Homily: June 27 2016 - St. Cyril of Alexandria - Invincible Champion of Truth

The saint we honor today, Saint Cyril of Alexandria, defended and taught the Catholic Faith in the face of a heresy which was creating division in the Church.  Where Jesus the Great Teacher came to bring mankind into the unity of the One Faith, he warns often of false teachers and false prophets who sow division.

A false teaching which brought division in the Church in the 5th century was called Nestorianism, named after a man named Nestorius. Most heresies are named after the people who started them.  Nestorius became Patriarch of Constantinople, which was kind of like having the second highest job in the church next to the Pope of Rome.

Nestorius didn’t start off bad.  He was a firm opponent of the Arian heresy, who taught that Christ was a created being and NOT consubstantial with the Father.  To refute Arianism, however, he argued that instead of Jesus being one unified persons with two natures—human and divine, God joined himself with a human person, so Christ actually was two persons, instead of one person with two natures. So according to Nestorius, the Second Person of the Trinity did not truly become man.

Nestorius also refused to call Mary “Mother of God”—Theotokos—as we do in the Hail Mary.  Even when Nestorianism was condemned at the First Council of Ephesus in 431, Nestorius continued to preach his heresy, and seek out followers, including other bishops. Division continued to spread.
The Council of Ephesus was presided over by the Pope’s representative, the holy Archbishop of Alexandria, a man by the name of Cyril, whose feast we celebration today.

There are letters written by Cyril to Nestorius prior to the council, affirming the duty of pastors to preserve sound doctrine.  This morning’s Office of Readings contains another letter by Saint Cyril explaining how calling Mary, “Mother of God” is firmly rooted in both scripture and tradition. The opening prayer even referred to Cyril as “Invincible Champion the divine motherhood”.

Saint Cyril shows us that our minds and hearts need to be formed according to the truth of Christ, which is faithfully preserved and passed on through the Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Tradition of the holy fathers.

Jesus warns us that there ARE false prophets.  There ARE teachings which lead us away from the true faith, that lead us away from the union of our minds and hearts with Jesus Christ.
Do we see such false teaching proliferating in our own day and age?  Absolutely.  By its fruits we shall know them: broken marriages, abortion, sexual perversion, corruption in government.  I believe many religious orders are drying up and dying because they have ceased to be committed to Catholic truth. So many communities are riddled with heresy and division.

So each of us has a great responsibility to remain united to the vine through authentic Catholic worship, authentic devotion, prayer, authentic Christian education.

May we be discerning of false teaching in our midst, may we protect the younger generations from following the false shepherds of the present age, may we help them to know and follow the One Teacher, Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.