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Saint Cyprian writes:
"Divine Providence has now prepared us. God's merciful design has warned us that the day of our own struggle, our own contest, is at hand.
"By that shared love which binds us close together, we are doing all we can to exhort our congregation, to give ourselves unceasingly to fastings, vigils and prayers in common.
"These are the heavenly weapons which give us the strength to stand firm and endure; they are the spiritual defences, the God-given armaments that protect us. Let us then remember one another, united in mind and heart.
"Let us pray without ceasing, you for us, we for you; by the love we share we shall thus relieve the strain of these great trials."
