+ Sts Cyril and Methodius were the “Apostles to the Slavs” and along with St. Benedict of
Nursia were declared patron saints of all of Europe by Blessed Pope John Paul
II. They were born of Greek nobility in 829; their family being connected with
the senate of Thessalonica. Their mother may have been Slavic. They studied at
the University of Constantinople. Constantine went on to teach philosophy
there. He then became a deacon, priest and then librarian at the church of
Santa Sophia; later he became a monk, taking the name Cyril.
In 861 he was sent by the
emperor to convert the Jewish Khazars of Russia, a mission that was successful
and which allowed him to learn the Khazar’s language. In 863 he was sent with
Methodius, his brother, to convert Moravians in their native tongue. They
developed an alphabet for the Slavonic language based on the Greek language
that eventually became known as Cyrillic.
After initial criticism for their use of it, the brothers achieved approval of
the Liturgy in the Slavonic language. Cyril was just days away from becoming a
bishop, but died shortly before the consecration ceremony.
Methodius, on the other hand,
did become a bishop and achieved many apostolic victories such as extensive
evangelization in Moravia, Bohemia, Pannonia and Poland. He baptized St.
Ludmilla and Duke Boriwoi. He became Archbishop of Velehred (in the modern
Czech Republic), but was deposed and imprisoned in 870 due to the opposition of
German clergy with his work. He was often in trouble over his use of Slavonic
in the liturgy, some claiming he preached heresy; but repeatedly he was cleared
of charges. He translated the Bible into the Slavonic languages.
Just as St. Paul in the first
reading knew that he was sent to be a
light to the Gentiles, so too did Sts. Cyril and Methodius feel that same
call and mission. And when the light that you are is the direct reflection of
the Light of Christ himself – your light will go very far – as did the message
and preaching of these two apostles to the Slavs. The gospel passage shows
Jesus sending out a “further seventy-two” “two by two.”
It is heartwarming to see how
some of those sets of two can even have been blood brothers! May we all feel
our common family membership in Christ today – and know that we are still
called today to go out in pairs or small groups, or even by ourselves, to
proclaim the Light of the Gospel and to lead all who are willing to the Light
of God’s Face!
The
Lord
sent them, but he also sends me to bring
glad tidings to the poor and to proclaim liberty to captives.
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