Saint Cyrpian

Sermon preached at Sung Mass on Spetember 13, 2006
Year 2, Proper 18, Wednesday, Daily Mass: Psalm 47, 1 Corinthians 7:25-31; Luke 6:20-26

Today we celebrate the feast day of Saint Cyrpian, Bishop of Carthage and martyr. Cyprian is remembered for being very popular among the poor of Carthage. He had been a wealthy pagan before his baptism and when he was converted he gave much of his money to the poor. He is also remembered for weighing on on the issues of his day in a way that was not heavy handed.

Cyrian lived in the middle of the 3rd century at a time when the Church was hashing out and fighting over many internal issues - when isn't the church hashing out and fighting over many internal issues. Two of these issues were the readmittance of lapsed Christians - Christians who had succumbed to official Roman pressure to worship the Romans gods - and the validity of Baptism by heretics.

Cyprian generally sided with the more narrow view on both of these issues, but not to an extreme. He welcomed lapsed Christians backed but he believed that they ought to be repentent of what they had done. In line with his most famous quote: "No salvation outside the Church", he felt that Baptism by a heretic was invalid because it was done outside the Church, yet he argued his position in a civil way and listened to other bishops in North Africa as well as throughout the church.

As we celebrate Saint Cyrpian we are reminded by today's Gospel that it is the people who make up the church. In our dealings with other Christians let our convictions over any issue not get in the way of remembering that all who confess Christ are members of the Body of Christ.