Fr Ed Homily 2-14-23: Saints Cyril and Methodius

Our culture thinks of Saint Valentine on February 14.  It is a good tradition. And St. Valentine is worthy of our requests for his intercessory prayer requests. So why does the Church celebrate Saints Cyril and Methodius today?  One thought is we don’t have much information about Saint Valentine.  Over the years many traditions have developed that we cannot corroborate.  Another reason is that the secular world has popularized St. Valentine so much and we get caught up in chocolates and roses.  Too much time and thought about the things of this world.

Saints Cyril and Methodius, although not so popular, really have had an impact on our faith and on the people of Russia today.  Here is a little more information from Laudate.

Saints Cyril and Methodius were brothers.  They were born to the Greek nobility.  They studied at the University of Constantinople and taught philosophy there.  They were both priests.  They were sent by the emperor in 861 to convert the Jewish Khazars of Russia, a successful mission that allowed them to learn the Khazarian language.

In 863, they were sent to convert the Moravians into their mother tongue.  Although some Western clerics opposed their efforts and refused to ordain their priesthood candidates, they did a good job.  They helped develop an alphabet for the Slavic language that eventually became what is known as Cyrillic today.

After initial criticism for their use of it, they achieved the approval of the liturgy in the Slavic language.  They evangelized in Moravia, Bohemia, Pannonia and Poland.

Methodius was archbishop of Velehred (present-day Czech Republic), but was deposed and imprisoned in 870 due to opposition from the German clergy to his work.  They were often reprimanded for using Slavic in the liturgy, some claiming they preached heresy; they were repeatedly cleared of charges.  They translated the Bible into Slavic languages and pioneered the use of local and vernacular languages in liturgical settings.

Saints Cyril & Methodius pray for us.

May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen