes with which we will stand at the judgment seat of the bridegroom.

Having said these things, Longinus said to the executioners, 'If you have been ordered, make haste.'

And to the ruler of his house, he said to bring a clean robe to him, as for a wedding and a called nuptial.

Having clothed himself in the clean robe, Longinus showed with his hand the place where his blessed body was to be laid, and bending his knee, he rejoiced greatly, for he had struggled through the victorious contest with his companions.

Then, his head was cut off, and he was enrolled among the choirs of apostles and martyrs, for he had shown the courage of the former and the good zeal of the latter.

The executioners took Longinus' head and offered it to Pilate, who had received money from the Jews and was doing them a favor.

When Longinus' head was brought to Jerusalem, Pilate ordered it to be shown to the Jews who thirsted for Longinus' death, and he sold the drama of the execution for a large amount of gold to those who were accustomed to buying the blood of the righteous.

Then, Pilate ordered Longinus' precious and fearful head to be thrown away outside the gate of the city, where it lay like an untouchable treasure, preserved unharmed despite the filth that surrounded it.

A widow from the Cappadocian region, having cast away the eyes of her body, overcame her physical limitations by faith, and with her only child, she traveled to Jerusalem, where she hoped to regain her sight by venerating the holy places.

As she was led by her child, she would gather the dust of the earth and examine it with her own eyes.

4...She hoped to soothe him, perhaps seeking to find the eye-salve in him to recover his sight, but a severe illness suddenly struck him, and he was taken from her motherly hands.

Her darkness was then doubled, and she was overwhelmed by the bitter pain of her misfortune and unceasing grief.

She cried out to God, asking how long he would neglect her until the end, and if she was being punished for her sins.

She said, 'Am I not worse than the prostitute whom I welcomed with myrrh for you?'

She continued, 'You have deprived me of both the light and my only son; and for me, there is no longer any hope of salvation.'

Longinus, the centurion who had confessed Jesus as the Son of God, appeared to her in a dream.

He told her about his own beheading and the fate of his body, which had been thrown outside the city by the Jews who had bought it through lying accusations against him.

Then I will present to you the child with glory, who will comfort your sorrow.

The woman was comforted by these words, and with newfound bravery and faith, she hastened to the task at hand.

Having learned from her faithful guides that a mound of dung had been heaped up in that place, she hastened to the place where they had led her and began to dig with her own hands.

By God's providence, she quickly uncovered the precious head, and immediately she saw the sun's rays.

Having wrapped and washed it with all haste and anointed it with precious oils, she returned carrying the pearl to where she had lodged.

The next night, the blessed Longinus appeared to her, holding her son by his side, shining and smiling, and dressed like a bridegroom.

Longinus spoke to the woman, saying, 'Behold, the one you have longed for is here. This is the one you thought was snatched from your hands. But God, having freed him, has enlisted him in the kingdom above. And now I have him with me; for I received him from the Savior, and he will never depart from my right hand. Having taken my head and your child's body, place them in one coffin, and no longer mourn your only child.'

For to him with me great glory has been given, and a holy altar and secret sacrifices and much-praised choirs and all-popular festivals, and many other things besides these which cannot be performed on earth, but in heaven, 'what eye has not seen and ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man' (1 Corinthians 2:9), which things God, having shown us his love towards us in deed and word, has prepared.

The mother of the young man received these words as prophetic commands and immediately rose to return to her homeland.

She took the all-honored and holy head and restored it to her own homeland, and she laid her child's relic beside the holy Longinus' shrine with joy and delight, just as the holy Longinus had commanded her.

As she did so, she proclaimed in her heart and with her tongue, knowing that to those who love God all things work together for good (Romans 8:28).

I was seeking eyes of flesh, but with them I also received the eyes of the spirit; I see the young man wearing purple, I gaze at the handsome youth; the child is star-faced and smiling at his mother and shining like a star beside Longinus' side, like the morning star beside the sun's ray, appearing many times at night and many times during the day, and not only in dreams, but also manifestly appearing to me in a manner of witnesses.

His lot is with prophets, although not having lived the life of prophets, and with Longinus he crusades, and the noble trophy of the heavenly kingdom is borne, and among angels he preaches, and in the midst of the crowd of archangels he cries out as a disciple of Longinus.

5The seraphim allow Longinus to glorify and the cherubim do not oppose him as he sings a hymn; he himself utters a sacred voice, a hymn-singer, a bearer of a trophy, mystical, and victorious: 'Truly this was the Son of God' (Matthew 27:54), which is before the ages, possesses, and will possess forever. He himself makes the ages old, yet he himself remains unchanged; for his kingdom is an eternal kingdom and his power will never be corrupted (Daniel 4:3), to him belongs the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

I, Hesychius, presbyter of Jerusalem, having researched much with much labor, was able to find the words of the holy Longinus the centurion, who was in charge of...

6I found the testimony of the cross of Christ, having said 'Truly this was the Son of God', in a scroll, in the library of the Holy Resurrection, and I arranged his confession together also with the hymn. Furthermore those fearing the Lord…

7It should be believed that he is truly the holy Longinus, the centurion who confessed Christ on the cross, by whose intercession and entreaty may we all be preserved, both those who read and those who hear, in Christ.

8To Jesus our Lord, to whom belongs the glory and the power and the kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 6:13), now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.