Tuesday of the second week of fasting; Opt. Mem. From St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop & Doctor – March 18, 2025 – Liturgical calendar

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The conviction of religious externalism, hypocrisy and vanity of Jesus should not only correct the Pharisees of his time. It is also aimed at us. We should deal with our fasting practices of piety and works of charity and see if they are spoiled with hypocrisy. During the following celebration, Christ, the servant Yahweh, will increase in us the spirit of human service.

The “phylacterial” mentioned in the gospel were parchment bands that were enclosed in small boxes that were worn on the forehead and on the left left, where they were fixed by the straps. The most important laws of the law were inscribed in these ligaments. The “fringes” were the tassels that the law had to be worn at the four corners of the cloak. By wearing broad phylacterial and long tassels, the Pharisees intended to clearly show the laws. –St. Andrew Missal

The church celebrates the Optional monument of St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem (315-386). Cyril was banished three times from his lake. With St. Athanasius and others, he belongs to the great confidence masters in the fight against Arianism. As a teacher and preacher, he has left a number of catechetic instructions that represent an priceless heirloom from Christian ancient. Of the twenty -four -day discourses, nineteen were directed for baptism for catechumen during Lent, while during Easter five so -called mystalic instructions were given to better known for the secrets of Christianity that were already baptized.

The Roman martyrology reminiscent St. Alexander von Jerusalem (died 251) A bishop of the third century, which is worshiped by the East Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Roman Catholic Church as a martyr and saint.

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Meditation for Tuesday of the second week of fasting – the close formalism of the Pharisees

The excessive formalism of the Pharisees led the need to pride. When they themselves were the authors of many regulations, they believed themselves as the authors of their own holiness. They were the “separate”, the pure ones that were dissatisfied unhappy. So what did you have to accuse yourself? Were you not perfect “correct” in every respect? That's why they had the extreme appreciation for themselves. She asked her above -average pride to “love greetings on the marketplace and the first chairs in the synagogues and the main rooms at festivals”.

The extraordinary condemnation of the rescuer towards publications and sinners, which they rejected as impure, his independence in relation to the law of the Sabbath, because he said he was the Lord of the Sabbath, the miracles with whom he pulled the people to him could not fail. The people to him could not miss them to defeat them. The people to him could not miss them to defeat them.

Throughout the gospel, we see them full of hatred against Jesus, strive to destroy his authority with the crowd, to avert his disciples from him and to deceive the people to prevent him from fulfilling his salvation.

– Columba Marmion, Christ in his secrets

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St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Cyril from Jerusalem was handed over to the study by the Holy Saints from childhood and made such progress that he became an important advocate of the Orthodox faith. He hugged the monastic institute and tied to eternal chastity and austerity measures of life. He was ordained a priest by St. Maximus, Patriarch by Jerusalem, and took over the work of preaching the faithful and instructing the catechumens in which he won the praise of everyone. He was the author of the really wonderful Catechetical instructionswhich are clearly and entirely the teaching of the Church and contain an excellent defense of the individual religious dogms against the enemies of faith. His treatment of these subjects is so clear and clear that he not only refutes the heresia of his time, but also by a kind of previous knowledge that should later arise. So he retains the true presence of the body and blood of Christ in the delightful sacrament of the altar. After the death of the Patriarch St. Maximus, the bishops of the province of Cyril elected in his place.

As a bishop, like blessed Athanasius, he had his contemporary, many injustice and suffering, for the sake of faith by the Arian. They could not endure his strenuous opposition to their heresia and attacked him with defamation, turned him off in a pseudo-council and drove him from his lake. In order to escape her anger, he fled to Tarsus in Kilikien and, as long as Constantius lived, he wore the difficulties of exile. After the death of Constantius and the accession of Julian, the renegade, Cyril was able to return to Jerusalem, where he set himself with burning zeal to give his herd of false teaching and sin. He was driven into exile in exile under the emperor Valens for a second time, but when Theodosius was restored to the big one in the church and the cruelty and insolence of the Arians were held back. He was received by the emperor as a brave soldier of Christ and restored his lake. With what serious and holiness he fulfilled the duties of his sublime office due to the flowering state of the church in Jerusalem, as from St. Basil, who spent some time there on a pilgrimage to the Holy Places.

Tradition states that God made the holiness of this venerable patriarch famous by signs from heaven, including the appearance of a cross, brighter than the sun, which was seen at the beginning of his patriarchy. Not only Cyril himself, but also pagans and Christians were witnesses of this Marvel, who was grateful for the thanks to God in the church, who had announced by letter to Constantius. One thing that was no less wonderful came when the Jews were ordered by the godless Emperor Julian to restore the temple destroyed by Titus. An earthquake was created and large fire balls broke out of the earth and consumed the work, so that Julian and the Jews were hit by terror and their plan tasks. This was clearly predicted by Cyril. Shortly before his death, he was present in the Ecumenical Council in Constantinople, where the heresia were convicted by Macedonius and Arius. After his return to Jerusalem, he died at the age of nine and sixty in the thirty -five year of his diocese at the age of nine and sixty. Pope Leo XIII. Ordered that his office and trade fair should be said in the entire universal church.

Highlights and things to do:

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St. Alexander von Jerusalem

Alexander was a student in the late second century with origen at the famous Christian school of Alexandria. He became Bishop of Cappadocia and during the persecution of Severus was detained for several years (204-211).

After his release from prison, he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was announced there in 212 with the coadjutor bishop. Demetrius, the bishop of Alexandria, censored Alexander to participate in the ordination of Origenes and to encourage Origen in churches while he still has a layman.

Nevertheless, Alexander Origenes received in exile. Alexander developed a large theological library in Jerusalem. During the persecution of Decius, he was confiscated and locked up again.

After making a public confidence, he was convicted and thrown into the wild beasts, but they refused to attack him. Alexander was then brought to Caesarea, where he died in chains in 251.

The church recognizes him as a martyr. Despite his great learning and important church positions, Saint Alexander was known as an individual great mildness, especially in his sermons.

When he was put to the test during two persecution, he remained steadfast in faith and was ready to suffer death for faith.

Highlights and things to do:

• Read more about St. Alexander von Jerusalem:
• Read Book VI of Eusebius' church history about Catholic culture in the fathers of the church department. This chapter has numerous indications of St. Alexander and the persecution under Decius. Teaching must be drawn from history and our age today is also an age of martyrs.




• See also Holy Hieromartyr Alexander.