Vigils Reading – 21st Sunday

OUR ONE AND ONLY TEACHER

From a commentary by St Cyril of Alexandria1

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To whom shall we go? In other words, “Who else will instruct us the way

you do?” or, “To whom shall we go to find anything better?” You have the words

of eternal life; not hard words, as those other disciples say, but words that will

bring us to the loftiest goal, unceasing, endless life removed from all corruption.

These words surely make quite obvious to us the necessity for sitting at the feet

of Christ, taking him as our one and only teacher, and giving him our constant

and undivided attention. He must be our guide who knows well how to lead us

to eternal life. Thus, shall we ascend to the divine court of heaven, and entering

the church of the firstborn, delight in blessings passing all human

understanding.

That the desire to follow Christ alone and to be with him always is a good

thing leading to our salvation is entirely self-evident, yet we may learn this from

the Old Testament as well. When the Israelites had shaken off Egyptian tyranny

and were hastening toward the promised land, God did not allow them to make

disorderly marches, nor did the lawgiver let each one go where he would, for

without a guide they would undoubtedly lose the way completely. They were

ordered to follow: to set out with the cloud, to come to a halt again with it, and

to rest with it. Keeping with their guide was the Israelites’ salvation then, just

as not leaving Christ is ours now. For he was with those people of old under the

form of the tabernacle, the cloud and the fire.

They were commanded to follow, and not to undertake the journey on

their own initiative. They were to halt with the cloud and to abide with it, that

by this symbol you might understand Christ’s words: Whoever serves me must

follow me, so as to be with me wherever I am. For being always in his company,3

means being steadfast in following him and constant in cleaving to him. But

accompanying the Savior Christ and f0llowing him is by no means to be thought

of something done by the body. It is accomplished rather by deeds springing

from virtue.

Upon such virtue the wisest disciples firmly fixed their minds and refused

to depart with the unbelievers, which they saw would be fatal. With good reason

they cried out: “Where shall we go?” It was as though they said: “We will stay

with you always and hold fast to your commandments. We will receive your

words without finding fault or thinking your teaching hard as the ignorant do,

but thinking rather, How sweet are your words to my throat! Sweeter to my

mouth are they than honey or the honeycomb.”