Saint Cyril of Alexandria

We pray through a short sequence of invocations and a powerful reading from St Gregory of Nyssa that links real blessedness to purity of heart, not mere knowledge. We reflect on how cleansing the inner life reveals God’s image within us and leads to a clearer, steadier spiritual sight. 
• opening prayers and offering of the day through the Immaculate Heart of Mary 
• St Gregory of Nyssa on health as lived practice rather than praise 
• “Blessed are the pure of heart” as possession of God within 
• “The Kingdom of God is within you” as a guide for interior renewal 
• the rusted iron image as a model for repentance and virtue 
• sin as a mist that clouds the eye of the soul and blurs spiritual vision 
• Gospel lines that anchor purity in Christ as the way, truth, and life 
If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publications now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org. 

Transcript

Opening Invocation And Feast Day

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. O my Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

Homily On Purity And Blessedness

SPEAKER_00 0:45

From a homily by Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop. In our human life, bodily health is a good thing, but this blessing consists not merely in knowing the causes of good health, but in actually enjoying it. If a man eulogizes good health and then eats food that has unhealthy effects, what good is his praise of health when he finds himself on a sickbed? Similarly, from the Lord's saying, Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God, we are to learn that blessedness does not lie in knowing something about God, but rather in possessing God within oneself. I do not think these words mean that God will be seen face to face by the man who purifies the eye of his soul. Their sublime import is brought out more clearly, perhaps, in that other saying of the Lord's The Kingdom of God is within you. This teaches us that the man who cleanses his heart of every created thing and every evil desire will see the image of the divine nature in the beauty of his own soul. I believe the lesson summed up by the word in that short sentence was this You men have within you a desire to behold the supreme good. Now, when you are told that the majesty of God is exalted above the heavens, that his glory is inexpressible, his beauty indescribable, and his nature transcendent, do not despair, because you cannot behold the object of your desire. If by a diligent life of virtue you wash away the film of dirt that covers your heart, then the divine

Clearing Sin To See God Within

SPEAKER_00 2:12

beauty will shine forth in you. Take a piece of iron as an illustration. Although it might have been black before, once the rust has been scraped off with a whetstone, it will begin to shine brilliantly and to reflect the rays of the sun. So it is with the interior man, which is what the Lord means by the heart. Once a man removes from his soul the coating of filth that has formed on it through his sinful neglect, he will regain his likeness to his archetype and be good. For what resembles the supreme good is itself good. If he then looks into himself, he will see the vision he has longed for. This is the blessedness of the pure in heart. In seeing their own purity they see the divine archetype mirrored in themselves. Those who look at the sun in a mirror, even if they do not look directly at the sky, see its radiance in the reflection just as truly as those who look directly at the sun's orb. It is the same, says the Lord, with you. Even though you are unable to contemplate and see the inaccessible light, you will find what you seek within yourself, provided you return to the beauty and grace of that image which was originally placed in you. For God is purity, he is free from sin and a stranger to all evil. If this can be said of you, then God will surely be within you. If your mind is untainted by any evil, free from sin and purified from all stain, then indeed you are blessed, because your sight is keen and clear. Once purified, you see things that others cannot see. When the mists of sin no longer cloud the eye of your soul, you see that blessed vision clearly in the peace and purity of your own heart. That vision is nothing else than the holiness, the purity, the simplicity, and all the other glorious reflections of God's nature, through which God Himself is seen.

Gospel Lines And Closing Prayers

SPEAKER_00 4:06

The Lord said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. Whoever believes in me has eternal life. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. Grant, O God, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen. All that I have, and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Invitation To Join The Cristeros

SPEAKER_00 4:59

If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publications now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theChristeros.org.