On the Maccabees and the Cross

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.