SAINT(S) OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ MARCH 18TH

MEMORIAL OF SAINT CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, AND SAINT ALEXANDER OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR: FEAST DAY ~ MARCH 18TH: Today, we honor and celebrate the Memorial of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, and Saint Alexander of Jerusalem, Bishop and Martyr. Saint Cyril, an early witness to the sacred sites of Christian devotion, was a remarkable theologian and catechist who dedicated his life to teaching the faith and defending orthodox doctrine. His contributions to the Church, especially through his catechetical lectures, continue to guide Christians in understanding the fundamental truths of Catholicism. Saint Alexander, a bishop and martyr, is remembered for his unwavering faith in the face of persecution. He remained steadfast in faith and was willing to suffer death for the Faith. His leadership strengthened the Church in Jerusalem, and his sacrifice remains an inspiration for those who suffer for the sake of Christ. Through the intercession of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem and Saint Alexander of Jerusalem, we humbly pray for all bishops, catechists, and theologians who teach and defend the faith. May they be filled with wisdom and courage. We also pray for those enduring persecution for their beliefs, that they may remain steadfast in their love for Christ. We pray for the conversion of sinners and for all Christians during this season of Lent 🙏🏽

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem and Saint Alexander of Jerusalem ~ Pray for us. 🙏🏽

SAINT CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: St. Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386 A.D.) was a fourth-century bishop and Doctor of the Church, a well-educated man from Jerusalem and a scholar of Sacred Scripture whose writings are still regarded as masterful expressions of Christian faith. St. Cyril is also remembered for his exhaustive Biblical knowledge, and his endurance in the face of misunderstanding and opposition. St. Cyril was born in Jerusalem around the year 315 to his parents who were probably Christians and he seemed to care for them a great deal. He exhorted catechumens to honor parents “for however much we may repay them, yet we can never be to them what they as parents have been to us.” We know he also had a sister and a nephew, Gelasius, who became a bishop and a saint. He was born shortly after the legalization of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Although that legalization put a stop to many of the persecutions that threatened the Church for two centuries, it indirectly gave rise to a number of internal controversies – both in regard to theology, and the jurisdiction of bishops – in which Cyril would find himself involved. St. Cyril received an excellent education in classical Greek literature as well as the Bible. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Maximus of Jerusalem in the year 345 and succeeded him as bishop of Jerusalem in 348. On May 7th, soon after his ordination as Bishop a miraculous apparition of a cross appeared in the sky, visible to the whole city. During his early years as a bishop, most likely around 350, he delivered a series of lectures to new initiates of the Catholic Church. Twenty-four of the lectures have survived and are studied today. In a 2007 general audience, Pope Benedict XVI praised the saint for providing an “integral” form of Christian instruction, “involving body, soul, and spirit.” St. Cyril’s teaching, the Pope said, “remains emblematic for the catechetical formation of Christians today.

In 351, three years after St. Cyril became the Bishop of Jerusalem, a large cross-shaped light appeared for several hours in the sky over the city – an event that many interpreted as a sign of the Church’s triumph over heresy. It could also, however, be understood as a sign of the suffering the new bishop would undergo in leading his flock. Unlike many other Eastern bishops and priests of the fourth century, St. Cyril did not allow his classical learning to lead him away from believing in the full humanity and divinity of Christ. However, the man who consecrated St. Cyril as a bishop, Archbishop Acacius of Caesarea, was an ally of the Arians – who claimed that Jesus was a creature and not God. Because of his connection to the archbishop, St. Cyril himself was unjustly suspected of heresy by many of his brother bishops. But he also found himself at odds with Archbishop Acacius, who claimed to have jurisdiction over the birthplace of the Church. Altogether, these disputes led to St. Cyril being exiled from Jerusalem three times in the course of 20 years due to misunderstandings, intrigue, and politics. St. Cyril first took refuge with Silvanus, Bishop of Taraus. He appeared at the Council of Seleucia in 359, in which the semi-Arian party was triumphant. Acacius was deposed and St. Cyril seems to have returned to his see. But the emperor was displeased at the turn of events, and, in 360, St. Cyril and other moderates were again driven out, and only returned at the accession of Julian in 361. In 367, a decree of Valens banished all the bishops who had been restored by Julian, and St. Cyril remained in exile until the death of the persecutor in 378. In 380, St. Gregory of Nyssa came to Jerusalem on the recommendation of a council held at Antioch in the preceding year. He found the Faith in accord with the truth and expressed admiration of his pastoral efforts, but the city was a prey to parties and corrupt in morals. In 381, St. Cyril participated in the Second Ecumenical Council, which condemned two different forms of Arianism and added statements about the Holy Spirit to the Nicene Creed of 325. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem is one of the early Church Fathers and one of the most important sources for how the early Church celebrated the liturgy and sacraments during the first few decades after Christianity was legalized. St. Cyril of Jerusalem died in 386. For St. Cyril’s work in catechesis he was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1883.

PRAYER: O God, who through the Bishop Saint Cyril of Jerusalem led your Church in a wonderful way to a deeper sense of the mysteries of salvation, grant us, through his intercession, that we may so acknowledge your Son as to have life ever more abundantly. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever…Amen🙏

SAINT ALEXANDER OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND MARTYR: St. Alexander was a student with Origen at the famous Christian school of Alexandria in the late second century. He became bishop of Cappadocia. For steadfastly proclaiming the faith, he was imprisoned two times and the Romans tried to kill him by throwing him to the lions, but it didn’t work. The beasts would not attack him! When the wild beasts refused to devour him, he was carried off as a prisoner to Caesarea and as the historians say, “The glory of his white hairs and great sanctity formed a double crown for him in captivity”. During the persecution of Severus was imprisoned for several years and in chains. (204-211).

Following his release from prison, he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was proclaimed Coadjutor Bishop there in the year 212. Demetrius, the Bishop of Alexandria, censured Alexander for participating in the ordination of Origen and for encouraging Origen to teach in churches while still a layman. Despite this, Alexander received Origen in exile. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, Alexander developed a great theological library which was helpful to the community and to other ancient theologians who contributed to the Church’s thinking. During the persecution of Decius, he was seized and again imprisoned.

After making a public confession of faith, St. Alexander was  condemned and thrown to the wild beasts, but they refused to attack him. St. Alexander was then taken to Caesarea where he died in chains in the year 251. The Church recognizes  St. Alexander as a martyr. St. Alexander, despite his great learning and important ecclesiastical positions, was known as an individual of great mildness, especially in his sermons, he was known for the sweetness of his preaching. When put to the test during two persecutions, he remained steadfast in faith and was willing to suffer death for the Faith. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.

PRAYER: Saint Alexander of Jerusalem, holy Mother of God and all the Saints, who have pleased God in your lives; pray to Christ my Lord that I might live this day in peace, love and humility.  Pray unto God for me, O holy Saint Alexander, well-pleasing to God: for I turn to You, who are a speedy helper and intercessor for my soul. Amen🙏