On Tuesday the Sixth week of Easter our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the first letter of the apostle John (2:17, 15) entitled "Obedience to the will of God". Our treasure, which follows, is from a commentary on the Gospel of John by Saint Cyril of Alexandria, bishop.
Saint Cyril was born in 370 and lived a monastic life. He was ordained a priest and succeeded his uncle as bishop of Alexandria where he served from 412 to 444. He was enthroned when the city was at the height of its influence and power within the Roman Empire. He had a preeminent role at the Council of Ephesus; he fought bravely against the doctrines of Nestorius, and wrote many learned works explaining and defending the Catholic faith.
Saint Cyril is counted among the Church Fathers and also as a Doctor of the Church. His reputation within the Christian world has resulted in his titles, "Pillar of Faith" and "Seal of all the Fathers". Cyril died in 444.
Saint Cyril's great Commentary on John focuses its theological fire power against Arianism. The commentary, which is addressed to catechists, displays Cyril's breath-taking mastery of the full content of the Bible and his painstaking attention to detail as he seeks to offer practical teaching on the cosmic story of God's salvation.
The purpose of the first letter of the apostle John is to combat certain false ideas, especially about Jesus, and to deepen the spiritual and social awareness of the Christian community. Some former members of the community refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ and denied that he was a true man. The specific heresy described in this letter cannot be identified exactly, but it is a form of Docetism or Gnosticism; the former doctrine denied the humanity of Christ to insure that his divinity was untainted, and the latter viewed the appearance of Christ as a mere stepping-stone to higher knowledge of God. These theological errors are rejected by an appeal to the reality and continuity of the apostolic witness to Jesus. The author affirms that authentic Christian love, ethics, and faith take place only within the historical revelation and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The fullness of Christian life as fellowship with the Father must be based on true belief and result in charitable living; knowledge of God and love for one another are inseparable, and error in one area inevitably affects the other. Although the author recognizes that Christian doctrine presents intangible mysteries of faith about Christ, he insists that the concrete Christian life brings to light the deeper realities of the gospel.
