From: richarra@gmail.com   
      
   June 3rd - St. Cecilius of Carthage (RM)   
    (Also known as Caecilius, Caecilian)   
      
   3rd century. Caecilius, a priest of Carthage, brought Saint Cyprian to faith   
   in   
   Christ. Saint Cyprian for his part never ceased to revere Caecilius's name,   
   adding it to his own. On Caecilius's death, Cyprian took charge of the wife   
   and   
   children of the deceased saint. Baronius and other historians believe that   
   this   
   Caecilius is to be identified with the one who was a friend of two other   
   Africans, Octavius, a philosopher, and Marcus Minutius Felix, a lawyer. Both   
   were Africans of the same period and profession, and Saint Cyprian borrows   
   many   
   things from the dialogue below, which he probably received from Cecilius.   
      
   Caecilius, Octavius, and Marcus Minutius Felix were all learned men and   
   close   
   friends. In his old age Octavius converted to Christianity and turned his   
   back   
   on worldly preferences. He did all within his power to bring the other two   
   to   
   faith in Christ. First, Marcus joined in his joy. Finally, after much   
   resistance   
   and many prayers, Caecilius, too, embraced Christianity.   
      
   This last happened while the three were vacationing together at the sea. As   
   they   
   walked together through the town, Caecilius venerated a statue of the god   
   Serapis by touching his hand to his lips and kissing it. The two Christians   
   were   
   appalled at this act of idolatry and ashamed that they had not already won   
   their   
   friend over to Christ but had allowed him to remain in ignorance. Of course,   
   Caecilius bristled at being accused of ignorance and challenged Octavius to   
   debate the subject.   
      
   Immediately the three sat down on the nearby rocks that provided shelter for   
   the   
   baths. Marcus was to take the role of arbitrator. Among Caecilius's   
   arguments   
   against Christianity were that its followers were the poor, the ignorant,   
   and   
   slaves who were subject to the "idolators" who ruled the prosperous empire.   
   He   
   noted that Christians suffer with seeming pleasure; a most content, pitiful,   
   ragged tribe, who skulk about in holes without a word to say for themselves,   
   and   
   only chant in corners about a resurrection, and the joys of another world.   
   He   
   railed against the resurrection of the body: which was a great   
   stumbling-block   
   to the ancient philosophers, as appears from the writings of Athenagoras,   
   Tertullian, Origen, and other Christian apologists. Caecilius felt that his   
   arguments were persuasive.   
      
   He then moved on to the calumnies often repeated. He loudly objected to the   
   nocturnal assemblies of Christians, their solemn fasts, inhuman banquets and   
   crimes perpetrated under the name of religion. Caecilius charged: "I hear   
   that   
   they adore the head of an ass, the knees of their bishop or priest, and a   
   man   
   who was punished for his crimes, and the cursed wood of the cross." He   
   ridiculed   
   Christians for despising ornaments and ostentation, for abstaining from   
   lawful   
   pleasures (public shows, pomp, banquets), and for reserving perfumes for   
   their   
   dead.   
      
   In response Octavius pointed to the divine providence governing human   
   affairs as   
   evident in the order, beauty, and design of nature. He argued: "Should you   
   chance to come into a house and see all the rooms exquisitely furnished, and   
   kept in great order, you would make no dispute but such a house is under the   
   care and inspection of a master who is preferable to all the furniture.   
   Thus,   
   when you cast your eyes upon heaven and earth, and behold the admirable   
   order   
   and economy of things, can you question whether there is a Lord of the   
   universe,   
   and that he is more glorious than the stars, and more to be admired than all   
   the   
   works of his hands?"   
      
   From providence Octavius proceeded to prove the unity and eternity of God,   
   the   
   absurdity of polytheism, and the folly of the oracles. "Most of you know   
   very   
   well that the demons are forced to confess against themselves, as often as   
   we   
   rack them into confession by bare words only, and force them out of the   
   bodies   
   they possess, by such tormenting speeches as they cannot bear. You may well   
   be   
   assured they would never frame lies to their own shame, especially in the   
   presence of you who adore them. Take their word then, and believe them to be   
   devils, when you have it from their own mouths. For when we abjure them by   
   the   
   one living God, the wretches tremble, and either depart forthwith from the   
   bodies they possess, or vanish by degrees, according to the faith of the   
   patient, or the grace of the physician."   
      
   Octavius next dealt with the calumnies, which he showed were gross   
   misunderstandings of Christian doctrines or practices. As to the old calumny   
   of   
   Christians' worshipping an ass's head-a prejudice formerly imputed to the   
   Jews   
   as evidenced by Josephus in his books against Appion-Octavius contented   
   himself   
   with denying the groundless charge. He explained the senseless slander that   
   Christians adored the knees of the bishop by explaining that they knelt   
   before   
   him to receive his absolution or blessing.   
      
   He confuted the charge of incest by pointing to the purity of Christian   
   morals   
   and the many who vow chastity. He pointed to the immorality of pagan worship   
   that placed Priapus among her divinities, offered sacrifice to Venus the   
   prostitute, and celebrated the festivals of Bona Dea and others with   
   abominations and lewdness. He reminded Caecilius that Christians would not   
   even   
   see men justly put to death, or assist at public executions, and that they   
   refrained from eating blood-which is far from the calumny that they feed on   
   the   
   flesh of children.   
      
   He continued by highlighting the sacredness of Christian marriage, the   
   immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the dead. In answer to the   
   charge   
   that Christians embrace poverty and simplicity, Octavius said: "Who can be   
   said   
   to be poor who finds himself in no want? He rather is the poor wretch who is   
   necessitous in the midst of plenty. Here no man can be poorer than he came   
   into   
   the world. The Christian art of possessing all things is, by desiring   
   nothing.   
   As a traveler, the lighter he is, the easier he finds himself; so in this   
   journey of life, he is happier who is lightened by poverty, than he who   
   groans   
   under a load of riches.  Innocence is the top of our desire; and patience   
   the   
   thing we beg for. Calamity is the school of virtue. How beautiful a   
   spectacle in   
   the sight of God is a Christian entering the lists with affliction, and with   
   a   
   noble constancy the menaces, racks, and tortures! When, like a conqueror, he   
   triumphs over the judge that condemns him! For he is certainly victorious   
   who   
   obtains what he fights for."   
      
   Octavius concluded by stating that Christianity consists in practice, not in   
   pompous words. "We do not look big, nor do we talk great things, but we live   
   in   
   them."   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)