Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, saint of the day

St. Cyril of Jerusalem: The crises facing the Church today may seem minor when compared with the threat posed by the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ and nearly won Christianity in the fourth century. Cyril would have been involved in the controversy, accused of Arianism by Saint Jerome, and ultimately claimed by both the men of his time and for being declared a Doctor of the Church in 1822.

Raised in Jerusalem and educated, especially in the Scriptures, ordained a priest by the bishop of Jerusalem and charged during Lent to catechize those who were preparing for Baptism and to catechize the newly baptized during Easter. His Catecheses remain valuable as examples of the rite and theology of the Church in the mid-fourth century.

There are conflicting reports on the circumstances in which he became bishop of Jerusalem. It is certain that it was validly consecrated by the bishops of the province. Since one of them was an Aryan, Acacius, it could be expected that his "cooperation" would follow. Soon the conflict arose between Cyril and Acacius, bishop of the nearby rival see of Caesarea. Cyril summoned to a council, accused of insubordination and sale of the property of the Church to relieve the poor. But it was probably also a theological difference. Condemned, expelled from Jerusalem and later claimed, not without some association and help from the Semi-Aryans. Half of his episcopate spent in exile; his first experience was repeated twice. Eventually he returned to find Jerusalem torn apart by heresy, schism and conflict, and ravaged by crime.

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

Both went to the Council of Constantinople, where the modified form of the Nicene Creed was promulgated in 381. Cyril accepted the word consubstantial, that is, Christ is of the same substance or nature as the Father. Some said it was an act of repentance, but the bishops of the council praised him as a champion of orthodoxy against the Aryans. Although he is not a friend of the greatest defender of orthodoxy against the Aryans, Cyril can be counted among those whom Athanasius called "brothers, who mean what we mean, and differ only in the word consubstantial".

Reflection: Those who imagine that the lives of the saints are simple and placid, untouched by the vulgar breath of controversy, are abruptly shocked by the story. However, it should come as no surprise that saints, indeed all Christians, will experience the same difficulties as their Master. The definition of truth is an endless and complex quest, and good men and women have suffered from both controversy and error. Intellectual, emotional and political blocks can slow people like Cyril down for a while. But their lives as a whole are monuments to honesty and courage.