After the martyrdom of St. Pope Fabian in the year 250, the See of Peter was vacant for 14 months due to the persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Decius. Cornelius assumed the papacy reluctantly because he knew that it was most certainly a death sentence. The Church was still relatively small, only about 50,000 Christians and less than 50 priests, but Pope Cornelius had to deal with big problems, namely a schismatic antipope in North Africa and deciding what to do with the Christians who had apostatized during the persecutions. Before his exile and martyrdom two years after taking the Chair of Peter, he showed the extent of papal authority by excommunicating the schismatics and ruling that apostates could be readmitted after appropriate repentance.
CHALLENGE
Though St. Pope Cornelius knew the hazards of taking on the role God had asked of him, he said “yes” and in the end he served as a pivotal figure in the life of the Church. We don’t know what pivotal role we each are destined to play in the living history of the Church, but God knows. Today, prayerfully consider: What is God asking you to do for him? Will you say “yes”?
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