St. Cyril of Alexandria

 

Today, we celebrate the memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, the doctor of the Incarnation.

Born in 370, he succeeded his uncle, as bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, in 412. He battled against the heretic Nestorius, the bishop of Constantinople. Nestorius falsely held that Jesus Christ, as only man was born of Mary, and that His divinity was acquired, after His human birth, because of His great merits. However, this is not true; rather Catholics believe Jesus is a divine person, with two natures, both human and divine. Jesus took upon His human nature in the womb of Mary, while maintaining His divinity, because as God, He never had a beginning.

St. Cyril presided over the great Council of Ephesus in 431, which condemned the false doctrines of Nestorius. The Council dogmatically declared Mary, the Mother of God. The title Mother of God meant that Mary gave birth to one person, the Divine Son of God, and not two persons in one, as Nestorius implied.

He stated what Christians believed, in the 300’s; Mary is the Mother of God. He said, “That anyone could doubt the right of the Holy Virgin to be called Mother of God fills me with astonishment. Surely, She must be the Mother of God, if Our Lord Jesus Christ is God, and She gave birth to Him. Our Lord’s disciples may not have used those exact words, but they delivered to us the belief those words enshrine, and this is also taught us by the holy fathers.”

St. Cyril quotes St. Athanasius, who said, “There have been many holy men, free from all sin. Jeremiah was sanctified in his mother’s womb, and John while still in the womb leaped for joy at the voice of Mary, the Mother of God.” “…Our Lord is nonetheless, the one true Son, both God and man..”

Today, a similar heresy exists among Protestants, who deny Mary is the Mother of God. They falsely think that Catholics believe, Mary is the Mother of God, as though She created God¹ in Her womb. As everyone knows Catholics certainly do not believe this!

Our response to this statement is the same as St. Cyril, “She must be the Mother of God, if Our Lord Jesus Christ is God, and She gave birth to Him.”

St. Cyril also had a deep faith and admiration for the Eucharist. In a sermon on the Eucharist, he said, “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. “Come and eat my body, and drink the wine which I have mixed for you. I have prepared Myself as food and have set Myself before those who desire.”

And with regard to our union of Jesus in the Eucharist, He said, “He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in Me and I in him.” If into melted wax-- other wax is poured, the two are certain to get thoroughly mixed, one with the other. In the same way, he who receives the Body and Blood of the Lord is so united with Him-- that He is in Christ and Christ in him.”

Today, let pray to St. Cyril that he may inspire us to a greater love and devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.

1 Cf Fr. Chacon, Beginning Apologetics, pg. 21