14 February. Saints Cyril and Methodius

Cyril and Methodius  so influenced the cultural development of all the Slavic peoples that they are honoured as “Apostles to the Slavs.”

1st Reading: Acts 13:46-49

The mission of the apostles, later emulated by Cyril and Methodius to the Slavs

Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “I have set you to be a light for the Geniles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the region.

Gospel: Luke 10:1-9

Jesus sends out seventy missionaries, forerunners of so many others in later centuries

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet nobody on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

Missionaries to the Slavs: Cyril and Methodius

Cyril and Methodius were brothers born in 9th century Thessalonika in northern Greece, in the Byzantine Roman empire. They became ardent missionaries among the Slavic peoples of Moravia and Pannonia (modern Czech Republic and Hungary). They so influenced the cultural development of all the Slavic peoples that they were honoured as “Apostles to the Slavs.” They are still highly regarded among the peoples along the river Danube. Pope Benedict XVI, in a homily (2009) to a group of Slavic Christians said:
“The words of Jesus, written in large letters above the entrance to your Cathedral, he addresses to each of us: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29-30). Here, as elsewhere, many people suffered in past centuries for remaining faithful to the Gospel preached by Saints Cyril and Methodius. But they did not lose hope; many people sacrificed themselves in order to restore dignity to man and freedom to peoples, finding in their generous adherence to Christ the strength to build a new humanity. In present-day society, many forms of poverty are born from isolation, from being unloved, from the rejection of God and from a deep-seated self-enclosure in man who believes himself to be self-sufficient, or else merely an insignificant and transient datum; in this world of ours which is alienated when too much trust is placed in merely human projects, only Christ can be our certain hope.
This is the message that we are called to spread every day, through our witness. Proclaim it, as you exercise your ministry enthusiastically, certain that nothing can be lacking in those who put their trust in him. Bear witness to Christ through the joyful and consistent practice of the evangelical counsels, indicating where our true homeland lies: in Heaven. And you, dear young people, dear lay faithful, dear families, base on the firm foundation of faith in Christ whatever plans you have for your family, for work, for school, for activities in every sphere. Jesus never abandons his friends. He assures us of his help, for nothing can be done without him, but he asks everyone to make a personal commitment to spread his universal message of love and peace.”
Cyril and Methodius translated the Scriptures and the liturgical texts into the local Slavic language, to communicate them to the local people. In the process they needed to invent a new alphabet, from which the present Slav alphabet is derived. Hence they are honoured as the founders of Slavonic literature. Later they travelled to Rome, where Cyril became a monk. He is buried in the Irish Dominican church of San Clemente, where an ancient fresco depicts his funeral. Methodius returned to Moravia where he met opposition from local bishops who objected to his use of the vernacular. As Cyril and Methodius were labourers in the Lord’s harvest, we too can help with the Lord’s harvest in one way or another. We can do this wherever we find ourselves. The Lord will always provide us with opportunities to help in his work.