May 07 2007
The Protocatechesis of St Cyril (Section 5)
Section 5 of the Protocatechesis continues the dominant theme of the lecture, namely honesty of purpose, the need to receive baptism with integrity of purpose. The section is short and rather straight-forward and so my notes will be few. Cyril’s text is in bold type and my notes in italics.
Possibly you have come on another pretext. It is possible that a man is here wishing to court a woman; or likewise, a woman is here for the purpose of gaining a man.
Many Christian parents did not allow their children to marry pagans. In one of his sermons on Psalm 119 St Ambrose mentions that some Pagans became Christian on a pretext, their motivation not really being salvation but marriage to the Christian they loved. This seems to be the problem St Cyril has in mind.
A slave also perhaps wishes to please his master (see Eph 6:5-9), and a friend his friend. I accept this bait for the hook, and welcome thee, thou you came with an evil purpose, yet as one to be saved by a good hope.
Though they have come for the wrong reasons the Saint nonetheless welcomes them, seeing it as an opportunity to save them.
Perhaps you did not now where you were coming, nor in what kind of net you were taken. You have come into the Church’s nets to be taken alive (see Mt 4:18-20 and 13:47), for you must die and rise again (see Rom 6:4). You have heard the Apostle say, “Dead unto sin, but living unto righteousness.” (see Rom 6:11-14) Die to your sins and live to righteousness, live from this very day.
