The early years of the Church were challenging times for the Faith. It was surrounded by heresies that questioned the fundamental beliefs and doctrine of the Catholic Faith.
One of these heresies termed Arianism was so called because it was initiated by Arius.
It was a heresy concerning Jesus Christ as the Son of God, claiming that Jesus was not Divine and not One with the Father.
It is believed that St. Cyril was born about the year 315, some years before Arianism became a challenging concern for the Church. Little is known about his childhood and early life, only that his parents were Christians and that he was brought up in Jerusalem. He had a sister and a nephew, Gelasius with whom he had a close relationship. It seems that Cyril formed part of the group called Solitaries. These were devout men who while still living in their own homes and not in a monastery, they committed themselves to a life of complete chastity (remaining unmarried) dedicating themselves to prayer and penance besides being of service to others.
Cyril was ordained a deacon and then a priest, by his bishop Maximus, later a Saint, who put him in charge of preparing and instructing catechumens. These were individuals who had to receive religious instructions as preparation before being baptized at Easter. Later on after the death of Maximus, Cyril was consecrated Bishop of Jerusalem.
When Jerusalem was faced with a great famine, the poor and hungry people resorted to their Bishop Cyril for help. Seeing so many people starving and on the edge of death, he sold some goods from the church so that the proceeds would go to feed the poor. He was accused of selling Church goods to raise money for his own benefit and he was banished from his diocese
But the greatest challenge that Bishop Cyril had to face was that he was caught between the conflict that existed between the Bishops who continued to uphold the beliefs of the Catholic Church and the so-called Arian Bishops who had started to favour Arianism. His greatest conflict was with the Arian Bishop Acacius not only because of their divergence in beliefs but also regarding the issue of territory, which as Bishop of Jerusalem, Cyril felt that his diocese was outside the jurisdiction of the Arian Bishop Acacius. As a result of these conflicts Bishop Cyril was exiled two other times out of Jerusalem with one episode of exile lasting for 11 years!
At the Council of Constantinople, Cyril was cleared of all injustices and Arianism was condemned. He continued as Bishop of Jerusalem for another 8 years striving incessantly to establish peace, to erase conflicts, promoting the fundamental beliefs of the Catholic Faith.
He died peacefully when he was about 70 years old in 386.
St. Cyril continues to be remembered for his instructions to those people who were preparing to be received as Christians after their Baptism.
– The R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) is a programme that the Catholic Church still carries out for these catechumens. In most parishes these adults are baptized during Easter Night. At the same time they receive the Holy Eucharist for the first time and receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
– Those who are baptized soon after they are born are called ‘Cradle Christians.’ Then as they are growing up they receive Catechism lessons to help them understand what it means to be a Christian. As they mature in their understanding they receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, they receive Holy Communion and later the Sacrament of Confirmation.
– Discuss with the children what category they belong to .
Consider accompanying the older one to the Easter Vigil to witness an adult being baptized.
Alternatively, one might find out from the Parish Priest when a Baptism is taking place in the Church. Accompany the children to witness it.
– Tell the children the date of their Baptism, besides that of their birthday! Show them their Baptism Certificate! Make a poster with their drawings, photos of their christening, the names of their godparents, including the name of the priest who baptized them and of course the name of the church where they were baptized. Put the date of their Baptism in a prominent place in the poster!
From the life story of St. Cyril you might take the opportunity to talk and explore their feelings when they feel excluded, like when they are left out of a group, not being chosen in a team, hurt by those they had considered their friends.
– When they come home and share experiences of being left out, listen, empathize, validate their feelings, avoid remarks that could be interpreted by them that they should be different to be liked.
– It is not helpful to try to ‘fix it’ for them. Listen to what the child thinks he/she could handle.
– Do evaluate if the exclusion is escalating into a subtle form of bullying, especially if the child is being shunned repeatedly to such an extent that is affecting their behaviour and social interaction.
Family Prayer Time.
– Lead: Prayers of thanksgiving for being a member of the Family of God as Catholics through Baptism; Prayers for those who are preparing to be baptized this Easter; for all the missionaries around the world, preaching the Faith and baptizing people.
– For the older children you might consider watching:
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This new bekids.mt aims to offer an even more comprehensive catechetical formation for children preparing to receive the sacraments.
