St Cyprian of Carthage, on the Will of God

Saint Cyprian of Carthage offers this brief and clear text on what constitutes the will of God the Father. When I was in college taking a course in Patristic Latin, Father Placid O.Cist., often extolled the reserved beauty of St Cyprian’s Latin prose. His style reflects the “reserve in speaking» he mentions in the passage below.. The excerpt is from the reading that occurs every year in the Liturgy of the Hours, Wednesday, XI week in Ordinary time. This text is like an old friend that appears just in time to keep us centered. I include English and Spanish translations of the Latin text below.

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Ex Tractátu sancti Cypriáni epíscopi et mártyris De domínica oratióne (N. 15):
Volúntas autem Dei est quam Christus et fecit et dócuit. Humílitas in conversatióne, stabílitas in fide, verecúndia in verbis, in factis iustítia, in opéribus misericórdia, in móribus disciplína, iniúriam fácere non posse et factam posse toleráre, cum frátribus pacem tenére, Dóminum toto corde dilígere, amáre in illo quod Pater est, timére quod Deus est, Christo nihil omníno præpónere, quia nec nobis quicquam ille præpósuit, caritáti eius inseparabíliter adhærére, cruci eius fórtiter ac fidénter assístere, quando de eius nómine et honóre certámen est, exhibére in sermóne constántiam qua confitémur, in quæstióne fidúciam qua congrédimur, in morte patiéntiam qua coronámur: hoc est coherédem Christi velle esse, hoc est præcéptum Dei fácere, hoc est voluntátem Patris implore.

From the Treatise of St Cyprian of Carthage, bishop and martyr, on the Lord’s Prayer, no. 15:
«All Christ did, all he taught, was the will of God. Humility in our daily lives, an unwavering faith, a sense of modesty in conduct, reserve in speaking, justice in our acts, mercy in our deeds, discipline in our habits, refusal to harm others, a readiness to suffer harm, peaceableness with our brothers, a whole-hearted love of the Lord, loving him because he is Father, fearing him because he is God; preferring nothing to Christ who preferred nothing to us, clinging tenaciously to his love, standing by his cross with loyalty and courage whenever there is any conflict involving his honor and his name, manifesting in our speech the constancy of our profession and under torture confidence for the fight, and in dying the endurance for which we will be crowned — this is what it means to wish to be coheir with Christ, to keep God’s command; this is what it means to do the will of the Father.»+++

Del tratado de san Cipriano, obispo y mártir, sobre el Padre Nuestro
Cap 15:
La voluntad de Dios es la que Cristo cumplió y enseñó. La humildad en la conducta, la firmeza en la fe, reserva en el modo de hablar, la rectitud en las acciones, la misericordia en las obras, la moderación en las costumbres; el no hacer agravio a los demás y tolerar los que nos hacen a nosotros, el conservar la paz con nuestros hermanos; el amar al Señor de todo corazón, amarlo en cuanto Padre, temerlo en cuanto Dios; el no anteponer nada a Cristo, ya que él nada antepuso a nosotros; el mantenernos inseparablemente unidos a su amor, el estar junto a su cruz con fortaleza y confianza; y, cuando está en juego su nombre y su honor, el mostrar en nuestras palabras la constancia de la fe que profesamos; en los tormentos, la confianza con que luchamos y, en la muerte, la paciencia que nos obtiene la corona. Esto es querer ser coherederos de Cristo, esto es cumplir el precepto de Dios y la voluntad del Padre.