Today we celebrate Saints Cyril and Methodius , two brothers who are the "Apostles to the Slavs." They are famous for a specific r...
Today we celebrate Saints Cyril and Methodius, two brothers who are the "Apostles to the Slavs." They are famous for a specific reason: they translated the Bible and the Liturgy into the Language of the people. They understood that for the Gospel to take root, it had to speak to the heart in words people could understand. They faced great opposition, but they remained steadfast in their mission to bring the Bread of the Word to the hungry.
This mission of feeding the hungry is mirrored in the Gospel. Jesus looks at the crowd of four thousand and says, "My heart is moved with pity... if I send them away hungry... they will collapse on the way." He takes seven Loaves, gives thanks, breaks them, and gives them to the disciples to distribute. It is a miracle of abundance born of compassion.
Compare this to the first reading. King Jeroboam is afraid he will lose his power if his people go to Jerusalem to worship. So, he creates "convenient" religion. He makes two golden calves and says, "Here are your gods." He sacrifices Loyalty to the Truth for the sake of political security. He gives the people "junk food" for the soul—idols that look impressive but provide no life.
The contrast is clear: Jeroboam gave the people what was easy; Cyril and Methodius gave them what was true; Jesus gave them what was necessary.
On this day, which the secular world celebrates as Valentine’s Day, we are reminded of what true love looks like. True love isn't about "golden calves" of temporary pleasure or convenience. True love is Cyril and Methodius spending their lives to bring the Word to a distant land. True love is Jesus refusing to let the crowd go hungry.
Are we loyal to the Truth, or do we settle for "convenient" versions of faith? Let us ask for the courage to speak the language of Christ—the language of sacrifice, service, and compassion—to a world that is starving for the Real Bread.
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