Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 06-27-05, Optional, St. Cyril of Alexandria

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 06-27-05 | New American Bible

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June 27, 2005
Monday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Psalm: Monday 29

Reading I
Gn 18:16-33

Abraham and the men who had visited him by the Terebinth of Mamre
set out from there and looked down toward Sodom;
Abraham was walking with them, to see them on their way.
The LORD reflected: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
now that he is to become a great and populous nation,
and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him?
Indeed, I have singled him out
that he may direct his children and his household after him
to keep the way of the LORD
by doing what is right and just,
so that the LORD may carry into effect for Abraham
the promises he made about him."
Then the LORD said:
"The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,
and their sin so grave,
that I must go down and see whether or not their actions
fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.
I mean to find out."

While the two men walked on farther toward Sodom,
the LORD remained standing before Abraham.
Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said:
"Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?
Suppose there were fifty innocent people in the city;
would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it
for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it?
Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to make the innocent die with the guilty,
so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?"
The LORD replied,
"If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom,
I will spare the whole place for their sake."
Abraham spoke up again:
"See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord,
though I am but dust and ashes!
What if there are five less than fifty innocent people?
Will you destroy the whole city because of those five?"
He answered, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there."
But Abraham persisted, saying, "What if only forty are found there?"
He replied, "I will forbear doing it for the sake of forty."
Then Abraham said, "Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on.
What if only thirty are found there?"
He replied, "I will forbear doing it if I can find but thirty there."
Still Abraham went on,
"Since I have thus dared to speak to my Lord,
what if there are no more than twenty?"
He answered, "I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty."
But he still persisted:
"Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last time.
What if there are at least ten there?"
He replied, "For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it."

The LORD departed as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham,
and Abraham returned home.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 103:1b-2, 3-4, 8-9, 10-11

R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.

Gospel
Mt 8:18-22

When Jesus saw a crowd around him,
he gave orders to cross to the other shore.
A scribe approached and said to him,
"Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."
Another of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, let me go first and bury my father."
But Jesus answered him, "Follow me,
and let the dead bury their dead."

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St Cyril of Alexandria

Saint Cyril of Alexandria: Doctor of the Church

[Salvation]

From: Genesis 18:16-33


Abraham Intercedes For Sodom

---

[16] then the men set out from there, and they looked toward Sodom; and
Abraham went with them to set them on their way. [17] The Lord said, "Shall
I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, [18] seeing that Abraham shall
become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall
bless themselves by him? [19] No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge
his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by
doing righteousness and justice; so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what
he has promised him." [20] Then the Lord said, "Because the outcry again
Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, [21] I will go down
to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has
come to me; and if not, I will know."


[22] So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still
stood before the Lord. [23] Then Abraham drew near and said, "Wilt thou
indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? [24] Suppose there are fifty
righteous within the city; wilt thou then destroy the place and not spare it
for the fifty righteous who are in it? [25] Far be it from thee to do such a
thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as
the wicked! Far be that from thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do
right?" [26] And the Lord said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the
city, I will spare the whole place for their sake." [27] Abraham answered,
"Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust
and ashes. [28] Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Wilt thou
destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I will not destroy
it if I find forty-five there." [29] Again he spoke to him, and said,
"Suppose forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will
not do it." [30] Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will
speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it, if I
find thirty there." [31] He said, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak
to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of
twenty I will not destroy it." [32] Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be
angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there."
He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it." [33] And the Lord
went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned
to his place.

---

Commentary:


18:16-33. When interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham argues in terms
of collective responsibility, as understood in ancient times in Israel: the
entire people shared the same fate even though not all of them sinned, for
the sin some affected all. According to that way of looking at things, if
there were enough just people in the city (Abraham did not dare go below
ten) God would not have destroyed it. This way of thinking also shows how
the salvation of many (even if they are sinners) can come through the
faithfulness of a few, thereby preparing the way to see how the salvation of
all mankind is brought about by the obedience of one man alone, Jesus Christ.


The final outcome of this episode shows that, even though he destroys these
cities, God saves the righteous who live in them. God does not punish the
just man along with the sinner (as Abraham thought); a person is allowed to
perish or is saved depending on his personal behavior. This truth, which is
found in the Bible from the start, will be given special emphasis in the
teaching of the prophets, particularly Jeremiah and Ezekiel (cf. Jer
31:29-30; Ezek 18), who stress individual and personal responsibility before
God.

---

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

[Salvation]

From: Matthew 8:18-22


Demands for Following Christ

---

[18] Now when Jesus saw great crowds around Him, He gave orders to go
over to the other side. [19] And a scribe came up and said to Him,
"Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." [20] And Jesus said to
him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of
Man has nowhere to lay His head." [21] Another of the disciples said to
Him, "Lord let me first go and bury my father." [22] But Jesus said to
him, "Follow Me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

---

Commentary:


18-22. From the very outset of His messianic preaching, Jesus rarely
stays in the same place; He is always on the move. He "has nowhere to
lay His head" (Matthew 8:20). Anyone who desires to be with him has to
"follow Him". This phrase "following Jesus" has a very precise
meaning: it means being His disciple (cf. Matthew 19:28). Sometimes
the crowds "follow Him"; but Jesus' true disciples are those who
"follow Him" in a permanent way, that is, who keep on following Him:
being a "disciple of Jesus" and "following Him" amount to the same
thing. After our Lord's ascension, "following Him" means being a
Christian (cf. Acts 8:26). By the simple and sublime fact of Baptism,
every Christian is called, by a divine vocation, to be a full disciple
of our Lord, with all that that involves.


The evangelist here gives two specific cases of following Jesus. In
the case of the scribe our Lord explains what faith requires of a
person who realizes that he has been called; in the second case--that
of the man who has already said "yes" to Jesus--He reminds him of what
His commandment entails. The soldier who does not leave his position
on the battlefront to bury his father, but instead leaves that to those
in the rearguard, is doing his duty. If service to one's country makes
demands like that on a person, all the more reason for it to happen in
the service of Jesus Christ and His Church.


Following Christ, then, means we should make ourselves totally
available to Him; whatever sacrifice He asks of us we should make: the
call to follow Christ means staying up with Him, not falling behind; we
either follow Him or lose Him. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew
5-7) Jesus explained what following Him involves--a teaching which we
find summarized in even the most basic catechism of Christian doctrine:
a Christian is a man who believes in Jesus Christ--a faith he receives
at Baptism--and is duty bound to serve Him. Through prayer and
friendship with the Lord every Christian should try to discover the
demands which this service involves as far as he personally is
concerned.


20. "The Son of Man": this is one of the expressions used in the Old
Testament to refer to the Messiah. It appeared first in Daniel 7:14
and was used in Jewish writings in the time of Jesus. Until our Lord
began to preach it had not been understood in all its depth. The title
"the Son of man" did not fit in very well with Jewish hopes of an
earthly Messiah; this was why it was Jesus' favorite way of indicating
that He was the Messiah--thereby avoiding any tendency to encourage
Jewish nationalism. In the prophecy of Daniel just mentioned this
messianic title has a transcendental meaning; by using it Jesus was
able discreetly to proclaim that He was the Messiah and yet avoid
people interpreting His role in a political sense. After the
Resurrection the Apostles at last realized that "Son of Man" meant
nothing less than "Son of God".


22. "Leave the dead to bury their own dead": although this sounds very
harsh, it is a style of speaking which Jesus did sometimes use: here
the "dead" clearly refers to those whose interest is limited to
perishable things and who have no aspirations towards the things that
last forever.


"If Jesus forbade him," St. John Chrysostom comments, "it was not to
have us neglect the honor due to our parents, but to make us realize
that nothing is more important than the things of Heaven and that we
ought to cleave to these and not to put them off even for a little
while, though our engagements be ever so indispensable and pressing"
("Hom. on St. Matthew", 27).

---

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

[Salvation]

Monday, June 27, 2005
Feria

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Genesis 18:16-33 Psalm 103:1-4, 8-11 Matthew 8:18-22 God in his omnipotence could not give more, in His wisdom He knew not how to give more, in His riches He had not more to give, than the Eucharist. -- St Augustine

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Catholic Culture

Collect: Father, the bishop Cyril courageously taught that Mary was the Mother of God. May we who cherish this belief receive salvation through the incarnation of Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Recipes: » Greek Homestyle Chicken » Greek Salad Activities: » Teaching Your Child to Know God Prayers: » St. Cyril of Alexandria's Litany of Praise of the Mother of God

June 27, 2005 Optional Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop & doctor St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, one of the metropolitan sees of the Christian Church in the east, was one of the great defenders of the faith against the heresy of Nestorius who denied the oneness of person in Jesus Christ. At the Council of Ephesus in 431, over which he presided in the Pope's name, and at his instigation, it was defined that Christ, the Son of God, is at the same time God and man, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, His mother, is truly the Mother of God. St. Cyril died in 444. The Church venerates him as one of her great doctors. His commentary on the Gospel of St. John is one of the richest doctrinally of those left us by the Fathers of the Church. Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar the feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria was celebrated on February 9. St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Cyril is one of the great Greek fathers of the Church. He was chosen by divine Providence to be the shield and champion of the Church against Nestorius, who denied the unity of person in Christ. If this heresy had succeeded, Mary would not be called the Mother of God. Excepting Sts. Athanasius and Augustine, his equal as a defender of orthodoxy can hardly be found in the Church's history. His greatest achievement was the successful direction of the ecumenical council at Ephesus (431), of which he was the soul (Pope Celestine had appointed him papal legate). In this council two important dogmas were defined, viz., that there is but one person in Christ, and that Mary in the literal sense of the word can be called the Mother of God (Theotokos). His successful defense of the latter doctrine is his greatest title to honor. His writings show such depth and clarity that the Greeks called him the "seal of the fathers." He died in 444 A.D., after having been bishop for thirty-two years. In Rome, the basilica of St. Mary Major stands as a most venerable monument to the honor paid Mary at the Council of Ephesus. On the arch leading into the sanctuary important incidents in the lives of Jesus and Mary are depicted in mosaic. Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch In 1881, he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII, and in 1944, on the fifteenth centenary of Cyril's death, Pope Pius CII issued his encyclical Orientalis Ecclesiae, commemorating Cyril's place in the history of the Church. — The One Year Book of Saints by Rev. Clifford Stevens Patron: Alexandria; Egypt. Symbols: Shown holding a pen; with the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus. Things to Do: Read Pope Pius XII encyclical, Orientalis Ecclesiae (On St. Cyril, Patriarch Of Alexandria). Read some excerpts from the writings of St. Cyril at the Crossroads Initiative. St. Cyril lived in the fifth century and combated the heresy of Nestorius, who denied the union between the humanity and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and thus, the divine motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (See Catechism of the Catholic Church 466) Read what the Catholic Encyclopedia says about Nestorius and Nestorianism.

[Smartass]

by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. Other Articles by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.
Really Love Yourself
06/27/05
		That there is a Self magazine is certainly a sign of the times. This is an age when it is socially acceptable to admit that life is all about me.
But selfishness is nothing new. Ever since Eve bit the apple, human beings have made the choice to dethrone God and put in His place the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I. What about Jesus’s command to “love thy neighbor as thyself?” Doesn’t this imply that love of self is OK, even required? Absolutely. God placed in us a drive towards self-preservation. He made beneficial activities, like eating, pleasurable, while he made destructive activities painful. But He also gave us intellect and will so that we are not driven simply by instinct, as are the animals. This is why the ancient enemy of humanity does his best to deceive our intellect into thinking that what is destructive is actually good for us. And he entices us to use our will to choose these destructive things contrary to God’s commandments. The end justifies the means, he argues, and if we have to trample over others and defy God to get what we want, so be it. This is the kind of self-love that Jesus condemns (Mt 10:37-42). It leads to ruin, confusion, and emptiness. There is no way to tame this or to fit religion into it. The only solution is to kill it. In baptism, this old egocentric self is crucified and buried with Christ (Rom 6:11). There can only be one Lord: me or Jesus. Accepting Him means allowing Him to be boss, allowing Him to call the shots and direct my steps. Picking up the Cross and following Him means accepting the Father’s will, even where it “crosses” my will, even when it leads to suffering. This is the meaning of Jesus's words to Peter “as a young man you fastened your belt and went about as you pleased, but when you are older, you will stretch out your hands and another will tie you fast and carry you off against your will” (Jn 21:18). When Jesus had finished saying this, He looked at Peter and said “Follow me.” He recently said much the same thing to the new successor of Peter, Pope Benedict XVI. Those pundits who speak of his maneuvering to build support for his “candidacy” before and during the conclave make me laugh. Cardinal Ratzinger had tried to retire twice before the death of John Paul II. Both times the pope refused to accept his resignation. When, during the conclave, he saw momentum began building for his election, he cried out to God begging to be spared. The room where the newly elected pope first dons the papal vestments is called the “Room of tears” for a reason. Jesus says “Follow me” to each of us. It may mean making a change of career. It may mean breaking off a relationship that is leading us away from Christ. Or it may just mean doing what we are already doing but for an entirely different reason — achieving great things, not to draw attention to ourselves, but to glorify Christ. Seeking intimacy, no longer to take, but to give. Or working not for the weekend, but for the kingdom. The ironic thing is that such abandonment of our own will and agenda is precisely what allows God the freedom to give us the true desire of our hearts. For He knows us better than we know ourselves and He loves us more than we love ourselves. So to lose ourselves for His sake makes it possible for us to truly find ourselves. To renounce self-love is actually enlightened self-interest. This is precisely what we see with the Shunnemite woman who gave of herself and opened her home and heart to a man of God (2 Kgs 4:8-11). She was barren in an age when barrenness was the greatest of curses. Yet she forgot her need in order to meet Elisha’s need. In return God prompted Elisha to meet her need. For one thing is certain about God — He will not be outdone in generosity. Dr. D'Ambrosio studied under Avery Cardinal Dulles for his Ph.D. in historical theology and taught for many years at the University of Dallas. He now directs www.crossroadsinitiative.com, which offers Catholic resources for RCIA, adult faith formation, and teens, with a special emphasis on the Year of the Eucharist, the Theology of the Body, the early Church Fathers, and the sacrament of confirmation. (This article originally appeared in Our Sunday Visitor and is used by permission of the author.)

[Ciexyz]

Faith-sharing bump.

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We can rejoice that the Lord is indeed kind and merciful to his servants.

[siunevada]

466 The Nestorian heresy regarded Christ as a human person joined to the divine person of God's Son. Opposing this heresy, St. Cyril of Alexandria and the third ecumenical council, at Ephesus in 431, confessed "that the Word, uniting to himself in his person the flesh animated by a rational soul, became man." Christ's humanity has no other subject than the divine person of the Son of God, who assumed it and made it his own, from his conception. For this reason the Council of Ephesus proclaimed in 431 that Mary truly became the Mother of God by the human conception of the Son of God in her womb: "Mother of God, not that the nature of the Word or his divinity received the beginning of its existence from the holy Virgin, but that, since the holy body, animated by a rational soul, which the Word of God united to himself according to the hypostasis, was born from her, the Word is said to be born according to the flesh."


Catechism of the Catholic Church

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Did the Dog Really Eat Your Homework?
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Monday, June 27, 2005

Gn 18, 16-33 / Mt 8:18-22

Most people are fairly accomplished at the art of making excuses, no matter what the issue. Indeed many of us got an early start with the dog eating our fictional homework or our little brother throwing that same fictional homework out the car window on the way to school. Or perhaps it was as simple as "she made me do it."

Later on we graduated to things like, "I can’t start a diet at Christmas," or "the host would be offended if I didn’t accept another glass," or "they don’t really need this."

Jesus knows the truth and so do we: There was no homework; she didn’t make me do it; I don’t want to diet; I do want another drink; and I am taking what doesn’t belong to me! So when Jesus calls us, as He does every day, to come and follow Him, there are only two truthful answers: Yes and No. Excuses aren’t answers, and they don’t count.

So what’s your answer to Jesus’ invitation going to be today? Yes or No? Remember now: No excuses!

 

[Salvation]

 

 

A Voice in the Desert

 

 

Monday June 27, 2005   Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading (Genesis 18:16-33)   Gospel (St. Matthew 8:18-22)

 As we look around in our world today, the great question that we ask so often is: How long is God going to tolerate all the evil? How many babies have to be killed? How many things need to happen? How many marriages need to break up? How many people need to contracept? How many times do all of these evil things happen? How many priests and nuns abandon their vocation and start teaching things that are completely false and leading people astray, and on and on it goes. Look at what is happening in Spain right now – a Catholic country – where they are protesting in order to have homosexual marriages, as they call it. Of course, it is going to pass because of the government that is elected there. We have to wonder how long God is going to tolerate it. 

But then we look at the first reading, and we hear Abraham asking God, “What if there are but fifty people in the city of Sodom that are innocent? How about forty-five? or forty? or thirty? or twenty? or ten? Will you spare the place for the sake of those people?” And each time the Lord says, “If I can even find but ten, I will not destroy the place.” So when we wonder how long God is going to tolerate the evil in the world, we need only to think about this particular passage. What if He can find even just a handful of innocent people, of holy people, will He forebear for the sake of that handful? He has made His answer clear. 

We need to also, then, forebear. It is a test for each one of us as to whether or not we will remain faithful in the midst of all the evil that surrounds us. It is a test for each one of us to determine whether or not we are going to remain faithful to God when it seems that something different should happen. If we think that God ought to intervene and do something and He does not do it in our time, then we begin to wonder and doubt and question. So the question is not: How much evil is God going to tolerate? The real question is: Are we going to remain faithful in the midst of an evil society? That is what it really comes down to. 

Part of that remaining faithful is not just holding tenaciously to the doctrines of the Faith; it has to do with the charity and the mercy that God shows toward us and that we therefore need to show toward others. Are we praying for the conversion of these people? Or are we instead praying that God will send a lightning bolt and destroy the whole mess? Abraham intervened and prayed that God would spare the place for the sake of the innocent. Are we praying for that? For many of us, we could probably look back in our lives and say, “If God would have intervened with some sort of lightning bolt at such and such a time in my life, I would have gone to hell. Am I glad that somebody was praying for my conversion? Should I not do the same for others?” Why is it that suddenly we become so self-righteous since we have had a conversion and we pray that God would destroy everyone else? That does not make sense. If mercy has been shown to us, we need to show mercy in return. 

God will indeed intervene one of these days, at the appointed time that He Himself has decided. In the meantime, it is for us to pray that we will remain faithful and that others will be converted. Saint Peter tells us that God’s patience is directed toward salvation. He wants as many souls saved as He can. Therefore, He continues to wait, and He allows many, many people to fall away so that those whom He has chosen will be brought into the fold. That includes each one of us. We now need to act as children of God. 

Remember that Our Lord chastised James and John when they wanted to call down lightning on the people who would not receive Jesus. Rather than calling down the lightning, Jesus chastised his disciples who wanted to see the show and wanted to see the people destroyed. The Lord simply said, “Let’s move on to another place.” So too for us, we need to pray that these people will be converted – not destroyed. What kind of charity is it for us to desire that people would go to hell? There is no charity in that. We need to pray that they will be converted so that they too will be able to go to heaven because no one should desire that anyone would go to hell. What a horrible place to be, and what a horrible thing to desire for anyone. Christian charity requires that we have to be like God, Who has shown mercy to us. In turn, we must show mercy to others so that many will be converted and many will be able to enter eternal life. 

*  This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.

[annalex]

Mt 8:18-22
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
18	And Jesus seeing great multitudes about him, gave orders to pass over the water.	videns autem Iesus turbas multas circum se iussit ire trans fretum
19	And a certain scribe came and said to him: Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou shalt go.	et accedens unus scriba ait illi magister sequar te quocumque ieris
20	And Jesus saith to him: The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.	et dicit ei Iesus vulpes foveas habent et volucres caeli tabernacula Filius autem hominis non habet ubi caput reclinet
21	And another of his disciples said to him: Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.	alius autem de discipulis eius ait illi Domine permitte me primum ire et sepelire patrem meum
22	But Jesus said to him: Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.	Iesus autem ait illi sequere me et dimitte mortuos sepelire mortuos suos

[annalex]

Abraham.

Mid-17th century
Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art, Moscow, Russia

[Salvation]

American Cathlic's Saint of the Day

June 27, 2005

St. Cyril of Alexandria

(376?-444)

Saints are not born with halos around their heads. Cyril, recognized as a great teacher of the Church, began his career as archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt, with impulsive, often violent, actions. He pillaged and closed the churches of the Novatian heretics, participated in the deposing of St. John Chrysostom and confiscated Jewish property, expelling the Jews from Alexandria in retaliation for their attacks on Christians.

Cyril’s importance for theology and Church history lies in his championing the cause of orthodoxy against the heresy of Nestorius.

The controversy centered around the two natures in Christ. Nestorius would not agree to the title “God-bearer” for Mary. He preferred “Christ-bearer,” saying there are two distinct persons in Christ (divine and human) joined only by a moral union. He said Mary was not the mother of God but only of the man Christ, whose humanity was only a temple of God. Nestorianism implied that the humanity of Christ was a mere disguise.

Presiding as the pope’s representative at the Council of Ephesus (431), Cyril condemned Nestorianism and proclaimed Mary truly the “God-bearer” (the mother of the one Person who is truly God and truly human). In the confusion that followed, Cyril was deposed and imprisoned for three months, after which he was welcomed back to Alexandria as a second Athanasius (the champion against Arianism).

Besides needing to soften some of his opposition to those who had sided with Nestorius, Cyril had difficulties with some of his own allies, who thought he had gone too far, sacrificing not only language but orthodoxy. Until his death, his policy of moderation kept his extreme partisans under control. On his deathbed, despite pressure, he refused to condemn the teacher of Nestorius.

Comment:

Lives of the saints are valuable not only for the virtue they reveal but also for the less admirable qualities that also appear. Holiness is a gift of God to us as human beings. Life is a process. We respond to God's gift, but sometimes with a lot of zigzagging. If Cyril had been more patient and diplomatic, the Nestorian Church might not have risen and maintained power so long. But even saints must grow out of immaturity, narrowness and selfishness. It is because they—and we—do grow, that we are truly saints, persons who live the life of God.

Quote:

Cyril's theme: "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" (New Catholic Encyclopedia).

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Monday, June 27, 2005 Meditation Genesis 18:16-33 Isn’t it just like Abraham to try to strike a bargain with God on behalf of the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah? Doesn’t it just fit his personality and the way God favored him? We might think Abraham could talk to God this way because he was one of God’s “special” servants. But that’s not what made Abraham so courageous. And it certainly isn’t what made God listen. God listened because of Abraham’s faith and obedience. And Abraham spoke because he knew that God’s love was supreme. In a sense, Abraham’s bartering with God was really an affirmation of God’s nature, not a conniving way of tricking the Almighty. Abraham understood that the flagrant sins of Sodom and Gomorrah needed to be dealt with. He knew that they were an offense to God’s holiness. But he also knew that God would protect the innocent. He knew before he prayed that God would not punish the innocent along with the guilty. It was already a “done deal” that God would spare the righteous. The more we understand the attributes of God, the more bold we can become with him in our prayer. We can intercede for the needs of others with the same confidence Abraham had. God does have to deal with sin justly. Yet because he’s already taken on our punishment, mercy is available to everyone who repents. We are all a chosen people. We are all beloved of God. We have all been redeemed by the blood of Christ. If any of us feels shy or weak, we should remember that we are standing with Jesus before the throne. We are not alone; he is always with us. Knowing how loving our Father is, let’s not feel unworthy to go to him with prayers of intercession. Let’s be confident in making known our needs and the needs of our loved ones. Isn’t this what Abraham did? Like him, we too are children of the King, covenanted members of his household. What ruler would tolerate the sight of his children begging from him? What king would allow members of the royal family to feel so hopeless that they have to resort to incessant pleading just to get his attention? Certainly not the King of heaven! “Father, hear my prayers for my needs, for the needs of those I love, and for those who have no one to pray for them. I believe, Lord, and await your answer.” Psalm 103:1-4,8-11; Matthew 8:18-22

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Monday, June 27, 2005 >>

St. Cyril of Alexandria

Genesis 18:16-33

Psalm 103

Matthew 8:18-22

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FOLLOW JESUS

“Follow Me.” —Matthew 8:22

Several years ago, Father Al Lauer, the founder and long-time author of One Bread, One Body, passed to his eternal reward. In addition to the personal loss of a saintly mentor, I felt overwhelmed at having to follow a man who evangelized hundreds of thousands worldwide and led so many people to Jesus. Feeling unworthy and weak, I sank to the ground and asked Jesus: “How can I follow Father Al Lauer?” I distinctly heard Jesus command me: “Follow Me” (Mt 8:22). His command delivered me from fear and filled me with faith.

What matters is that Jesus commands us to follow Him. If He gives the command, then He has made the choice to call us. Because He has called us, He provides all that we need. We aren’t to focus on the why. Instead, we focus on the “that” — that He has called us and chosen us (Jn 15:16). Jesus refuses to allow us to be concerned with distractions. He tells us: “Your business is to follow Me” (Jn 21:22).

When Jesus calls us to follow Him, we are set free (Jn 8:36). It’s His responsibility to lead and guide. We are freed to sit at His feet, listen to Him (Lk 10:39), and follow in His steps (Lk 9:23).  Are you struggling with what Jesus is asking of you? Be set free. Take care of business (Jn 21:22). Follow Jesus!

Prayer: Jesus, “though none go with me, still I will follow” You.

Promise: “Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.” —Ps 103:8

Praise: St. Cyril, a Doctor of the Church, had a profound grasp of the divinity of Jesus and defended this truth amid fierce opposition.