St. Cyprian: His Book on the 'Our Father' Has Helped Me to Pray Better

Zenit News Agency ^ | June 6, 2007 | Benedict XVI

[ELS]

On St. Cyprian

"His Book on the 'Our Father' Has Helped Me to Pray Better"

VATICAN CITY, JUNE 6, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today at the general audience in St. Peter's Square. The reflection focused on St. Cyprian.

* * *
Dear brothers and sisters,

Continuing with our catechetical series on the great figures of the ancient Church, we arrive today to an excellent African bishop of the third century, St. Cyprian, "the first bishop in Africa to attain the crown of martyrdom." His fame, as his first biographer, the deacon Pontius, testifies, is linked to his literary production and pastoral activity in the 13 years between his conversion and his martyrdom (cf. "Vida" 19,1; 1,1).

St. Cyprian was born in Carthage to a rich pagan family. After a squandered youth, Cyprian converted to Christianity at age 35. He himself tells us about his spiritual pilgrimage: "When I was still in a dark night," he wrote months after his baptism, "it seemed to me extremely difficult and exhausting to do what the mercy of God was proposing to me. … I was bound by many mistakes of my past life and I didn't think I could be free, to such extent that I would follow my vices and favored my sinful desires. … Later, with the help of the regenerative water, the misery of my previous life was washed away; a sovereign light illumined my heart; a second birth restored me to a completely new life. In a marvelous way, all doubt was swept away. … I understood clearly that what used to live in me were the worldly desires of the flesh and that, on the contrary, what the Holy Spirit had generated in me was divine and heavenly" ("A Donato," 3-4).

Immediately after his conversion Cyprian, despite envy and resistance, was chosen for the priestly office and elevated to the dignity of bishop. In the brief period of his episcopacy, he faced the two first persecutions mandated by imperial decree: Decius' in 250 and Valerian's in 257-258. After the particularly cruel persecution of Decius, the bishop had to work hard to restore order in the Christian community. Many faithful, in fact, had renounced their faith or had not reacted adequately in the face of such a test. These were the so-called lapsi, that is, "fallen," who fervently desired to re-enter the community.

The debate regarding their readmission divided the Christians of Carthage into those who were lax and those who were rigorists. To these difficulties was added a serious plague that scourged Africa and posed grave theological questions both within the Church and in regard to the pagans. Finally, we must remember the controversy between St. Cyprian and the Bishop of Rome, Stephen, regarding the validity of baptism administered to the pagans by heretical Christians.

Amid these truly difficult circumstances, Cyprian showed a true gift for governing: He was strict, but not inflexible with the "fallen," giving them the possibility of forgiveness after a period of exemplary penance; in regard to Rome, he was firm in his defense of the traditions of the Church in Africa; he was extremely understanding and full of a truly, authentic evangelical spirit when exhorting Christians to fraternal assistance toward pagans during the plague; he knew how to maintain the proper balance when reminding the faithful, quite afraid of losing both their lives and their material possessions, that their true life and authentic goods are not of this world; he was unyielding in fighting the corrupt practices and sins that destroy the moral life, especially avarice.

"Thus were his days spent," narrates Deacon Pontius, "when by the command of the proconsul, unexpectedly, the police arrived at this house" ("Vida," 15,1). That day the holy bishop was arrested and, after a brief interrogation, courageously faced martyrdom amid his people.

Cyprian composed numerous treatises and letters, always linked to his pastoral ministry. Seldom given to theological speculation, he wrote mostly for the edification of the community and to encourage the good behavior of the faithful. In fact, the Church was his favorite subject. He distinguishes between the hierarchical "visible Church" and the mystical "invisible Church," but he strongly affirms that the Church is one, founded on Peter.

He never tires of repeating that "he who abandons the Chair of Peter, upon which the Church is founded, lives in the illusion that he still belongs to the Church" ("The Unity of the Catholic Church," 4).

Cyprian knew well, and strongly stated it, that "there is no salvation outside the Church" (Epistle 4,4 and 73,21), and that "he who doesn't have the Church as his mother can't have God as his Father" ("The Unity of the Catholic Church," 4).

Unity is an irrevocable characteristic of the Church, symbolized by Christ's seamless garment (Ibid., 7): a unity that, as he says, finds its foundation in Peter (Ibid., 4) and its perfect fulfillment in the Eucharist (Epistle 63,13).

"There is only one God, one Christ," Cyprian exhorts, "one Church, one faith, one Christian people firmly united by the cement of harmony; and that which by nature is one cannot be separated" ("The Unity of the Catholic Church," 23).

We have spoken of his thoughts on the Church, but let us not forget, lastly, his teachings on prayer. I particularly like his book on the "Our Father" which has helped me to understand and pray better the "Lord's Prayer." Cyprian teaches us that precisely in the Our Father, Christians are offered the right way of praying; and he emphasizes that this prayer is said in plural "so that whoever prays it, prays not for himself alone."

"Our prayer," he writes, "is public and communal, and when we pray, we pray not only for ourselves but for the whole people, for we are one with the people" ("The Lord's Prayer," 8).

In this manner, personal and liturgical prayer are presented as firmly united to each other. This unity is based on the fact that they both respond to the same Word of God. The Christian does not say "My Father," but "Our Father," even in the secret of his own room, because he knows that in all places and in all circumstances, he is a member of the one Body.

"Let us pray then my most beloved brothers," writes the bishop of Carthage, "as God, the teacher, has taught us. It is an intimate and confident prayer to pray to God with what is his, elevating to his ears Christ's prayer. May the Father recognize the words of his Son when we lift a prayer to him: that he who dwells interiorly in the spirit would also be present in the voice. … Moreover, when we pray, we ought to have a way of speaking and praying that, with discipline, remains calm and reserved. Let us think that we are under God's gaze.

"It is necessary to be pleasing to the divine eyes both in our bodily attitude and our tone of voice. … And when we gather with the brethren and celebrate the divine sacrifice with a priest of God, we must do it with reverent fear and discipline, without throwing our prayers to the wind with loud voices, nor elevating in long speeches a petition to God that ought to be presented with moderation, for God does not listen to the voice but to the heart ('non vocis sed cordis auditor est')" (3-4).

These words are as valid today as they were then, and they help us to celebrate well the sacred liturgy.

Undeniably, Cyprian is at the origins of that fertile theological-spiritual tradition that sees in the "heart" the privileged place of prayer. According to the Bible and the Fathers of the Church, the heart is, in fact, the inner core of the human being where God dwells. That encounter in which God speaks to man and man listens to God takes place there; there man speaks to God and God listens to man; all this takes place through the only divine Word. It is precisely in this sense that, echoing Cyprian, Smaragdus, abbot of St. Michael, at the beginning of the ninth century, asserts that prayer "is the work of the heart, not of the lips, because God does not look at the words, but at the heart of him who prays." (Diadem of the Monks, 1.)

Let us have this "listening heart" of which Scriptures and the Fathers speak (cf. 1 Kings 3:9): How greatly we need it! Only then will we be able to experience fully that God is our Father and the Church, the holy Bride of Christ, is truly our Mother.

[Translation by ZENIT]

[After the general audience, the Pope greeted the people in several languages. In English, he said:]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In our catechesis on the Fathers of the early Church, we now turn to Saint Cyprian. A convert from paganism, Cyprian became the Bishop of Carthage and guided the Church in Africa through the persecution of the Emperor Decius and its aftermath. He showed firmness and pastoral sensitivity in readmitting, after due penance, those Christians who had lapsed during the persecution, and he worked strenuously for the spiritual and moral renewal of the community. His many writings, closely linked to his ministry as Bishop, stress the unity of Christ’s Church, founded on Peter and most perfectly realized in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Cyprian is also known for his writings on prayer, and in particular his commentary on the Our Father. There he emphasizes both the public, communal nature of Christian prayer, and the importance of a personal "prayer of the heart". Cyprian’s devotion to the word of God and his love for the Church found supreme expression in his death as a martyr during the persecution of Valerian. May his example and teaching help us to draw nearer to the Lord in prayer and in the unity of his Body, the Church.

I am pleased to greet the officers and cadets from the New York Maritime College and the members of the European Ophthalmic Pathology Society. I am also happy to welcome the pilgrims who have travelled to Rome for the Canonizations last Sunday. May we all continue to be inspired by the lives of these saints. Upon all the English-speaking visitors present at today's Audience, especially those from Finland, England, Scotland, New Zealand and the United States of America, I cordially invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace.

© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana

[ELS]

Two videos showing today's incident:
Video 1
Video 2



A combination of TV grabs shows the sequence of a man leaping over a barricade during Pope Benedict's weekly audience in Vatican City, June 6, 2007. (Vatican TV via Reuters TV/Reuters)

Pope Benedict XVI greets members of a U.S. Navy delegation after his weekly general audience at the Vatican June 6, 2007. REUTERS/Osservatore Romano (VATICAN)

Pope Benedict XVI waves to the faithful during his weekly Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican June 6, 2007. REUTERS/Tony Gentile (VATICAN)

[ELS]

Recent catecheses on the Early Church Fathers:
On St. Clement of Rome -The Church Has a Sacramental, Not Political Structure (March 7, 2007)
Truly a Doctor of Unity (St. Ignatius of Antioch) (March 14, 2007)
St. Justin Martyr: He Considered Christianity the "True Philosophy" (March 21, 2007)
St. Irenaeus of Lyons: The First Great Theologian of the Church (March 28, 2007)
St. Clement of Alexandria: One of the Great Promoters of Dialogue Between Faith and Reason (April 18, 2007)
On Origen of Alexandria: He Was a True Teacher (April 25, 2007)
Origen: The Privileged Path to Knowing God Is Love (May 2, 2007)
Tertullian: Accomplished a Great Step in the Development of the Trinitarian Dogma (May 30, 2007)

[ELS]

Catecheses on the Apostles:
Profile of St. Peter (May 17, 2006)
On Peter, the Apostle (May 24, 2006)
The Custodian of the Communion With Christ (Peter, the Rock) (June 7, 2006)
St. Andrew, the First Called (June 14, 2006)
James the Greater (June 21, 2006)
James the Less (June 28, 2006)
John, Son of Zebedee (July 5, 2006)
John, the Theologian (August 9, 2006)
Apostle John, the Seer of Patmos (August 23, 2006)
On St. Matthew, A Model of Acceptance of God's Mercy (August 30. 2006)
The Apostle Philip, He Invites Us to Come and See Jesus (September 6, 2006)
The Apostle Thomas, His Question Gives Us the Right ... to Ask Jesus for Explanations (September 27, 2006)
The Apostle Bartholomew, His Words Present a Double Aspect of Jesus' Identity (October 4, 2006)
Apostles Simon and Jude Thaddaeus, Our Identity Is Not to Be Toyed With (October 11, 2006)
On Judas Iscariot and Matthias - Never Despair of God's Mercy (October 18, 2006)
Paul of Tarsus: Be Imitators of Me, As I Am of Christ (October 25, 2006)
Paul of Tarsus, Continued (November 8, 2006)
Paul's Teaching on the Holy Spirit November 15, 2006
Paul's Teaching on the Church November 22, 2006

For all of you who have said that his catecheses should be compiled into a book, you aren't the only ones to have that idea.

Forthcoming... "THE APOSTLES" ... by Pope Benedict XVI

[ELS]

Weekly audience ping!

Please let me know if you want on or off this list.

[Coleus]

.

[lightman]

One of the very few good things to come with the newest hymnal and liturgy manual of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is that this godly Bishop and courageous Martyr has been added to the Lutheran calendar of Commemorations.

[AveMaria1]

What is interesting is that the Holy Father quoted the following from St. Cyprian:

[Cyprian] distinguishes between the Church visible, hierarchical, and the Church invisibile, mystical, but affirms with force that the Church is one only, founded on Peter. He does not weary of repeating that “who abandons the cathedra of Peter, on whom the Church was founded, deludes himself that he has remained in the Church” (Unity of the Catholic Church, 4). Cyprian knows well, and formulated it with forceful words, that “outside the Church there is no salvation” (ep. 4,4 and 73,21) and that “whoever does not have the Church as mother cannot have God as Father” (Unity of the Catholic Church, 4). An inalienable characteristic of the Church is unity, symbolized by Christ’s seamless garment (ibid, 7): the unity of which he says finds its foundation in Peter (ibid, 4) and its perfect realization in the Eucharist (ep. 63,13). “There is only one God, only one Christ”, Cyprian admonishes, “only one is His Church, only one faith, only one Christian people, close in stable unity in the cement of concord: and you cannot separate that which is one in its nature (Unity of the Catholic Church, 23).

It might be noted that St. Cyprian was not a Lutheran because that church had not been invented yet. He said the foundation was in Peter (and thus his successors the Popes) and the realization of unity is in the Holy Eucharist which is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

[Salvation]

Thanks for these wonderful threads, ELS.

[LordBridey]

What is interesting is that the Holy Father quoted the following from St. Cyprian:

Good pick up AveMaria. This is unabashed, full throttle, Christian doctrine. It is almost courageous, in this ecumenical and PC era that the pope would reiterate these truths.

Only last week the gospel reading from John concerned Christ's final prayer before his arrest. He prayed for unity. It was Christ's wish that all believers be one, "as you Father are in me, and I in you; I pray that they may be one in us." The homilist posed the question, " Are Christians as one?" No, came the reply, and he laid the blame on Satan. Just as Satan used scripture to tempt the Christ, Satan has used scripture to divide the community of believers.

It is wonderful to hear the pope rallying the Church behind the chair of Peter, just as Cyprian did over 1700 years ago. God bless Pope Benedict.

[ELS]

On the Unity of the Church by St. Cyprian

[siunevada]

It might be noted that St. Cyprian was not a Lutheran

Ah, the gratuitous, ham-handed insult; a hallmark of charity.

[NYer]

Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[lightman]

A half century ago Rev. Dr. Franklin Clark Fry, President of the Lutheran World Federation described Lutherans as a “bridge church, not quite Catholic but not really Protestant”.

Among the manifestations of the veracity of his statement the calendar; the commemoration of the ecumenical early Fathers; and the underlying awareness that this church did not suddenly spring into being in 1517 or 1530 utterly devoid of roots and wanting no part of Christian history.

Among the commemorated fathers are Boniface, Athanasius, Clement of Rome, Cyprian, Polycarp, Igantius of Antioch,
Augustine, and Patrick. Most real Protestants would regard these as nothing more than intersting historical figures.