“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!” Well, except for when it comes to gossip. There is a story of a woman in a village who was struggling with this. In order to have her understand the consequences of her sin, her priest took a pillow and cut it open then told the woman to gather all the feathers. When she told him it was impossible, the priest told her that gossip is dangerous because once it leaves a person’s mouth, there is no telling how far the rumor can spread and how much damage it can cause. This was what St. Cyril of Jerusalem had to endure as he tried to faithfully serve his diocese as bishop. Yet, despite the attacks to his character, he strove to stand for the truth and preach the Gospel in whtever capacity he could.
Cyril was born in Jerusalem around 315 and from his writings, we can guess that he was well educated, especially when it came to Sacred Scripture and philosophy. His bishop, Maximus, saw his potential and ordained him as a priest as well as assigning him to instruct the catechumens. The young priest was so gifted in this position that many of his doctrines are even accepted today including transubstantiation, prayers for the dead, and the idea that the Catholic Church is the “holy Mother of all” among other things. Before he passed, Maximus foresaw the spread of Arianism (which denied Jesus’ divinity) among the bishops and even the current emperor. Previously, the Roman emperor Constantine had tried to resolve this heresy by convening the First Council of Nicaea in 325. The result was the creation of the Nicaean Creed; however, there was a period of conflict and confusion because the Arians refused to concede their loss and most Christians did not understand what was being debated. With all of this in mind, Maximus knew he needed a successor who would remain steadfast to the Church’s teachings so he entrusted this to Cyril to become bishop when he died in 350. Bishop Acacius, who over saw the neighboring diocese of Caesarea, supported Cyril and they became good acquaintances.
However, Arianism would inevitably rise and become the majority opinion with the support of the Roman empire. Bishop Cyril was now faced with a decision to either join Acacius and the pro-Arian side or follow the rest of the faithful bishops who affirmed that Jesus “begotten, not made.” At the time, both views were accepted because there was not an official Church declaration on the matter so Cyril took the middle position as he tried to use his great knowledge to sort through the arguments and come up with a moderate solution. Unfortunately, he would not be allowed to choose for Acacius saw his reluctance as refusal to join his cause. The bishop of Caesarea, angered by this perceived betrayal, then began a campaign to attack Cyril’s character following a territorial dispute and partly out of jealousy because Jerusalem was considered a more important pilgrimage site than Caesarea. And even on the other side, the orthodox bishops on the other side suspected Cyril of supporting heresy because he was close to Acacius. It was a tough position for the new bishop as he experienced attacks from both sides.
Eventually, a severe famine would hit Jerusalem. Cyril sold a number of church properties to aid those who were suffering just like St. Augustine did when his people faced poverty. Bishop Acacius and his allies saw this as an opportunity and claimed that Cyril was mishandling and selling holy items for his own enrichment. This led to Cyril being banished to southern Turkey where he lived in exile until the Roman emperor Constantius II called for a Church council in Seleucia (present-day Iraq). At the gathering, Cyril and some of the other bishops who were banished by the pro-Arian faction were invited to participate in the discussion. This angered bishop Acacius who stormed out of the meet several times. Ultimately, the pro-Arian faction lost as their demands were refused and their proposed creed was rejected. Cyril was allowed to return to his diocese in Jerusalem following the council since the charges against him were dropped.
And yet, that was the last of bishop Acacius. In fact, he was so furious from his loss that he took his grievances directly to the emperor embellishing the story of Cyril selling church property an even suggesting that one of the emperor’s gifts to the bishop of Jerusalem was seen with a dancer. Emperor Constantius II was not pleased with this and kept this in mind as he called for a council at Constantinople in 360 where he invited all the bishops to address the divinity of Christ once again. This time, Bishop Acacius was victorious and Cyril along with his allies were once again exiled until the accension of Julian in 361 as Roman emperor. The emperor Julian recalled each exiled bishop from all sides as a way for him to relieve the tensions in the Catholic Church and increase his imperial influence. Cyril was allowed to return to Jerusalem and remain there for seven years until…he was exiled again once the, Arian-sympathetic, emperor Valens came to power. This would be the last time he was banished, but he would have to wait eleven years before it was lifted following the death of the emperor.
When Cyril returned to Jerusalem, he found it filled with crime and heresy. It was so bad that St. Gregory of Nyssa came and left in despair because he was unable to fix the corruption. In 381, an ecumenical council at Constantinople was called without the attendance of bishop Acacius who had died years earlier only to be succeeded by a Cyril’s nephew who was on the side of orthodoxy. It was in the city named after the late emperor Constantine where the pro-Nicene creed side finally won decisively and Arianism formally condemned as a heresy against the Catholic Church. The council also cleared Cyril from all the previous slander against his character and praised him for being a stalwart defender of the faith. Cyril would live the remainder of his days in Jerusalem fighting to fix the morality of the city and, unfortunately, he died in 386 having been unable to complete his goal. Ten years later, the abbess, Lady Etheria, came to visit the Holy Land to find a Christian community that was faithful and peaceful.
When he taught his catechumens, Cyril would tell his students to "make your fold with the sheep; flee from the wolves: depart not from the Church. "Even though he was exiled multiple times from his diocese, his enemies could never separate him from the Church. Here are three things we can reflect upon as we examine the life of St. Cyril of Jerusalem.
The truth is freeing! – The conversion of emperor Constantine the Great changed the way the Catholic Church associated with the ruling secular authority. They were not under active persecution and the Church had the ear of the most powerful man in the world! Cyril and Acacius were some of the first bishops to be faced with the dilemma of holding fast to the faith and maintaining favor with the Roman empire. When St. Cyril refused to go along with the Arians, this caused Acacius to feel resentment and his response was one of fear rather love. From the outside looking in, Acacius seemed to have the more fulfilling life because he was the leader of a major religious faction, he had the power to exile his enemies, and he held favor with Roman emperors. Yet, Cyril had one thing he did not have: freedom. Acacius had to keep embellishing his attacks against the bishop of Jerusalem in order to protect his own credibility until he was caught in his own web of lies. Cyril did not have to worry about covering his tracks and getting his story straight because he had the truth on his side. In fact, Jesus tells us in John 8: 31-34, how sin enslaves us while the truth sets us free. It can be tempting to tell lies at times, either out of convenience or embarrassment, but Cyril shows us that sometimes feeling shame in the moment is better than living a life of paranoia and dishonesty.
Sometimes the truth is black and white. – Cyril’s initial reaction to the Arianism debate is something we can all relate to. He tries to be a peacemaker and create compromises for both sides to agree on. Unfortunately, the two factions did agree on one thing: that Cyril was in the wrong. The Arians, led by Acacius, took that choice out of his hands by condemning and exiling him for not agreeing with them while the orthodox faction thought he was a heretic. Cyril was not prepared for this because he lived a sheltered life as he resided in Jerusalem for most of his life. He had to learn a very important lesson from this experience: we should strive to be peacemakers when possible, however, we cannot compromise when it comes to fundamental truths. If Jesus Christ was a created being and not of the same substance as God the Father then it would present a lot of theological problems which would shake the foundations of a relatively new Catholic Church. Cyril realized he was chosen by bishop Maximus to make a principled stand with Christ even at the cost of his life and his career.
The truth is its own reward. – Yet, why should we choose the truth? With what St. Cyril had to endure, it would have made sense if he became bitter. His character was defamed, his religious office was taken away from him several times, he was exiled for trying to defend the Nicene Creed, he lost favor with several Roman emperors, and his diocese descended into corruption while he was banished. Despite all of this, he lived out his advice to “depart not from the Church” during difficult times. Bishop Acacius allowed his fear to get the best of him while St. Cyril took his uncertainty to prayer asking for God’s guidance. It can be difficult for us to turn to God in these moments, but Cyril shows us that we labor with God when we stand for the truth. Even when he was in exile, the faithful bishop was comforted and invigorated by the peace of Christ.
If you ever find yourself in need of St. Cyril of Jerusalem’s intercession, here is a good prayer.
“Father, through Cyril of Jerusalem
you lead your Church to a deeper understanding
of the mysteries of salvation.
Let his prayers help us to know Your Son better\
and to have eternal life in all its fullness.
Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son
who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.”
Stay awesome and blossom 🌱
By: anh Daniel
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