Vigils Reading

WHEREVER CHRIST LEADS

By St Cyril of Alexandria

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The glory of Christ filled the true Tabernacle, which is the Church, from

the very moment it was set up on earth. This, surely, is what is signified by the

cloud that covered the first Tabernacle. Christ has filled the Church with his

glory, and now like a fire, he shines forth to give light to those who live in the

darkness of ignorance and error. He shades and protects those already

enlightened by the dawn of his day in their hearts. He refreshes them with the

heavenly dew of his consolations sent down from above through the Spirit. This

is what we should understand by the saying that by night he appeared in the

form of fire, and by day in the form of cloud.

Those who were as yet uninstructed in the teaching of Christ required

spiritual enlightenment to bring them to a knowledge of God; but the more

advanced, whose minds had been illumined by faith, were in need of protection

from the scorching heat of the day, and of courage to bear the burdens of this

present life. For all who desire to live a godly life in Christ will suffer

persecution.

Whenever the cloud moved forward, the Tabernacle went with it; when

the cloud settled, the Tabernacle came to rest with it and the Israelites broke

their journey. Now the meaning of this for us is that wherever Christ leads, the

Church, the holy multitude of believers, follows him. The faithful are never

separated from the Saviour who calls them to himself. We may not be able to

find any special meaning in the constant halts and new departures throughout

our spiritual journey under Christ’s guidance. It is the whole journey, following

the cloud whether it moves forward or settles, that symbolizes our desire to be

with God.

Nevertheless, if we would have a more subtle interpretation, we could

perhaps say that our first departure is from unbelief to faith, from ignorance to

knowledge, and from having no perception of the true God to clear recognition

of the Creator and Lord of the universe. The second stage, and an essential one,

is conversion from sin and licentiousness to a desire for amendment both in

thought and deed. But the best and most glorious is the third part of the journey,

because in it we leave behind what is deficient and move onward toward what is

perfect both in our actions and in our belief.

So, little by little, we advance toward the ideal we see in Christ, to become

the perfect man, sharing in the perfection of Christ himself. This surely is what

Saint Paul means by saying: Forgetting what lies behind me and straining

forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the goal, the heavenly reward to

which God calls me in Christ Jesus.