00:00Today, August 26, the church celebrates Saint Caesarius of Arles, great bishop and spiritual doctor of the 6th century.
00:14Caesarius was born around the year 470 in Burgundy, into a Christian family.
00:21At a very young age, he was drawn to the life of prayer and joined the famous monastery of Erinse, near Cannes.
00:30His fragile health and his desire to study then led him to Arles, where he became a priest, then quickly bishop in the year 502, at only 32 years old.
00:43His episcopate lasted 40 years. Césaire was one of the great pastors of his time.
00:50He governed his diocese with firmness and gentleness, attentive to the poor and the sick.
00:56He founded a women's monastery in Arles, which he entrusted to his sister Cesariah and which would become a radiant center of religious life.
01:09As bishop, Caesarius faced the challenges of his time, the barbarian invasions, the divisions in the church,
01:16and above all the spread of heresies, notably Arianism.
01:22He brought together several councils to defend the Catholic faith and establish rules of life for priests and monks.
01:32But what makes him particularly famous are his sermons.
01:36Today, more than 200 of them are preserved.
01:39These are simple, clear homilies, intended for the people.
01:44He speaks of charity, prayer, forgiveness, but also of vigilance in the face of sin and lukewarmness.
01:54His preaching is considered one of the greatest treasures of the ancient Christian West.
02:00A witness says that he never tired of teaching.
02:04Day and night he instructed his people by word and example.
02:11Césaire knew how to touch hearts with accessible words, close to everyday life.
02:19He died in Arles on August 26, 542.
02:24His reputation for holiness was immediate.
02:27The Church venerates him as a doctor of the faith and protector of bishops and preachers.
02:34Even today, Saint Caesarius invites us to love the word of God and to share it.
02:41Like him, everyone can be a witness of Christ, through their words and above all through the example of their life.
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