Unity in God's Mercy

“I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you…Do this in remembrance of me.”

When St. Paul uses phrases like, “I received,” something being “handed on,” this kind of language is invocative of a tradition. A tradition is something that is handed down. In fact, we get the word “tradition” from the Latin “tradere,” which means “to hand down” or “hand over.” And one thing that has been handed down in our faith is the celebration of these two martyrs, St. Cyprian bishop of Carthage and Pope St. Cornelius. These two figures are celebrated together not only because they died in the same persecution, but they both defended the same doctrine of the Church, handed on by the Apostles.

They lived in the early 200s, an age of persecution by the emperor Decius. Many heroes of the faith came out of that age, but not everyone was so valiant in upholding the faith. So, when Decius died and the persecution ended, the Church had an issue on her hands: what exactly should we do about those people who lapsed, who forfeited the faith for their lives? And so, the leading heresy at the time claimed that the Church had no authority to re-admit such people. And not only could the Church not re-admit the lapsed, but these heretics even claimed that the Church could not reconcile with those who committed other serious sins like adultery and murder.

But that is what Ss. Cornelius and Cyprian fought for. They defended the Church’s authority to bind and to loose all sins, even the rejection of the faith. They defended the claim that there is no sin too big for God to forgive. And so, the two ancient enemies of Carthage and Rome were reconciled and united under the one banner of God’s infinite divine mercy. And what a great gift that is.

When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the death of the Lord Jesus, the death that reconciles all of us sinners, regardless of what our past looks like. If Confession is something that’s been on your heart for a while, this is your invitation to reach out; this is your encouragement that, despite how cheesy it sounds, there really is no sin too big for the Lord Jesus. After all, he loves you this much [stretch arms out cruciform]. If you don’t believe me, look no further than the death of these two martyrs. Their deaths confirm that conviction.

Come to the Sacrament of Confession. And from there, I hope to see you join us here at this altar, where we not only call to mind Christ’s sacrifice for us, but where we truly make it present. Entrust yourself to the infinite, that divine mercy.