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Pope Benedict XVI- General Audiences |
General
Audience
On St. Cyprian
"His Book on the 'Our Father' Has Helped Me to Pray Better"
H.H. Benedict XVI
June 6, 2007
www.zenit.org
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 traveled 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.
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