September 16
St Cornelius, Pope, and St Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
Wednesday, week 24 in Ordinary Time
Africa : St Cyprian, bishop and martyr
St Cornelius, Pope, and St Cyprian, Bishop, are commemorated together as martyrs who guided the Church through one of its most turbulent eras in the mid-third century. Cornelius served as Bishop of Rome, and Cyprian led the Christian community in Carthage; both faced the brutal persecution initiated by the Emperor Decius, which demanded Christians renounce their faith or suffer severe punishment. Cornelius is remembered for his pastoral compassion, particularly during the controversy over Christians who had lapsed during persecution—he advocated for reconciliation after suitable penance. Cyprian, a distinguished theologian and writer, supported Cornelius and became an eloquent defender of the unity and discipline of the Church. Both leaders paid with their lives for their refusal to compromise the faith: Cornelius died in exile around 253 AD, while Cyprian was executed by sword in Carthage a few years later. Their friendship and correspondence testify to a bond grounded in shared love for Christ and the Church, offering a model of resolute yet merciful leadership. Their joint feast highlights the values of unity, forgiveness, and the willingness to bear witness to Christ at all costs.
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- Africa — St Cyprian, bishop and martyr
The liturgical day
Mass readings
Reading1 Co 12, 31 – 13, 13
Brothers,
strive eagerly for the greatest gifts.
And now, I will show you the most excellent way.
I may speak all the languages
of men and of angels,
but if I do not have charity, if I lack love,
I am only a sounding brass,
a clanging cymbal.
I may be a prophet,
have full knowledge of mysteries
and all knowledge of God,
I may have all faith
to move mountains,
but if I lack love,
I am nothing.
I may give away all my possessions to the hungry,
I may even surrender my body to be burned,
but if I lack love,
it profits me nothing.
Love is patient;
love is kind;
love is not jealous;
it does not boast, it is not proud;
it does nothing improper;
it does not seek its own interest;
it is not quick to anger;
it keeps no record of wrongs;
it does not delight in injustice,
but finds joy in the truth;
it bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
Prophecies will cease,
the gift of tongues will end,
desiring knowledge shall pass away.
Indeed, our knowledge is partial,
our prophecies are partial.
When perfection comes,
what is partial will pass away.
When I was a child,
I spoke as a child,
I thought as a child,
I reasoned as a child.
Now that I have become a man,
I have put away childish things.
Now we see indistinctly,
like in a mirror;
on that day, we will see face to face.
At present, my knowledge is partial;
on that day, I shall know fully,
as I have been fully known.
What remains today,
is faith, hope, and charity;
but the greatest of the three,
is charity.
– The word of the Lord.
PsalmPs 32 (33), 2-3, 4-5, 12.22
Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre,
play for him on the ten-stringed harp.
Sing to him a new song,
play skillfully with a joyful shout.
Yes, the word of the Lord is upright;
he is faithful in all he does.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is filled with his love.
Blessed the people whose God is the Lord,
blessed the nation he has chosen as his own!
Let your love, Lord, be upon us
as our hope is in you!
GospelLc 7, 31-35
At that time,
Jesus said to the crowd:
“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation?
To what are they like?
They are like children sitting in the marketplace,
calling to each other and saying:
‘We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance.
We sang lamentations,
and you did not weep.’
John the Baptist has come, after all;
he does not eat bread nor drink wine,
and you say, ‘He is possessed!’
The Son of Man has come;
he eats and drinks,
and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But, through all her children,
the wisdom of God has been proven right.”
– Let us acclaim the Word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org