The rising sun and the waning moon enlightened the world; but to you, He who made the sun and moon was a greater light in your dungeon, and the brightness of Christ glowing in your hearts and minds, irradiated with that eternal and brilliant light the gloom of the place of punishment, which to others was so horrible and deadly.<\/p>\n
The winter has passed through the vicissitudes of the months; but you, shut up in prison, were undergoing, instead of the inclemencies of winter, the winter of persecution. To the winter succeeded the mildness of spring, rejoicing with roses and crowned with flowers; but to you were present roses and flowers from the delights of paradise, and celestial garlands wreathed your brows. Behold, the summer is fruitful with the fertility of the harvest, and the threshing-floor is filled with grain; but you who have sown glory, reap the fruit of glory, and, placed in the Lord\u2019s threshing-floor, behold the chaff burnt up with unquenchable fire; you yourselves as grains of wheat, winnowed and precious corn, now purged and garnered, regard the dwelling-place of a prison as your granary. Nor is there wanting to the autumn spiritual grace for discharging the duties of the season. The vintage is pressed out of doors, and the grape which shall hereafter flow into the cups is trodden in the presses. You, rich bunches out of the Lord\u2019s vineyard, and branches with fruit already ripe, trodden by the tribulation of worldly pressure, fill your wine-press in the torturing prison, and shed your blood instead of wine; brave to bear suffering, you willingly drink the cup of martyrdom.<\/p>\n
Thus the year rolls on with the Lord\u2019s servants,\u2014thus is celebrated the vicissitude of the seasons with spiritual deserts, and with celestial rewards.
\n— Epistle XV<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The rising sun and the waning moon enlightened the world; but to you, He who made the sun and moon was a greater light in your dungeon, and the brightness of Christ glowing in your hearts and minds, irradiated with that eternal and brilliant light the gloom of the place of punishment, which to others was so horrible and deadly. The winter has passed through the vicissitudes of the months; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[74],"class_list":["post-1125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyprian","tag-four-seasons-of-the-soul"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/the-sower-vincent-van-gogh-kroller-muller-museum.jpg?fit=751%2C600&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1121,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/cyprian-on-regeneration\/","url_meta":{"origin":1125,"position":0},"title":"Cyprian On Regeneration","author":"Nemo","date":"March 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"As the sun shines spontaneously, as the day gives light, as the fountain flows, as the shower yields moisture, so does the heavenly Spirit infuse itself into us. When the soul, in its gaze into heaven, has recognised its Author, it rises higher than the sun, and far transcends all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cyprian"","block_context":{"text":"Cyprian","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/cyprian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1129,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/cyprian-on-the-glory-of-a-martyr\/","url_meta":{"origin":1125,"position":1},"title":"Cyprian On the Glory of a Martyr","author":"Nemo","date":"March 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"For nineteen days, shut up in the close guard of a dungeon, he was racked and in irons; but although his body was laid in chains, his spirit remained free and at liberty. His flesh wasted away by the long endurance of hunger and thirst; but God fed his soul,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cyprian"","block_context":{"text":"Cyprian","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/cyprian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1152,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/cyprian-on-the-unity-of-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":1125,"position":2},"title":"Cyprian: On the Unity of the Church","author":"Nemo","date":"April 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The episcopate is one, each part of which is held by each one for the whole. 3115 The Church also is one, which is spread abroad far and wide into a multitude by an increase of fruitfulness. As there are many rays of the sun, but one light; and many\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cyprian"","block_context":{"text":"Cyprian","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/cyprian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1158,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/cyprian-on-the-lords-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":1125,"position":3},"title":"Cyprian: On the Lord’s Prayer","author":"Nemo","date":"April 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Prayer and Alms Moreover, those who pray should not come to God with fruitless or naked prayers. Petition is ineffectual when it is a barren entreaty that beseeches God. For as every tree that bringeth not forth fruit is cut down and cast into the fire; assuredly also, words that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cyprian"","block_context":{"text":"Cyprian","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/cyprian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1141,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/cyprian-on-the-sacrament-of-the-cup\/","url_meta":{"origin":1125,"position":4},"title":"Cyprian on the Sacrament of the Cup","author":"Nemo","date":"March 26, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"For because Christ bore us all, in that He also bore our sins, we see that in the water is understood the people, but in the wine is showed the blood of Christ. 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