CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

SAINTS CORNELIUS, POPE, AND CYPRIAN, BISHOP, MARTYRS  

1 Tim 3:1-13; Ps 101:1-3,5,6; Lk 7:11-17

The Cross of Leadership

From the consideration and celebration of the exaltation of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s unique participation in the cross of her Son. We come down to the various ways we participate in the same cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. By his passion and death, our Lord purchased or redeemed us from the enslavement of sin and evil. Hence, the course of discipleship is a gradual transformation of our minds, hearts, and wills into those of Jesus Christ. In this sense, we understand conversion as an ongoing process in our Christian life. The Lord brings about the transformation in us through our spiritual attention on his person. We gradually grow in the Spirit of Christ by filling our minds with the message of the Gospel, contemplating it when our minds are not actively engaged in our daily activities. We do these activities to please him, who loves us and gave his life for us. We do all these in communion with the Holy Spirit, who is ever present with us. The continual focusing of our minds, hearts, and wills on Jesus Christ is essential for our growth and maturity in the Christian life. Spiritual maturity is necessary for us to make our Lord present in our situations and play various roles in the household of God, the Church.

Saint Paul talks about these leadership roles in the Church in his letter to Timothy. We see these requirements outlined in his letter for someone desiring to be a presiding elder or a president. “To want to be a presiding elder is to want to do a noble work. That is why the president must have an impeccable character. He must not have been married more than once, and he must be temperate, discreet and courteous, hospitable and a good teacher; not a heavy drinker, nor hot-tempered, but kind and peaceable. He must not be a lover of money.” In the context of the Church, and within our spiritual life and journey, our desires are not personal to us. But every desire must be tested to be in line with what God wants of us. As we stated above, he purchased us to do his will, not to do our personal desires. If every one of our desires must be conformed to the will of God for us, more so the desire to be a priest or president. Since the Church has no access to our inner forum, the way to discern whether our desire to be a president is in conformity with God’s will is to consider the fruit of our lives. The process follows the words of our Lord, that we know a tree by its fruit. To see the presence of Jesus Christ in the one who desires to be a president, Saint Paul invites us to look at the person’s life. Does he have an impeccable character? In other words, to what degree does he make the Son of Man present among his people? “He must be a man who manages his own family well and brings his children up to obey him and be well-behaved: how can any man who does not understand how to manage his own family have responsibility for the church of God?

The Gospel demonstrates the character of the Son of Man, which is most needed in the priest or president, that is, compassion. The compassion of the Son of God made him take our human nature to share our conditions and thereby redeem us from sin and death. The Lord’s compassion is demonstrated in his attention to the needs of the widow of Nain. “When he was near the gate of the town it happened that a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of the townspeople were with her. When the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her. ‘Do not cry’ he said.” The Lord worked a miracle for her and raised her son from the dead. We are to share the pain and joy of the people of God daily. We find the same compassion in Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, whom we celebrate today. They lived in the third century. Cornelius was consecrated the bishop of the church in Rome in the year 251. The date of his birth is unknown. He fought against the Novatian schismatics and established the papal authority with the aid of Cyprian. The emperor Gallus sent him into exile, and he died at Civitavecchia in 253. Cyprian was born in Carthage and spent most of his life as a lawyer. He converted to Christianity and became the bishop of Carthage in 249. His character and learning helped the church in the troubled time of persecution under Emperor Decius.  He was executed in 258 by Emperor Valerian. His treatises and letters are very valuable for understanding the Church’s early struggles.  

Let us pray: O God, who gave Saints Cornelius and Cyprian to your people as diligent shepherds and valiant Martyrs, grant that through their intercession we may be strengthened in faith and constancy and spend ourselves without reserve for the unity of the Church. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.