My beloved brothers and sisters in Our Risen Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!
On the 11th of May, Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates
Saints CYRIL and METHODIUS, Apostles to the Slavic Lands.
Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Fourth Tone
SINCE ye were equal in character to the Apostles, and teachers of the
Slavic Lands, O divinely-wise Cyril and Methodius, pray to the Lord of
all to strengthen all nations in Orthodoxy and unity of thought, to
convert and reconcile the world to God, and to save our souls.
Kontakion Hymn of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Third Tone
LET us honor our sacred pair of enlighteners, who, by translating the
divine writings, have poured forth for us a well-spring of divine
knowledge from which we draw abundantly even unto this day: We call
you blessed, O Cyril and Methodius, ye that stand before the Throne of
the Most High and intercede fervently for our souls.
Born in Thessaloniki Greece, Saint Methodius was a military man before becoming a monk on Mount Olympus. His brother Constantine, known as the Philosopher because of his erudition, was Librarian at the Church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) in Constantinople; he later became a monk with the name of Cyril (Kyrillos). The Emperor Michael sent them with his brother Methodius to the Khazars in response to their petition for teachers to expound to them the Christian Faith. On their way, they stayed in Cherson, where they recovered from the Black Sea the holy relics of Saint Clement of Rome. Later, they were called by Prince Rostislav of Moravia to instruct his people in the Orthodox Faith (Saint Rostislav died a martyr’s death and is celebrated on October 15). The Saints devised an alphabet for the Slavs, and used it to translate the Greek books into the language of the people. In their Apostolic labours throughout the Balkans, the holy brothers were slandered by certain Germanic bishops who opposed the use of the vernacular in the Church services. Summoned to court at Rome in 867 A.D., they presented their Slavonic translations to Pope Adrian II, who received them with love and full approval. Two years later, Saint Cyril reposed in Rome on February 14th and was buried in the Church of Saint Clement. Saint Methodius was made Bishop of Moravia, but at the intrigues of certain Latin clergy, was cast into prison by the “Holy Roman Emperor” (the Germanici Emperor of the West), where he was cruelly tormented for some three years. In 874 A.D., through the defence of Pope John VIII, he was freed and made Archbishop of Moravia. Because he reproved the lax morals of the German priests in Moravia, he was soon accused of heresy by them, and was forbidden to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in Slavonic. Summoned to Rome again in 879 A.D., he was completely exonerated and allowed once again to use Slavonic tongue for the divine services.
He reposed on April 6, 885 A.D.
The holy brothers converted Kagan to the Christian Faith and baptized him, together with a great number of his nobles and an even greater
number of the people. After some time, they returned to Constantinople, where they compiled a Slavic Alphabet of 38 letters and began to
translate the service books from Greek to Slavonic. At the invitation of Prince Rostislav, they went to Moravia, where with great devotion, they spread and confirmed the Faith, made more copies of the books, brought them priests and taught the young. Saint Methodius’ disciples, the Five Followers, with Saint Clement as bishop at the beginning,
crossed the Danube River and moved towards the south of Macedonia, where, from Ochrid, they continued the work among the
Slavs that Saints Cyril and Methrodius had begun in the north. [Resources: The Great Horologion and The Prologue from Ochrid]
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“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine, Glorious and Redeeming Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 