Festal Letters 1-12

Festal Letter Seven

125 FESTAL LETTER SEVEn A.D. 419 EJOICE IN THE Lord always; again i say, rejoice!”1 Behold , the thrice-longed-for time of our holy feast has arisen for us, coming in the course of the same cycles, like those from foreign parts putting into home port. it already appears in the harbor, and now the cables are being made fast to the shore. But since it is already here, and has all but come ashore among us, i consider it reasonable and proper, that we especially who, belonging to the divine priesthood,2 bear the sacred trumpet in our mouth, should give the clarion signal for the festival, and gather together as for a common banquet those who are from everywhere, saying in the words of the holy Psalmist : “Come, children, listen to me; i will teach you the fear of the Lord.”3 For to apportion to each season what befits it is something i consider quite good and wise. To try not to fail in the quest for what is of benefit, however, is the habit most suitable only for those of good character. Therefore, since the season of glorious exertions is upon us, let us seize it eagerly when it is here. “Let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement,”4 and through our good fast “let us put to death what is earthly in us: fornication, impurity, passion, and evil desire.”5 Thus it is, thus indeed, that we will be with God most holy, who says, “Be holy, for i am holy.”6 The most skillful physicians devise a variety of ways to offer 1. Phil 4.4. 2. This is most likely a reference to the office of bishop rather than the presbyterate . See John Chrysostom’s On the Priesthood for a similar usage. 3. Ps 34.11. 4. 2 Cor 7.1. 5. Col 3.5. 6. Lv 11.44. “ 126 ST. CYRiL OF ALEXAnDRiA healing for bodies, and they provide yearly purges for those troubled by the things which usually spoil the well-ordered combination of elements in us; they cause some minor momentary discomfort to their patients, whom, however, they dismiss free from illnesses hardly minor. Thus also i think we should consider it of great importance to accumulate for ourselves a great store of the means to secure our future, accepting a moderate degree of discomfort in the course of beneficial actions, rather than refusing some slight suffering and then falling prey to the pains caused by punishment, which are greater and more grievous, or rather harsh and inexorable. Realizing this, and convinced of it, then, there is only one thing to do: to welcome to our souls, with the liveliest determination, the all-holy fast, the mother of every virtue , the guide to holiness, the ever-reliable counselor in the matter of distinguishing oneself in good deeds, to act as a purgative remedy. For it battles against the inordinate movements of the mind, does away with the law that runs riot in the members of the flesh,7 and lulls the crowd of unruly pleasures in us, all but crying aloud with piercing voice: “Present your members as a living sacrifice , acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”8 But i do not see how one could readily excel in such a glorious contest, unless one was emboldened by high spirits on the one hand, and resolved gladly on the other to hasten to engage in frequent labors for virtue, and considered it glorious to spend oneself to good purpose. it is like those who exercise in gymnasiums , and boast of their great bodily strength, but of skill to match it as well: if even before the match begins they encounter their opponents in the wrestling-hall when they themselves are gloomy and downcast, and vanquished by fear before they touch the dust in the stadium, then they readily fall, and even before they come to grips with their adversaries, they have undone themselves by fright. Those, however, who are not at all so affected , and who often shake their opponents’ confidence simply by their very posture, win the decision for themselves; and so it is, i think, and not otherwise, for those who live with the divine law, and are serious about leading a life of excellence. Those who are 7. Cf. Rom 7.23–25. 8. Rom 12.1. FESTAL LETTER SEVEn 127...