Saint Cyril of Jerusalem tied it all together for us

By Tim Trainor

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080721.cfm
Deuteronomy 6:4-13
Matthew 17:14-20

Question: How do you think our three readings for today could all be tied together?

My talk's title contains the answer. That is, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem Tied It All (that is the major content of these 3 readings) Together for Us.

Let me explain how this 340 AD Bishop did it for me, and maybe you too over two centuries ago.

Allow me to start with some background on our Gospel reading and work backwards to our 1st reading. In the Gospels of Mark & Luke there are similar and more descriptive accounts of this event than in Matthew's, so, I will be drawing also from them too as we look at this encounter.

Just before this event, the apostles were with Christ at the Transfiguration. Have you ever come out of a retreat on fire to change the world, and then the unexpected cross comes your way – a negative comment, a temptation you have not had before, a tragedy in the family? You were in the clouds surrounded by God’s glory, and then you came crashing down to the reality of this world. Let the moments of glory be your strength (say – isn't that word part of our Psalm?) to face and persevere through all the challenges that lie ahead. We have to be strong. We have to keep moving ahead even though we seem to have bullets flying by our heads, as do soldiers in war.

The apostles go out and think they can cure people, but they forget the secret ingredient – faith. It is not the apostles who are doing the work; it is God working through them. Could it be that they had forgotten this fact and fell into presumption? How often do we have a great time at prayer, only to walk out the door and return to our self-centeredness? We have no power aside from Christ. Put your faith into action. Making sure your actions are done with Christ and through Christ perhaps could be PART of the lesson here.

The Scene:“And when they came to the multitude, a man came up to Him, falling on his knees before Him, and saying . . . “

We know a few more details from the parallel accounts in Mark and Luke. Jesus along with Peter, James, and John are coming down off the mountain where Jesus had been transfigured before those 3 disciples. They saw a glimpse of the glory that is part of Jesus’ unveiled nature. As they descended the mountain, a crowd has gathered at its base awaiting Jesus’ return.

The other nine disciples are there waiting to rejoin Jesus in ministry. Some Scribes are among the crowd waiting to see what Jesus will do and say. They want to catch Him in something which they can use to discredit Him. The majority of people are waiting for Jesus to come to do some miracle. Some are desiring a miracle because they are diseased, sick, or crippled. They want Jesus to make them well. Then there are those who only want to watch. They are there only for entertainment.

One of the men in this crowd has come because of his love for his son. His son is afflicted by a demon that causes the boy to fall down and thrash around. The argument that had been going on between the disciples and the Scribes revolved around the disciple’s inability to help this man’s son. When the disciples reach Jesus, He asks them what was going on. It is at this point that the man speaks up and describes to Jesus his need and what had occurred. Look at verses 15 & 16.

“Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic, and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” Mark's version adds adds an important bit of information: in it - the man specifically says that these fits is brought upon the boy by a demon. (See Mark 9:18).

The man had come to find Jesus, but seeing that He was not present, he brings his request to the nine disciples that were there. The man displays a great love for whom Luke describes as his only son. He is concerned for his safety and the danger he faces because this demon is out to destroy him if possible by causing the attacks to toss him into the fire or into the water.

The disciple’s failure was the reason for their argument with the Scribes, who were no doubt trying to take advantage of the situation to try and discredit both them and Jesus. They did not fail because they had NO experience in stuff like this. Remember, back in chapter 10 they had been sent out to preach the gospel saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” and were given the power to “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons.” When they returned, they reported that they had done those things. Dealing with demons was not an entirely new thing to them, but they still failed. Why? The problem, as we shall see, was related to their faith.

Notice that it wasn’t that they did not believe or that they did not have faith. The problem was that they did not have enough (perhaps strong/mature) faith. Their faith was insufficient to conquer the problem at hand. The demon did not respond immediately to their efforts to make it leave. At that point doubt entered and they wondered what they were doing wrong. The Scribes then started to taunt them, and tricked into entering a debate with them rather than being persistent in prayer aimed at casting out the demon they got off track, I believe.

Jesus’ sees this, I think, as a teachable moment to strengthen the faith and focus of His disciples, but before He could do that they needed to understand that He was disappointed with them allowing the Scribes to entrap them in a debate. Jesus was not upset just with them, He was also upset at the whole ongoing mess of the mixed audience in the scene.

Matthew 17:17, “And Jesus answered and said, ‘O unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me!”

Understand the contrast of what had just occurred (His Transfiguration) and what was now occurring. He had just revealed some of His glory to Peter, James, and John. Jesus had just been talking with Moses and Elijah. Jesus had just heard the voice of God the Father commending Him and instructing the disciples to listen to Him. Now there was a scene of confusion, weakness, and unbelief. But again, His disappointment is not just with the disciples, it is with this “unbelieving and perverted generation.”

The demonstration of that generation’s unbelief was seen over and over again. Jesus taught them and performed miracle after miracle before them. The Old Testament prophecies (like Moses) were being fulfilled in Him, and yet that generation still refused to recognize who He was. The foolishness of the Scribes arguing with the disciples attested to that. The inability of the disciples to cast out the demon even after they had spent so much time with Jesus showed how much they still did not understand. The multitudes who were so quick to come and rejoice over Jesus’ miracles, but were so slow and hesitant to believe and follow His teachings. What a series of disappointments!

The perversion Jesus speaks of here is not so much moral perversion, as in the perversion of the Old Testament, which was resulting in the rejection of Jesus’ message that He is the Messiah. It was a perverted understanding of God’s revelation that was resulting in even Jesus’ disciples not understanding why Jesus was going to Jerusalem to suffer and die for the sin of mankind. But that's another story.

Back to the man, his son, and Jesus’ actions. Starting in Mark 9:20, we pick up Mark’s account of what occurred after Jesus had asked that the boy be brought to Him.

Jesus’ main desire was to strengthen the faith of the man and those watching. The man understood that his faith was not great and that is why he confessed it and asked the Lord to intervene where his faith was weak (“I do believe, help my unbelief.”) That is the proper response. It does us no good to deny it. We simply need to confess the truth and ask for the Lord’s help. Our faith becomes greater in amount and depth as the Lord takes us through the various trials of our life.

What Jesus said to the disciples describes the nature of great faith. “. . . if you have faith the size of a mustard seed ...”

So - It is not the size of faith, but the quality of it that makes it great. It is the ability to grow the substance that is packed inside the mustard seed. This is what Jesus was referring to here I think!

Faith must be placed in an object. You can have a lot of faith, but if it is in the wrong object you are in trouble. Your Mustard Seed Faith has to have the right object.

Seeking to better tie together my thoughts, I next searched the Catechism for the phrase “Mustard Seed of Faith” and found item in 186 the following good info:

From the beginning, the apostolic Church expressed and handed on her faith in brief formula type of statements called Creeds. Very early on, the Church wanted to gather the essential elements of her faith into summaries, intended especially for candidates for Baptism:

This synthesis of faith was not made to accord with human opinions, but rather what was of the greatest importance was gathered from all the Scriptures, to present the one teaching of the faith in its entirety. And just as the mustard seed contains a great number of branches in a tiny grain, so too this summary of faith encompassed in a few words the whole knowledge of the true religion contained in the Old and the New Testaments.

The above quote was taken from Saint Cyril of Jerusalem's famous 23 lectures given to catechumens in 350AD being prepared for, and then after, baptism are in two parts: the first eighteen lectures are commonly known as the Catechetical Lectures or Homilies, while the final five are often called the Mysteries Homilies that drilled into them, via repetition,  the meanings of spirit filled words like: regeneration, contrition, enlightenment, and transubstantiation from the Sacraments of Baptism, Confession, Confirmation and the Eucharist.

But there is a second kind of faith, per Cyril, which is bestowed by Christ as a gift of grace. For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit... and to another gifts of healing (which our Gospel reading speaks on).

This faith then which is given of grace from the Spirit is not merely doctrinal, but also things above man's power. For whosoever has this faith, shall say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove. For whenever any one says this in faith believing that it comes to pass, and shall not doubt in his heart, then he (shall) receive that grace.

This is where the nine Disciples stumbled, I think, as they let the Scribes 'take their eye off the ball' and some doubt crept in.

And of this faith as a grain of mustard seed Cyril goes on to said: is small in size, but fiery in its operation, and though sown in a small space has a circle of great branches, and when grown up is able even to shelter the fowls of the air.

And so, Jesus directs them to regain their healing faith's ‘fiery’ nature via prayer and fasting!

But in learning the Faith and in professing it, Cyril concludes, acquire and keep that only, which is now delivered to you by the Church, and which has been built up strongly out of all the Scriptures. This summary I wish you both to commit to memory when I recite it , and to rehearse it (sounds like he is saying: 'Drill it in' to me) with all diligence among yourselves, engraving it by the memory upon your heart. For the articles of the Faith were not composed as seemed good to men; but the most important points collected out of all the Scripture make up one complete teaching of the Faith. And just as the mustard seed in one small grain contains many branches, so also this Faith has embraced in few words all the knowledge of godliness in the Old and New Testaments. Take heed then, brethren, and hold fast the traditions which you now receive, and write them on the Table of Your Heart.

Wow! What does this sound like?

How about our 1st reading from Deuteronomy which, as I mentioned, does contains the words 'Drill it in' plus the idea of 'Binding' sayings as a 'sign' or 'pendent' etc. which Cyril clearly echoes with his call to write them on the Table of Your Heart!

So, to strengthen your Faith in its fiery operation, that is to grow or increase (like a mustard seed does) you have to acquire and unpack spiritual knowledge via actions like prayer and fasting just as Jesus tells His Disciples in Mark's version of this encounter.

Oh, by the way -  Saint Cyril of Jerusalem is a Doctor of the church so I suggest that we all try to learn more of his teachings and thereby increase the 'fire' in our faith!

 In conclusion, the reason the Disciples failed was not their lack of faith. What they needed was to continue to grow the strength of their faith and keep it focused on the right object – JESUS! They needed a fiery faith that relied completely upon the unlimited capacity of the all-powerful God!

Lastly,  to now go forward, we (as His Disciples did), need to write on the Tables of our own Hearts the same type of faith we all have seen Jesus exercise, multiple time, thru sincere prayer and fasting.