St. Cyril of Alexandria*

-
St. Cyril of Alexandria was born in the last quarter of the fourth century (probably A.D. 376) in a suburb of Alexandria, Egypt. His uncle, Theophilus, was the archbishop of that city and ordained Cyril to the priesthood. And, from A.D. 403, when he participated in the synod that deposed St. John Chrysostom, he remained in the public eye until he passed on to his eternal reward in A.D. 444.

The historical record has shown St. Cyril in both critical and benevolent lights. Some patristics scholars and Church historians remember him as the forceful young priest and theologian who maintained and overt bias against St. John Chrysostom. Some remember him as an archbishop characterized by a "forcefulness that at times became overbearing." Some remember him as the cleric who closed Novation churches in Alexandria and "drove all the Jews" from that same place." Most remember him as the primary actor in the drama that emerged between the Catholic Church and Nestorius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, in the 420s and 430s. Many fewer remember him as the pastor who wrote that he loved peace above all things; who desired to have Nestorius reconciled to the Church; and who grew "more mellow and prudent" with age.

Regardless of the image he has garnered over the past fifteen and one-half centuries, there are two things of which readers of St. Cyril's letters and sermons can be sure. The first is that the Faith--the teachings of the Catholic Church--were of the utmost importance in his personal and professional life. "I am ready to endure with tranquillity all blame, all humiliations, all injuries, provided that the Faith is not endangered." He continued in the same letter: "when the Faith is attacked, we must not hesitate to sacrifice our life itself...."

The second thing that is abundantly clear is St. Cyril's devout belief in the Incarnation of the Son of God. Unending devotion to that sacred mystery led to his primary role in the defense of the Church's teaching about Mary as Theotokos (God-bearer in Greek). It also created within this would-be Doctor of the Church, a special appreciation for the Eucharist.

With brevity and clarity, St. Cyril penned words that still reverberate in the minds and hearts of faithful Christians throughout the centuries. Using a metaphor, he portrayed a profound image: "If into melted wax other wax is poured, the two are certain to get thoroughly mixed, on with the other. In the same way, he who received the Body and Blood of the Lord is so united with Him that he is in Christ and Christ in him." In thanksgiving for the great gift of Christ's sacrifice made present at the altar, Cyril wrote: "O tremendous mystery, O ineffable decision of the divine counsel, O humility which the mind cannot comprehend! O goodness that cannot be investigated! The maker offers Himself to the good pleasure of His work. Life Itself gives Itself to mortals to eat and drink."

Finally, those who wish to understand St. Cyril's zeal in defense of Christ's humanity as well as his thanksgiving for the gift of the Eucharist need only read the following passage. Through his words, readers understand perfectly that humanity could not have been redeemed if Christ were anything other than fully human and fully divine at the same time.

"Only if it is one and the same Christ who is consubstantial with the Father and with men can he save us, for the meeting ground between God and man is the flesh of Christ. Only if this is God's own flesh can man come into contact with Christ's divinity through his humanity. Because of our kinship with the Word made flesh we are sons of God. The Eucharist consummates our kinship with the word, our communion with the Father, our sharing in the divine nature--there is very real contact between our body and that of the Word."**

St. Cyril of Alexandria, pray for us.

God Bless.

* The preceeding post was written one year ago, while I maintained a different blog. It is reproduced identically.

** The passage quoted here is borrowed from the "Saint of the Day" article on American Catholic.org. All other quotes and ideas are borrowed from the chapter on St. Cyril of Alexandria in Fr. Christopher Rengers' book, The 33 Doctors of the Church. The photograph is borrowed from a short bio of St. Cyril at The Crossroads Initiative.

Popular posts from this blog

Learning Virtue from St. Martin de Porres

-
Image
[This post appeared originally on my full site, which is now no longer in operation, in November 2012.] It seems that more should be written about a saint from whom we can learn so many lessons in virtue.  Yet that is not the case with St. Martin de Porres, from whom we have much to learn about humility, detachment, fasting, justice, and charity.  The website of the St. Martin de Porres Shrine and Institute (located in my own diocese; a wonderful initiative with a beautiful chapel) offers a mere four paragraphs of biographical information, while other sites ( here , here , and here ) devote no more than 10 sentences to this exemplar of heroic virtue.  Surely, Brother Martin, who was so humble in this life, finds that to be a fitting scenario even after his death. From the very earliest days of his life, he embraced his lowly situation.  He desired to do nothing more than glorify the Creator by serving creatures.  He reached out to slaves, orphan...
Read more

St. Cyril of Jerusalem on the Eucharist

-
Image
Although the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist was not the first thing that convinced me I needed to become Catholic, it was of prime importance in my journey home. Now that I am home, the Eucharist is what sustains and strengthens me on my perpetual search for holiness. Indeed, it is the "source and summit" of my Christian life. Thus, I always enjoy taking time to read what Christians in the first centuries had to say about "the breaking of the bread." My findings are such: there is clear evidence that, from the time Christ instituted the Eucharistic meal on Holy Thursday, Christians believed Christ's body, blood, soul, and divinity to be TRULY present. They never considered that it might be "just a symbol." Only within the last five centuries has the "just a symbol" argument taken form, no doubt to the detriment of the true Faith and otherwise faithful Christians. To prove my argument, I have provided two quotes from St. Cyril of Jer...
Read more

Gratitude: Foundation of Our Spiritual Growth

-
Image
Gratitude is not simply a quaint idea to which we should tip our caps during a few short weeks in November each fall.  It is important that we move beyond a trite understanding and application, and come to understand the real place of gratitude in the spiritual life.  It is nothing less than a virtue and disposition that is at the foundation of our potential spiritual growth.  (In a corresponding way, its absence is at the “foundation” of spiritual stagnation.) Before we ever begin to speak of spiritual realities, gratitude simply helps us to get by more efficiently, effectively, and happily than the opposite alternative.  Grateful people grow and flourish, even in the midst of difficult circumstances, in ways that ungrateful people do not.  Still, we must resist the temptation to deal with gratitude simply on the natural level.  We must bring these principles to the supernatural level and grasp them there. We must come to understand that gratitude...
Read more