paralyzed man who was healed, his sins forgiven.
But I'd like to speak mainly today about the
cross and the Maccabeans. These Maccabean martyrs,
these seven young men, along with their mother
and their father, are called the martyrs before
the martyrs. And why is that? Well, let me read
to you something. That was said by Eleazar. First,
I'll set the context very, very briefly since
this is not a history lesson. But, you know,
the Old Testament is our history too. Never forget
that. It's not the cruel God of the Old Testament
and the sweet Jesus of the New Testament. It's
one set of scripture for us. One leading to the
other. Well, sometime in the second century B
.C., Greeks and then again at another time Romans
were invited into Palestine, the Holy Land, by
certain Jewish leaders. Needless to say, that
invitation did not go well. On the horizon here
comes a king, a Greek king. who gave himself
the name Epiphanes. Antiochus, this is how he
was called, Antiochus Epiphanes. In other words,
Antiochus after the big city and manifestation.
He called himself the manifestation of the God.
So, you know this man has an ego problem from
the beginning. He mandates, that in Jerusalem
and in all that area, which we call the Holy
Land, all Jewish laws, all practices, all religion
is now outlawed. Now, when we say that, it doesn't
mean that he replaced worship in the temple,
which he did, with some, like, oh, let's say
an Episcopalian church suddenly became a Methodist
church, and, you know, their services. No, nothing
like that. Out of the temple came all the valuables.
Into the temple came pigs, which the Greeks used
for sacrifices. This is why the Jews were forbidden
to eat pigs. They were animals of pagan sacrifice.
And along with the sacrifice of all these pigs
came rites of fertility, which I won't go into.
but you can imagine what they were. Temple prostitution.
In the temple. All of this repression, along
with mothers being executed, thrown off the city
walls for having their male children circumcised.
All of this led to the Maccabean revolt, and
you know about Hanukkah. Judas Maccabeus. The
word Maccabee, do you know what that means? Any
scholars in here? Judas the Hammer. He led a
revolt and he was able to rededicate the temple
to God. But what led to that revolt is this incident
that we focus on today of the Maccabean young
men, their mother and their teacher. The martyrs
before the martyrs. The teacher was arrested,
and he was forced to eat pork, which the authorities
said, look it, we're going to substitute out
some beef for you. No one will know. He wouldn't
do it. This is what he says. For to pretend such
things is not worthy of the time of life. Lest
many of the young should suppose that Eleazar,
he's talking of himself, in his 90th year of
life has gone over to a foreign religion, and
because of my pretense for the sake of living
a brief moment longer. They should be led astray
through me, while I earn only pollution and defilement
in my old age. For even if the present I should
avoid the punishment of men, yet whether I live
or die, I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now,
I will show myself worthy of my old age and leave
to the young a noble example of how to die a
good death willingly and bravely for the venerable
and holy laws. And as he said this, he went straight
to the rack, and those who had just demonstrated
goodwill toward him now showed hostility because
they took the words he had spoken to be madness.
And one after another of his disciples, the young
man, we have their names, were killed in the
most horrendous, the most sickening, the most
violent way. And the mother was forced to watch.
Young man, if you only would renounce your religion,
your brothers will not be killed. Your mother
will not be killed. Well, you can't negotiate
with someone who offers you that kind of deal.
The martyrs know that because they will always
betray you. The mother says to one of the sons,
the last son that's left. I do not know how you
came into being in my womb. It was not I that
gave you breath and life, nor I who arranged
and ordered the elements within each of you.
Therefore, the creator of the world, who formed
man in the beginning and devised the origin of
all things, will give both breath and life back
to you in his mercy. since you now disregard
yourselves for the sake of his laws. I beseech
you, my child, to look at heaven and earth and
see everything in them and know that God made
them out of nothing. So also he made the race
of mankind in this way. Do not fear the executioner,
but be worthy of your brothers and accept death,
that in God's mercy I may receive you back again
with your brothers. They're called the martyrs
before the martyrs because They witness to the
resurrection. They began to take the words of
the prophets seriously at that time in that oppression
that they were enduring. And so today, we celebrate
their memory, their steadfastness, but we might
say, well, so what? I look at the cross, and
I say, that's what. In our human weakness, in
our fear, anxiety, in the terror of life, which
now, more than any generation, I think, we see.
The cross stands as the witness, yes, of our
weakness, but the world's foolishness. God's
wisdom. for finding a way to save us, to enter
into death, to become men, so that we, as heroes
from the dead, can also rise from the grave.
in like manner that he did. And not just in some
future date of an apocalypse, no, but brothers
and sisters, we share in the divine life of the
kingdom, the resurrection, now through the divine
liturgy and through our prayer and through the
Eucharistic offering, the holy mystery in which
we become one with the one who rose from the
dead, who gave power to those Maccabean youths,
their mother, Solomonia, and their... Teacher
Eleazar. So, on this day, in ancient times, the
cross was taken throughout the whole city of
Constantinople, one quarter to another quarter,
all month long, because it was a time of epidemic.
It was a time of sickness in the hot summer months.
The power of the cross is not just a word of
power. It's not just some motion. I make through
the air above you or myself. It's not just a
decoration. The power of the cross is sanctity,
which is streaming out from that shape for those
who want to be healed of sin, for those who want
to follow the Redeemer. for those who want to
stand fast in their faith like those young men
and that mother and that teacher. And of course,
the martyrs above all martyr, and the word martyr
simply meant witness, the one who gives testimony,
and that is Christ. Let us worship the Lord who
gave us the power of the cross. so that we could
be saved. When you make this sign over yourself,
brothers and sisters, don't do it sloppily. Don't
do it thoughtlessly. When you put your cross
on, meditate on the power of the resurrection.
To the world it looks like death, to us it's
life. To our Lord be glory, now and ever, to
ages of ages.