Feast Day Of Saint Cyril Of Jerusalem

The saint of the day for March 18 is St. Cyril of Jerusalem, a fourth century theologian, bishop, and Doctor of the Church.

Born in Jerusalem around the year 315, well-educated, particularly in the Scriptures, he was ordained a priest by St. Maximus, the bishop of Jerusalem, and succeeded him as bishop in 348. As a priest, he instructed and prepared the catechumens for Baptism during Lent. During his early years as a bishop, around 350, he delivered a series of homilies to new members of the Church. Twenty-four of the homilies have survived and are studied today.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem died in 387, and was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1883.

St. Cyril lived in times of great stress and turmoil. Nevertheless, he remained strong and courageous in his faith which was deeply rooted in the Lord. St. Cyril was heroic in teaching the truth about Christ and his Church.

Today I would like to focus on a quote attributed to Saint Cyril:

“In regard to the divine and holy mysteries of the faith, not the least part may be handed on without the Holy Scriptures. Do not be led astray by winning words and clever arguments. Even to me, who tell you these things, do not give ready belief, unless you receive from the Holy Scriptures the proof of the things which I announce. The salvation in which we believe is not proved from clever reasoning, but from the Holy Scriptures.”

With these words of Saint Cyril in mind, let us look at nine effects the Word of God rather spoken or written has on our lives.

1. In Psalm 119:105, the Word is likened to light. "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." When we walk through unknown terrain in the dark, we use a light in order to see our way. That is a picture of what the scriptures does for us in a world that lies in the pitch darkness of sin. It shows us the path to God. We can know nothing of God's way of salvation apart from the scriptures. Furthermore, the scriptures gives light to the Christian on the pathway of right doctrine, showing up at the same time the pitfalls of false teaching alongside the road, so that we may not fall into them. Without that light, we would never know what was false and what was true.

The Holy Spirit commended the believers at Berea, because they did not receive even what the apostle Paul preached unto them until they had themselves checked it with the Scriptures, “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” (Acts 17:11). Only then did they accept his message. People who search the Scriptures diligently are not easily lured into false doctrine. They know the truth that has made them free.

2. In James 1:22-23, the Word of God is likened to a looking-glass.

We need a mirror to see whether our faces are dirty or clean and whether our hair is disorderly or combed. Without one, we cannot tell how we look. The Word of God shows me the condition of my heart before God. It corrects me and reproves me so that I might be complete and equipped to serve Him (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We need to subject ourselves to a daily examination through the mirror of , not only the spoken Word of God but the written Word of God if we are to avoid spiritual stagnation and decay. Not a day goes by in our lives without our examining our faces in a mirror. May not a day go by either without our examining our hearts.

3. In Jeremiah 23:29, the Word of God is likened to a fire. Fire, in the Bible, is used as a symbol of that which purifies or burns up. Gold put into the fire is purified, whereas wood is consumed. The Word of God, similarly, has a purifying effect upon our lives, eliminating from them what is un-Christlike. If we submit to it, it will purify us. If we ignore or spurn it, then it will surely consume us.

4. In the same verse of Jeremiah 23 we see the Word of God likened to a hammer that breaks the rock into pieces. If you want to make a road on a mountainside, you have to break up rocks. The Word of God is capable of removing huge obstacles out of our way. We all face trials and problems in our lives-situations in which the mountains have closed in upon us and it appears as though we have reached a dead-end. Often we have remained in such situations, discouraged and defeated, not knowing what to do. Our ignorance at such times of the promises that God has given us in Scripture has prevented us from claiming them. How much we have missed by not knowing the Word!

5. In Luke 8:11, the Word of God, in the case of this verse, (it is the spoken Word of God), is likened to seed which, when sown into the ground, produces fruit. 1 Peter 1:23 states that our new birth itself is a result of that seed, (written or spoken), sprouting in our hearts. “Born again not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, by the word of God who liveth and remaineth for ever.” Only as we are fruitful can God be glorified through our lives.

6. The Word of God is also likened to food in Psalm 119:103. “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Food gives us strength. Our bodies cannot be built up without it. In exactly the same way, one who neglects the Word of God will be spiritually under-developed, and consequently unable to resist temptation and to withstand the Devil's onslaughts. Only those who regularly meditate on God's Word grow into strong virile Christians (1 John 2:14). Mere reading of the Bible will not make you strong, but meditation upon it allows the Word to penetrate into the very core of your being and thus to become a part of you, hidden in your heart (Psalms 119:11).

7. In Deuteronomy 32:2, the Word of God is likened to dew. Dew, in the Bible, is a figure of God's blessing. When God blessed Israel, He gave them the dew and the rain. This symbol teaches therefore that God's blessing comes through His Word upon all who receive and obey it. But dew is more than blessing. It is also a symbol of freshness. Here is another thing that the Bible gives us, namely, renewal. Listening to the voice of the Lord day by day keeps our Christian life continually fresh. It saves us from becoming stale, with all that implies of corruption and decay.

8. The Word of God is further likened to wealth in Psalm 119:162. The Word of God can make you so wealthy spiritually that you will never be at a loss. It will not only give you enough for your own needs, but will enable you to meet the needs of others too. There is not a single situation that you can ever face in life for which the solution is not found somewhere in the Bible. If you know your Bible, you will find in the time of crisis that the Holy Spirit brings to your remembrance the appropriate passage and from it gives you His answer.

9. In Ephesians 6:17 we find the Word of God is there called the sword of the Spirit. The Christian life is a constant battle with a cunning foe, whose method of attack is often to cast doubt upon God's love, God's justice, even God Himself. This sword can defeat his every move, provided we know how to use it.

Let me again quote Saint Cyrius:

In Conclusion:

1. The Holy Spirit has been given to every Christian to teach us the meaning of the scriptures.

(John 14:26, I John 2:27)

2. We can be deceived by evil spirits.

(I Timothy 4:1)

3. That is why God has given the Church teaching authority, authority to interpret, etc

(I Timothy 3:15)

May the Lord imprint this message deeply on our hearts.