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12 February, 2016Here Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem in the mid-4th century, urges new Christians to prepare themselves to receive the Holy Spirit at the Easter Vigil. He speaks of the sacrament of baptism in nuptial terms, describing it as a wedding feast at which the bridegroom will impress upon them the seal of chrismation or confirmation. For March 18, the feast of St. Cyril.
Let the heavens sing for joy and the earth exult! For these people who are about to be sprinkled with hyssop will be cleansed spiritually. His power will purify them, for during his passion the hyssop touched his lips. Let the heavenly angels rejoice! Let those who are to be wedded to a spiritual spouse prepare themselves.
A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord. And so, children of justice, follow John’s exhortation Make straight the way of the Lord. Remove all obstacles and stumbling blocks so that you will be able to go straight along the road to eternal life. Through your penance begin to wash your garments; then, summoned to the spouse’s bedchamber, you will be found spotless.
Heralds proclaim the bridegroom’s invitation. All mankind is called to the wedding feast, for he is a generous lover. Once the crowd has assembled, the bridegroom decides who will enter the wedding feast. This is a figure for baptism.
Give your name at his gate and enter. I hope that none of you will later hear the words: Friend, how did you enter without a wedding garment? Rather may all of you hear the words: Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in small things, I shall put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.
Up to this point in the history of salvation, you have stood outside the gate. Now I hope you will all hear the words: The king has brought me into his chambers. My soul rejoices in my God. He has clothed me in the garment of salvation and in the cloak of joy. He has made me a bridegroom by placing a crown on my head. He has made me a bride by adorning me with jewels and golden ornaments [Isaiah 61:10].
I do not say these things so that your souls will be found without stain or wrinkle or any other defect. Indeed, before you have received this grace, how could this happen to you who are called to receive forgiveness of sin? Rather, I ask that once you have received his grace you do nothing to deserve damnation. Even more, I ask you to hasten toward the fulfillment of his grace.
My brothers, this is a truly great occasion. Approach it with caution. You are standing in front of God an in the presence of the hosts of angels. The Holy Spirit is about to impress his seal on each of your souls. You are about to be pressed into the service of a great king.
And so prepare yourselves to receive the sacrament. The gleaming white garments you are about to put on are not the preparation I am speaking of, but rather the devotion of a clean conscience.
This post focuses on the preparation of catechumens to receive the Holy Spirit, the bridegroom’s seal, in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation at the Easter Vigil. It comes from a Catechetical instruction by St. Cyril of Jerusalem (Catch. 3, 1-3: PG 33, 426-430) on baptism as a wedding feast. It appears in the Roman Office of Readings for the Memorial of St. Cyril of Jerusalem on March 18.
For more resources for the Easter Season, see the EASTER section of the Crossroads Initiative Library.
Banner/featured image by Antonio Petate on Scopio. Used with permission.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem was born just about the time the Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire (313 AD) and was a boy when Queen Helena came to Jerusalem and erected the Church of the Holy Sepulchre over the site of Golgotha and the empty tomb. This church became Cyril’s cathedral when he became bishop of the Holy City of about 349AD. St. Cyril was banished from his Jerusalem see a total of three times for his bold proclamation of faith in Christ’s full divinity during a time when many bishops and emperors favored various forms of the Arian heresy.
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem is one of the most important sources we have for how the church celebrated the liturgy and sacraments during the first few decades after the legalization of Christianity. In his famous 24 lectures commonly known as the Jerusalem Catecheses, Saint Cyril instructs new Christians in the days immediately before and after their initiation into the life of the Church at the Easter Vigil. In these catechetical instructions, which are the only documents that survive by St. Cyril, we find very strong insistence on the value and efficacy of the sacrament of baptism as well as heavy emphasis on the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem is considered to be one of the Early Church Fathers and is also reckoned among the number of the Doctors of the Catholic Church. He attended the First Council of Constantinople which completed the Creed commonly known as the Nicene Creed, and died in 386, just five years afterwards. (bio by Dr. Italy)
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