Today's Devotion
Friday, June 27, 2025 (St. Cyril of Alexandria) - Acts 8:26-40
Friday
June 27, 2025 – St. Cyril of Alexandria
Acts 8:26-40
In the name of + Jesus. Amen.
Today the church honors the fifth century archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt. He is known chiefly as a theologian who defended the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ by defending the Blessed Virgin Mary as “Mother of God.” This title doesn’t describe any divine attribute to Mary, but by virtue of her maternal relationship to Jesus, affirms our Lord’s incarnate divinity.
Prior to the rise of Islam in the 7th century, Christianity was well-established on the African continent, both in the north (e.g. Egypt, Tunisia) and in the sub-Saharan region (e.g. Ethiopia). In today’s reading, we see the miraculous spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem, to all of Judea and Samaria, and the beginnings of the proclamation of the Good News to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). We also see God’s providence at work through the preachers of the Gospel in the persons of both the apostles and the men whom they ordained for ministry. The first bishop of Alexandria was Mark, the colleague of St. Paul who wrote the Gospel that bears his name.
In today’s reading, Philip observes a foreigner in a chariot reading a scroll. The Holy Spirit directs him to “join this chariot.” It turns out that the mysterious stranger is a court official from Ethiopia. Somehow, he has come into the possession of the Book of Isaiah. Philip asks if he understands it. The Ethiopian understands the words, but the meaning of the passage itself (Isa 53:7-8) eludes him. Who is this “sheep … led to the slaughter”? The Ethiopian understands that this is metaphorical, but does not know the identity of the “sheep.” Philip then “told him the good news about Jesus,” and did so “beginning with this Scripture.” The official believed and asked to be baptized. And so he was. The official “went on his way rejoicing,” no longer perplexed by the Old Testament.
Jesus is the key to understanding the Scriptures. And while the Bible is the Word of God, people still need someone to guide them as they read. Jesus called the Eleven into the apostolic ministry, later to be joined by Matthias and Paul and all of the men whom they ordained into this same ministry of preaching and teaching. The church continued to have men in the office of the holy ministry to guide people through the Word of God and to the waters of Holy Baptism. The Gospel did indeed take over the Roman Empire and spread throughout the world. And men like Cyril continued to serve and preach and teach and administer sacraments: telling the world the Good News of Jesus: God incarnate who indeed has a mother, who took His human flesh and blood to the cross for our redemption, who rose from the dead, who reigns as God and Lord, and who continues to come to us in His Holy Word, in Holy Baptism, and in His holy body and blood in the Holy Eucharist.
And we too, hearing and understanding this Good News, go on our way rejoicing!
Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.