Sermon 313G

(Erfurt 6Sermon 313/G

Sermon of Saint Augustine

on the birthday of the martyr Cyprian

God made Cyprian both a man and a faithful one and a martyr.

I give thanks to the Lord our God because He has deigned to grant both me and you this day to be together. We celebrate the solemnity in the devoted assembly of the most illustrious martyr. The adornment of confession, the ruler and teacher of the church of the Africans, the truest and most sincere martyr and teacher and ruler, teaching what he was to do, doing what he had taught, sending many before him by precept, he drew many after him by example. But who in him is this, except He who made him? For God made both man and faithful and martyr: man when He created him, faithful when He called him, martyr when He crowned him. Such martyrs we venerate without scruple; for their passions, which they endured for the Lord, are illustrious and clear to all. And this blessed Cyprian was sent as a sheep among wolves; with word he chastised the wolves and as a shepherd he responded for the sheep and for the sheep he shed his blood. He held the simplicity of the dove and the cunning of the serpent; with the simplicity of the dove he harmed no one, with the cunning of the serpent he protected his own head. When serpents are struck, they put forth all the circles of their members in defense of the head and with great effort they preserve the place where they live. How did Saint Cyprian preserve the head? The head of the man is Christ; therefore, he preserved the head, when, with his body opposed to the persecutors, he did not deny Christ.

Let us joyfully celebrate the sincerity of devotion.

<...> let us celebrate the sincerity of devotion with keen and joyful hearts, brothers! Let it be sufficient for us! Do not pursue the martyrs with chalices, whom the pagans pursued with stones! I see this place filled with alacrity by your gathering, thanks be to God. Are we not eating now? Do not question your stomachs, but your minds! Are we not drinking now? Our food and drink should be for the inner man. For the external weighs down the internal, thus the Lord said: Let not your hearts be weighed down with carousing and drunkenness, for drunkenness fills the bodies and weighs down the hearts. How much must we avoid this when we celebrate the birthdays of the martyrs! For indeed, that they might attain those crowns, they despised such things, and now those very things are to be desired and celebrated when they choose to celebrate their solemnities. For if we love the martyrs, let us follow the footsteps of the martyrs! Imitate whom you love: this is the fruit of love, the trace of imitation.