Prologue in Sermons: February 2

The Glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Benefactions to the Human Race

February 2

(Homily of our Holy Father Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, on the Reception of our Lord Jesus Christ.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian says of the Lord Jesus Christ in one place in his Gospel: “We have seen His glory, glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father” (John 1:14); and in another place of the same Gospel the Lord Himself says of Himself that the world was saved through Him (John 3:17). How are we to understand this? What, then, is the glory of Jesus Christ? In what does it consist? And what, finally, do the words mean: the world was saved through Him? Let us speak of this for our edification.

Concerning the glory of the Lord and the salvation of the world by Him, Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, says the following:

“Understand, all you nations, and submit yourselves. Behold and believe. The Savior is glorified by the Angels; the Archangels worship Him; the Principalities tremble before Him; the Powers praise Him; the Cherubim serve Him; the Seraphim bless Him; the moon glorifies Him. The sun serves Him; the stars obey Him; the springs and the seas submit to Him.”

Thus Saint Cyril speaks of the glory of the Lord; and concerning the salvation of the world by Him, the Archbishop continues:

“When the gates of Hades saw Him, they closed of themselves, and the doors of Paradise were opened; when Hades saw Him, it trembled. He, the Lord, trampled down death by death, conquered the devil, destroyed the curse, turned sorrow into joy, crushed the head of the serpent, broke down the barrier between earth and heaven, tore up the handwriting of sins, condemned the delusions of idols, renewed all creation, saved Adam, forgave Eve, called the nations to Himself from all the ends of the earth, and sanctified the world.”

Thus Saint Cyril speaks of the glory of the Lord and of the salvation of the world by Him. What, then, follows from this? First, that the glory of the Lord consists in this: that "God exalted Him and gave Him a name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow - of those in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth — and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9–11). And second, it follows that the Son of God, by His service to the human race and especially by His sufferings and death on the Cross, truly saved the world; that is, He transformed us from children of sin, wrath, and curse into children of holiness, love, and blessing; He led us from Hades into Paradise, transferred us from darkness to light, from prison to freedom, from a foreign land to our native land. Thus, in this latter reality consist both the glory of the Lord and the salvation of the world by Him.

What shall we say in conclusion? Let us pray that our Savior may teach us worthily, with unceasing hymns and continual doxologies, to praise Him, and that He may establish us on the path of salvation. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.