Homily | 16 September 2025

Reflection on today’s Readings – Sts. Cornelius & Cyprian
Sts. Cornelius, Pope, who died in exile and Cyprian, bishop of Cartage, were both martyred in the middle of the third century, during times of great persecution. They are presented to us as witnesses to the peoples of their time to faith in Jesus.

The author(s) of the Pastoral Letters in the name of St. Paul may not have been experiencing persecution but we really do have to wonder what was going on in the early church houses (communities). Why would he have to spell out in so much detail the job description of a good Christian leader? We may not know the precise reasons, but we can apply the principle to ourselves today.

What would the job description of a good Christian leader in our world today look like. What do we want of our Pope, bishops, pastors, teachers, chaplains and so on, so that they may be true examples of Christian leadership.

We could put it another way. What would you want your epitaph to say about you?

Our gospel passage from Luke, with echoes of Elijah raising the widow’s son, is part of Luke’s portrait of Jesus as prophet par excellence. Prophetic gesture spoke far louder and with greater penetration than any words could. The acclamation of the people says it all, “A great prophet has appeared among us, God has visited his people.” (JB translation)

Can the people say of us who minister in so many wonderful ways in our Church today, “He really is a good man/priest/brother, he helps me to see God present in my life.

We do not have to be martyrs like Cornelius and Cyprian, but surely we can strive to be prophetic witnesses to Jesus by our way of living.