18Jan
Saint Kirillus (Cyril), Patriarch of Alexandria (Egypt)
Saint Cyril was born in Alexandria around the year 376. He was the nephew (sister side) of Alexandria’s Patriarch Theophilos, who took good care of him and insured him the best theological and spiritual education at that time. Cyril excelled in studying the Sacred Scripture and the writings of the Fathers of the Church; which could be touched in the book he wrote against Julian the atheist.
His uncle ordained him a priest and established him as a preacher for his people. After the death of his uncle, Cyril was elected a patriarch over Alexandria in the year 413. He then focused his efforts to uproot the Nestorian teachings from among his churches, defending, and crystallizing the Catholic faith, writing pastoral and dogmatic letter to his faithful explaining to them the true faith. His famous letter addressed to Nestorius about the Church’s true faith and dogmatic teachings, would form the core of the papal document that was declared in the ecumenical council of Ephesus in 431. There in Ephesus, Cyril presided the Holy Council, delegated by pope Silstinos and protected by the king Theodisus, and condemned Nestor and his teaching, confirming that Jesus is fully God, and that the Virgin Mary is the Mother of God, Theotokos.
Cyril was exiled and Nestorius took over his cathedral, as the king shifted from Catholicism to Nestorianism, but finally got reestablished in his Cathedral, to spend his last days among his people confirming them in the true faith, leading them by his heroic example in the narrow ways of love, taking care of the needy and defending and spreading out the faith through some excellent writings, until he died in the Lord in June 8th, 444.
His writings in Christian faith and Trinitarian Theology and against Nestorianism are included in the great writings of the fathers of the Church, and come in two books and 87 letters May his prayers be with us all. Amen.