Homily: September 16 - Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian, Martyrs

Today the Church celebrates two saints, Cornelius and Cyprian, inspiring examples of dedication to pastoral ministry and constant witnesses to Christ in their suffering.  Both are mentioned in the First Eucharistic prayer for their importance to the early Church in Rome.

Persecution of the Church was so great in the 3^rd century that we didn’t have a Pope for 14 months.  Following that interval, today’s saint, Cornelius was elected Pope. 

During the persecution of Decius, many Christians had offered incense to the gods to save their lives. Others had bribed the authorities and had obtained a document which stated that they had offered such sacrifices. 

The controversy arose when these lapsed Catholics, who publically denied Christ, wanted to be readmitted to the Church and to Communion.

A very talented priest named Novatian claimed that the Church was to be a place of saints and martyrs, those with courage, and  had any power to reconcile apostates--those who had denied their faith.  He also claimed that those who committed the deadly sin of adultery could not be readmitted to Communion.  Novatian had strong support for this rigorist view and was even consecrated the Church’s first anti-Pope. 

In the year 251, Cornelius called a synod in Rome, and declared Catholics could be restored to the Church with what he called, “the usual medicines of repentance”.  That through penance and firm purpose of amendment, a sinner could be readmitted to Communion again. He was supported in this by many bishops, but especially St. Cyprian, the most important bishop in North Africa, who was one of the most important theologians and writers of the time.

Persecutions resumed the following year.  Cornelius was arrested and deported.  A few years later, down in Carthage, Cyprian was also arrested and martyred. 

The letter Cyprian wrote to Cornelius is very beautiful.  “My very dear brother,” he wrote, “we have heard of the glorious witness given by your courageous faith. On learning of the honor you had won by your witness, we were filled with such joy that we felt ourselves sharers and companions in your praiseworthy achievements. After all, we have the same Church, the same mind, the same unbroken harmony. God’s merciful design has warned us that the day of our own struggle, our own contest, is at hand. By that shared love which binds us close together, we are doing all we can to exhort our congregation, to give ourselves unceasingly to fastings, vigils and prayers in common. These are the heavenly weapons which give us the strength to stand firm and endure; they are the spiritual defenses, the God-given armaments that protect us. Let us then remember one another, united in mind and heart. Let us pray without ceasing, you for us, we for you; by the love we share we shall thus relieve the strain of these great trials.”

Beautiful words to remind us to pray for one another that we may be faithful to all the Lord calls us to, in pouring out our lives in his service, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.