9/16/2016 - St Cornelius and St Cyprian - Memorial - Friday of the 24th week of Ordinary Time - Luke 8:1-3

      In the 7th chapter of Luke’s Gospel, which comes right before today's Gospel, we hear about different people who come to Jesus for help:  a centurion who has a sick slave, the widow who mourns for her deceased son, the disciples of John the Baptist who are wondering who Jesus really is, and a sinful woman who anoints Jesus feet with costly ointment.  Each of these individuals comes to Jesus out a desperate, harsh reality, out of the pain, sorrow, and suffering of their lives.  Today, we hear about a group of women who follow Jesus together with his group of disciples, women who came to Jesus for healing and renewal and who chose to become his disciples.  Out of the healing and strength that find in their identity as disciples, they generously give to Jesus and to others. 

      Today, as we hear about this group of disciples who came to Jesus out of their brokenness and humanity, we celebrate two martyrs from the Early Church: Cyprian and Cornelius. Both of them have very interesting stories.  Cyprian spent most of his adult life as a professor of rhetoric in the city of Carthage.  In fact he was not baptized until the age of 45, but he later became the Bishop of Carthage in the year 248.  Under the persecutions of the Roman Emperor Decius, many priests and bishops were martyred.  Cyprian went into hiding, which did not go unnoticed with Church officials in Rome.  Cyprian’s writings emphasize unity and solidarity as believers in Christ, unified under the leadership of the Bishops and the Pope, a message that still rings true in our modern world today.  Cyprian was martyred in another wave of persecutions under the Emperor Valerian in 257.  Cornelius was Pope at the time that Cyprian was writing about unity and solidarity under the leadership of the papacy.  Many who had denied the faith during the persecutions wanted to return to the faith - that was a big issue in the early.  Cornelius called for forgiveness, mercy, and moderation.  Cornelius himself was sent into exile under the persecutions of the Emperor Gallus, where he died a martyr. 

      Perhaps as we hear more and more about persecutions against Christians in our world today, we can identity closely with martyrs like Cornelius and Cyprian.  May we find strength and courage in our faith from these examples from the Early Church.