An edifying life proves the preacher sincere

St. Spiridion – AD 348 …The bishops of Cyprus being on a certain occasion assembled together, Triphillius, Bishop of Ledri was engaged to preach a sermon; and mentioning that passage, “Take up thy bedf and walk”, he made use of a word to express the sick man’s bed, which he though more elegant and beautiful than in the original text. Spiridion, full of resentment at this false nicety, and attempt to add ghraces to what was more adorned with simplicity, arose and asked whether the preacher know better the right term than the evangelist? Our Saint defended the cause of St Athanasius In the council of Sardica in 347 and shortly after passed to eternal bliss.

Sacred learning is necessary in a minister of the Church, but sanctity is not less necessary. Nothing is so eloquent or powerfully persuasive as example. A learned man may convince, but to convert souls is chiefly the privilege of those that are pious. There have been few ages in which polite literature has been cultivated with greater ardour than the present wherein we live. How many great orators, how many elegant writers have made their appearance in it! If these were all saints, what a reformation of manner should we see among the people!

It is sanctity that possesses the art of softening the heart and subduing all the powers of the soul. An edifying life proves the preacher sincere, and is alone a sermon which obstinacy itself will find it hard to hold out against; it stops the mouth of the enemies of truth and virtue. The life, vigour, and justice of a discourse are the fruit of wit, genius and study, but unction in words is produced only by the heart. A man must be animated with the spirit of God to speak powerfully on divine things; the conversion of hearts if the work of God. Butlers lives of the saints first published in 1759, a work of thirty years.Images show the relic of St Spiridion the right hand.