The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

Justus of Urgell, Sermo de s. Uincentio (CPL 1092)


Sermo sancti Iusti Vrgellensis episcopi in natale sancti Vincentii

(1) Gloriosissimi Vincentii martiris disseminatas toto orbe uictorias, fratres karissimi, ad profectum ecclesie nunquam silere, attamen in die assumptionis eius oportet, adiuuante domino, uberius predicare. Qui licet precipuus Christi amicus ab omnibus christianis cum reliquis martiribus pro sancta sit confessione colendus, est tamen nobis uernula quadam et gentili pietate coniunctus, eo quod sit noster ex genere, noster ex fide, noster in stola, noster in gloria, noster in officio, noster in tumulo, noster in patrocinio. Hunc conspicimus in uestimentis, hunc gerimus in meritis. Hunc urbs nostra protulit, hunc celestis Iherusalem non solum pro huius urbis, sed etiam pro totius orbis gubernatione suscepit. O gloriosa mors, que ad tantam dirigit uitam! O uita uiuificans, propter quam hec contempnitur uita! Ostendisti, domine, quemadmodum apud te uiuant in quibus ita uiuis ut mori nec mortui possint, quosque ita glorificas ut etiam defuncti per te uiuificare mortuos possint. Ecce quomodo triumphant qui te confesso mortem exceperunt ut te inuocato mortem expellant, nec tantum hanc, quae ex pena illata est, mortem corporum, quantum illam, quae ex peccato uenit, animarum. Nichil impossibile tuis per te, quibus summum posse est. Tu es qui eos et inuictos effecisti ut uincerent et uictores suscepisti ut tecum in perpetuum regnent.

(1) The victories of the most glorious martyr Vincentius, which have spread throughout the world, for the good of the Church must never be passed over in silence, but must be proclaimed more abundantly with the help of the Lord on the day of his reception [into Heaven]. Although this special friend of Christ is to be venerated by all Christians together with the other martyrs for the sake of holy confession, he is nevertheless bound to us by familial love as a fellow servant (vernula), for he is ours by origin, ours by faith, ours in his vestments, ours in glory, ours in his office, ours in his tomb, ours in patronage. We see him in his robes, we celebrate him in his merits. Our city brought him forth, the heavenly Jerusalem has accepted him not only to lead this city, but also the whole world. O glorious death that leads to such a life! O life-giving life, for which this life is spurned! You have shown, O Lord, how those live with You in whom You are so alive that even as the dead they cannot die, and whom You so glorify that even as the dead they can revive the dead through You. Behold, how triumphant are those who, having confessed You, received death, so that, calling on You, they might drive out death; not that death which was imposed on them as a punishment, the death of the body, but that of souls, which comes from sin. Nothing is impossible through You for those who are Yours, who have the highest power. You are the One who has made them invincible so that they may be victorious and whom You have accepted as victors so that they may reign with You forever.

(2) Videte, fratres, et ammiramini sanctissimi martiris mirabile initium et gloriosissimum finem. Cum suo duce processit in prelio nec expectato duce prior arma iecit in aduersarios. Sciebat enim scriptum: Regnum celorum uim patitur et uiolenti diripiunt illum. Acceperad etiam in corde suo illum spiritualem ignem, de quo dominus dixit: Ignem ueni mittere in terram et quid uolo nisi ut ardeat? Non diffisus de uictoria, festinauit ad pugnam. Ferebat enim arma non carnalia, sed potentia deo. Habebat enim gladium spiritus, quod est uerbum dei. Loricam spei et galeam salutis assumpserat. Gestabat etiam scutum fidei, in quo posset omnia nequissima diaboli tela extinguere. Talibus munitus armis processit ad prelium et nouo genere uicit, quia nouo ordine dimicauit. Et cum soleat in certamine grauiter quisque percussus uirtute minui, hic plagis suis magis magisque confortatus est. Et quotienscumque percussus, totiens contra aduersarium uehementior est effectus, donec eum suis uulneribus sauciaret suaque morte prosterneret. O felix anima, que tantis corporis sui cruciatibus uinci non potuit, quae ad suum conditorem corpore occiso extimplo uictor perrexit!

(3) Sed nec in ipso corpore, quantum uolebat, preualere permissus est inimicus. Proiecit quidem illud feris et uolatilibus deuorandum, sed ipsis, quibus membra carpenda proiecta sunt, ab ipsis obsequia iniuncta, deleta non sunt. Inmutata est natura ferox in bestiis rationis ignaris. Que utinam mutaretur in hominibus pessimis! Lupus reflexa ceruice ieiunus regreditur, coruus siccis faucibus perseuerat et adhuc diabolus comenta crudelitatis excogitat. Mergi mandat in fluctibus, quem in terris superare non ualuit. Sed numquid qui omnia creauit, ubique adesse non potuit? Ecce mergitur, nec demergitur. Precipitatur in equore et ipsis deseruientes, quibus consumi poterat, elementis tumulatur in littore.

(4) Quis non resuscitandum credat in gloria, qui tanta protegitur gloria? Quis non gloriosum auertat spiritum, cuius tam gloriose defensari conspicit corpus exanimatum? Que omnia in profectibus suis precessisse leta nunc credat et ueneretur ecclesia. Renascatur quodamodo in eius meritis quae eum genuit spiritualibus sacramentis et eius proficiat precibus, pro cuius est perornata uirtutibus, per Ihesum Christum dominum nostrum. Amen.


'Sermon of saint Iustus, bishop of Urgell for the anniversary of death might 'feast' be better? (natale) of saint Vincent

(1) The victories of the most glorious martyr Vincentius, which have spread throughout the world, must never be concealed for the good of the Church, but must be proclaimed more abundantly with the help of the Lord on the day of his acceptance [into Heaven]. Although this special friend of Christ is to be venerated by all Christians together with the other martyrs for the sake of holy confession, he is nevertheless bound to us by familial love as a fellow servant (vernula), for he is ours by origin, ours by faith, ours in his vestments, ours in glory, ours in his office, ours in his tomb, ours in patronage. We see him in his robes, we celebrate him in his merits. Our city has brought him forth, the heavenly Jerusalem has accepted him not only to lead this city, but also the whole world. O glorious death that leads to such a life! O life-giving life, for which this life is spurned! You have shown, O Lord, how those live with You in whom You are so alive that even as the dead they cannot die, and whom You so glorify that even as the dead they can revive the dead through You. Behold, how triumphant are those who, having confessed You, have received death in order, having called upon You, to drive out death, but not that which was imposed on them as a punishment, the death of bodies, but that of souls, which comes from sin. Nothing is impossible through You for those who are Yours, who have the highest power. You are the One who has made them invincible so that they may be victorious and whom You have accepted as victors so that they may reign with You forever.

(2) Behold, brothers, and marvel at the wondrous origin of the most holy martyr and his most glorious end. He went into battle with his commander and, without waiting for his command, threw his weapons at his enemies. He knew that it is written: "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matth. 11:12). He also took this spiritual fire into his heart, of which the Lord said: "I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?" (Luke 12:49). Believing in victory, he threw himself into the battle, for he carried "weapons that are not carnal but mighty through God" (2Cor 10:4); for he had "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph 6:17). He also put on "the breastplate of hope" and the "helmet of salvation" (1 Thess 5:6). He also carried "the shield of faith, with which he is able to quench all the fiery darts" of the devil (Eph 6:16). Armed with such weapons, he went into battle and was victorious in a new way because he fought in a new battle formation. And while it is common in battle for the severely wounded man to lose his virtue, here he was strengthened more and more by his wounds. And no matter how often he was hit, he became more and more fierce against the enemy until he killed him with his own wounds and overthrew him with his own death. O happy soul that could not be defeated with such bodily torments, that after killing the body immediately reached its own Creator as victor!

(3) But the enemy was not even allowed to reign in the body itself as much as he wanted. He threw it to the wild beasts and birds, but the limbs were not destroyed by them, to whom they were thrown because of the respect commanded to them. The wild nature was changed in the animals unaware of reason. O, if that would change in the worst of men! A wolf bents his neck and goes away without eating, a raven stays put despite his throat being dry, but the devil still concocts cruel things. He orders to sink into the water the one he could not overcome on land. But could He who created everything ever be absent anywhere? Behold, they sink him, but he did not sink. He was thrown into the sea, and by the ministry of the same elements that could consume him, he was buried on the shore.

(4) Who will not believe that he who is protected by such glory will rise again in glory? Who will not see the glorious spirit whose lifeless body he sees so gloriously defended? The joyful church believes that all this has happened for her benefit and honours it. She shall be born again in his merits, who begat him by spiritual mysteries, and she shall profit by his prayers, by whose virtues she was adorned, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.'


Text: Martín and Iranzo Abellán 2012 (paragraph numbers added by M. Szada)
Translation: M. Szada

Service for the saint
Sermon/homily

Saint’s feast

Prayer/supplication/invocation
Saint as patron - of a community
Oral transmission of saint-related stories

Miracle at martyrdom and death
Miracle after death
Miracles experienced by the saint
Power over elements (fire, earthquakes, floods, weather)
Miracle with animals and plants

Contact relic - saint’s possession and clothes

Demons
Animals

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