If death is trampled underfoot by the sign of the Cross and by faith in Christ, then, if truth is our judge, it is clear that none other than Christ Himself has displayed trophies and victories over death and made it weak.
If death was formerly strong and therefore terrible, but is now scorned after the Savior's coming, the death of His body, and the Resurrection, it is clear that death has been abolished and conquered by Christ Himself, who went up on the Cross.
When the sun rises after night and the whole region of the earth is illuminated by it, no one doubts that the sun which spread its light everywhere also drove away the darkness and enlightened all things. In the same way, since death has been scorned and trampled underfoot from the time of the Savior's saving appearance in a body and His death on the Cross, it is clear that the Savior who appeared in the body is Himself the one who abolished death and daily displays trophies of victory over it in His own disciples.
When someone sees people who are weak by nature rushing toward death, not terrified by its corruption or afraid of the descent into Hades, but challenging death with eager souls and not shrinking from torture—indeed, because of Christ preferring to rush toward death rather than remain in this life—or sees men, women, and young children rushing toward death because of their devotion to Christ, who could be so foolish, so unbelieving, or so hardened in mind as not to understand that Christ, to whom these people bear witness, Himself gives each of them victory over death and makes it weak in everyone who has faith in Him and bears the sign of the Cross?
Someone who sees a serpent being trampled underfoot, especially if he knows how fierce it once was, no longer doubts that it is dead and has completely lost its strength—unless his mind is perverted and even his bodily senses are unsound. And who, seeing a lion mocked by children, fails to understand that it is either dead or has lost all its power?
Just as the truth of these examples can be seen with the eyes, so, when death is mocked and scorned by those who believe in Christ, no one should continue to doubt or disbelieve that death has been abolished by Christ and that its corruption has been dissolved and brought to an end.