On Tuesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time our Church invites us to reflect on a Scripture passage from the book of Judges (6:1-6, 11-24a), entitled "The call of Gideon". Our treasure, which follows, is from a treatise on the Lord's Prayer by Saint Cyprian, bishop and martyr.
Cyprian is important in the development of Christian thought and practice in the third century, especially in northern Africa. Highly educated and a famous orator, he became a Christian as an adult. He distributed his goods to the poor, and amazed his fellow citizens by making a vow of chastity before his baptism. Within two years he had been ordained a priest and was chosen, against his will, as Bishop of Carthage. Cyprian complained that the peace the Church had enjoyed had weakened the spirit of many Christians and had opened the door to converts who did not have the true spirit of faith. When the Decian persecution began, many Christians easily abandoned the Church. It was their reinstatement that caused the great controversies of the third century, and helped the Church progress in its understanding of the Sacrament of Penance. Cyprian was a mixture of kindness and courage, vigor and steadiness. He was cheerful and serious, so that people did not know whether to love or respect him more. He waxed warm during the baptismal controversy; his feelings must have concerned him, for it was at this time that he wrote his treatise on patience. Saint Augustine remarks that Cyprian atoned for his anger by his glorious martyrdom. Saint Cyprian's "On the Lord's Prayer" is a Christian treatise that explores the meaning of the Lord's Prayer, also known as the Pater Noster. Cyprian offers a detailed examination of each petition, providing reflections and theological insights to help understand the prayer's significance in Christian life and prayer. Cyprian analyzes each phrase and clause of the Lord's Prayer, explaining its meaning and implications.
Cyprian's work was influential in shaping Christian liturgy and devotional practices, with many later Christian leaders, including Augustine, drawing inspiration from his commentary. Cyprian places the Lord's Prayer within the context of Jesus' teachings on Christian life and faith.
The Hebrew word translated "Judges" in the English title of the book refers not to specialized judicial officers or magistrates but to leaders in general. According to the biblical narrative these judges led Israel from the end of the conquest of Canaan until the beginning of the monarchy. The period of the Judges, therefore, extended from the death of Joshua until the installation of Saul as Israel's first king by the prophet Samuel, who was also the last judge.
The main part of the book consists of a series of stories about thirteen leaders whose careers are described in greater or lesser detail. The exploits of six of these—Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson—are related at length, and all are shown to have delivered Israel from oppression or danger.
The final section of the book consists of two episodes, one about the migration of the tribe of Dan and the other about an intertribal war directed against the tribe of Benjamin. These stories illustrate the religious and political disorder that prevailed at the time when, as yet, "there was no king in Israel".
