St. Cyprian

The worldwide pandemic caught us by surprise. We thought epidemics were a thing of the past with modern medicine at our disposal to save us. The myth of our invincibility has now been exposed.  A deadly plague decimated the Roman Empire from 248-262AD. St. Cyprian (210–258) was a church bishop in the city of Carthage (modern Tunisia) during the outbreak. While prevailing religions of the empire insisted plagues were the result of angry gods upset with human choices, Cyprian refused to speculate in sermons on why God would allow such devastating sickness. Instead, he urged Christians to do something about it. While victims of the plague were left in the streets to receive their fate, Cyprian called on the church to mobilize care for the sick and offered a stark counterpoint to the fault-finding approach of religious rivals. He implored the flock to show mercy to strangers and persecutors alike, regardless of the cost to themselves.  No one in Carthage had ever seen such an outpouring of compassion. When the plague lifted, many who witnessed the courage of Christian compassion became believers.  Emperor Valerian, in an effort to appease the deities during the plague, issued a decree requiring everyone to offer sacrifice to the imperial gods. Cyprian refused to do so, culminating in his arrest and execution.  His resolve to remain true to Christ at his public trial won the admiration of a watching world.  You can hear Cyprian’s plea in today’s prayer for believers to remain faithful in times of persecution and plague: