Procatechesis

THE CATECHESES OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS CYRIL ARCHBISHOP OF JERUSALEM. PROCATECHESIS, or prologue to the Catecheses of our father among the saints Cyril Archbishop

of Jerusalem. 1 Already a fragrance of blessedness is upon you, O you who are to be enlightened, already you are gathering spiritual flowers to weave heavenly crowns; already the sweet fragrance of the Holy Spirit has breathed upon you. Already you have come to the vestibule of the royal courts; may you be brought in by the King. For now the blossoms of the trees have appeared; may the fruit also [be perfect]. Your names have now been enrolled, and there is a call to military service; and torches for the bridal procession, and a longing for the heavenly commonwealth, and a good purpose, and a consequent hope; for He is true who said, that to them that love God all things work together for good. For God is bountiful in beneficence, but He awaits the genuine purpose of each one. For this reason the Apostle added, saying, to them who are the called according to His purpose; a genuine purpose makes you called; for if your body is here, but your mind is not, it is of no avail. 2 Simon the sorcerer also once came to the font; he was baptized, but not enlightened; and he dipped his body in water, but did not enlighten his heart with the Spirit; and his body went down, and came up; but his soul was not buried with Christ, nor raised with Him. I mention the examples of the fallen, that you may not fall. For these things happened to them as a type, and are written for the admonition of those who come even to this day. Let none of you be found tempting the grace; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you; let none of you enter saying: Let us see what the faithful are doing; I will enter and see, that I may learn what is happening. Do you expect to see, and not expect to be seen? and do you think that while you are scrutinizing what is happening, God is not scrutinizing your heart? 3 A certain man once pried into the wedding in the Gospels; and having put on an unworthy garment, he came in, and reclined, and ate; for the bridegroom permitted it. But when he saw everyone dressed in white, he ought to have put on such a garment himself. But while he partook of the same food, he had an inequality of attire and purpose. But the bridegroom, though bountiful, is not undiscerning; and going around and observing each of the guests, [for He cared not only that they should eat, but that they should do so with decorum] seeing a certain stranger, not having a wedding garment, He said to him: Friend, how did you come in here? In what attire? With what conscience? Granted, the doorkeeper did not hinder you, because of the bounty of the provider; granted, you were ignorant of what sort of attire you should wear to enter the banquet; you came in, you saw the shining garments of those reclining; ought you not to have learned even from what was visible? Ought you not to have gone out at a good time, so that you might also enter at a good time? But now you have entered at a bad time, so that you might be cast out at a bad time. And He commands the servants: Bind his feet, which brazenly rushed in; bind his hands, which knew not how to put on a bright garment; and cast him into the outer darkness; for he is unworthy of the bridal torches. See what happened then; make your own things secure. 4 For we, the ministers of Christ, have received each person, and holding as it were the rank of doorkeepers, we have left the door open. And it is possible for you to enter, having a soul mired in sins, and a stained purpose. You have entered; you were counted worthy; your name was enrolled. Do you see this august assembly of the church? do you observe its order and discipline? the reading of the Scriptures, the presence of the ordained, the sequence of instruction? Be abashed by the place, and

Procatechesis

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΚΥΡΙΛΛΟΥ ΑΡΧΙΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΟΥ ΙΕΡΟΣΟΛΥΜΩΝ ΚΑΤΗΧΗΣΕΙΣ. ΠΡΟΚΑΤΗΧΗΣΙΣ ἤτοι πρόλογος τῶν Κατηχήσεων τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις Πατρὸς ἡμῶν Κυρίλλου Ἀρχιεπισκόπου

Ἱεροσολύμων. 1 Ἤδη μακαριότητος ὀσμὴ πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ὦ ΦΩΤΙΖΟΜΕΝΟΙ, ἤδη τὰ νοητὰ ἄνθη συλλέγετε πρὸς πλοκὴν ἐπουρανίων στεφάνων· ἤδη τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου ἔπνευσεν ἡ εὐωδία. Ἤδη περὶ τὸ προαύλιον τῶν βασιλείων γεγόνατε· γένοιτο δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰσαχθῆτε. Ἄνθη γὰρ νῦν ἐφάνη τῶν δένδρων· γένοιτο δὲ ἵνα καὶ ὁ καρπὸς [τέλειος ᾖ]. Ὀνοματογραφία τέως ὑμῖν γέγονε, καὶ στρατείας κλῆσις· καὶ νυμφαγωγίας λαμπάδες, καὶ οὐρανίου πολιτείας ἐπιθυμία, καὶ πρόθεσις ἀγαθὴ, καὶ ἐλπὶς ἐπακολουθοῦσα· ἀψευδὴς γὰρ ὁ εἰπὼν, ὅτι τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Θεὸν πάντα συνεργεῖ εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Θεὸς δαψιλής ἐστιν εἰς εὐεργεσίαν· περιμένει δὲ ἑκάστου τὴν γνησίαν προαίρεσιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπήγαγεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος λέγων, τοῖς κατὰ πρόθεσιν κλητοῖς οὖσιν· ἡ πρόθεσις γνησία οὖσα, κλητόν σε ποιεῖ· κἂν γὰρ τὸ σῶμα ὧδε ἔχῃς, τὴν δὲ διάνοιαν μὴ ἔχῃς, οὐδὲν ὠφελῇ. 2 Προσῆλθέ ποτε καὶ Σίμων τῷ λουτρῷ ὁ μάγος· ἐβαπτίσθη, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐφωτίσθη· καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἔβαψεν ὕδατι, τὴν δὲ καρδίαν οὐκ ἐφώτισε Πνεύματι· καὶ κατέβη μὲν τὸ σῶμα, καὶ ἀνέβη· ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ οὐ συνετάφη Χριστῷ, οὐδὲ συνηγέρθη. Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω τὰς ὑπογραφὰς τῶν πτωμάτων, ἵνα μὴ σὺ ἐμπέσῃς. Ταῦτα γὰρ τυπικῶς ἐγένετο ἐκείνοις, γέγραπται δὲ πρὸς νουθεσίαν τῶν μέχρις σήμερον προσερχομένων. Μήτις ὑμῶν εὑρεθῇ πειράζων τὴν χάριν· μήτις ῥίζα πικρίας ἄνω φύουσα ἐνοχλῇ· μήτις ὑμῶν εἰσέλθῃ λέγων· Ἀφὲς ἴδωμεν τί ποιοῦσιν οἱ πιστοί· εἰσελθὼν ἴδω, ἵνα μάθω τὰ γινόμενα. Ἰδεῖν προσδοκᾷς, τὸ δὲ ὀφθῆναι οὐ προσδοκᾷς; καὶ νομίζεις, ὅτι σὺ μὲν πολυπραγμονεῖς τὰ γιγνόμενα, Θεὸς δὲ σοῦ οὐ πολυπραγμονεῖ τὴν καρδίαν; 3 Ἐπολυπραγμόνησέ τίς ποτε τὸν γάμον ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις· καὶ ἀνάξιον ἔνδυμα λαβὼν εἰσῆλθε, καὶ ἀνέπεσε, καὶ ἔφαγε· συνεχώρησε γὰρ ὁ νυμφίος. Ἔδει δὲ αὐτὸν ἰδόντα τὸ λευχειμονοῦν πάντων, καὶ αὐτὸν ἀναλαβέσθαι τοιοῦτον ἔνδυμα. Ἀλλ' ἴσων μὲν μετελάμβανε βρωμάτων· ἀνισότητα δὲ εἶχε σχημάτων καὶ προαιρέσεως. Ἀλλ' ὁ νυμφίος, εἰ καὶ δαψιλὴς, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἄκριτος· περιερχόμενος δὲ τῶν ἀνακειμένων ἕκαστον καὶ θεωρῶν, [ἔμελε γὰρ αὐτῷ, οὐχ ὅπως φάγωσιν, ἀλλ' ὅπως εὐσχημονῶσιν] ἰδών τινα ἀλλότριον, μὴ ἔχοντα γάμου ἔνδυμα, ἔλεγε πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἑταῖρε, πῶς εἰσῆλθες ὧδε; ποίῳ χρώματι; ποίᾳ συνειδήσει; ἔστω, ὁ θυρωρὸς οὐκ ἐκώλυσε, διὰ τὸ δαψιλὲς τοῦ παρέχοντος· ἔστω, ἄγνοιαν εἶχες ποταπῷ δεῖ σχήματι εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸ συμπόσιον· εἰσῆλθες, εἶδες ἀστράπτοντα ὥσπερ τὰ σχήματα τῶν ἀνακειμένων· οὐκ ἔδει σε κἂν ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων διδαχθῆναι; οὐκ ἔδει σε ἐξελθεῖν εὐκαίρως, ἵνα καὶ εὐκαίρως εἰσέλθῃς; Νῦν δὲ ἀκαίρως εἰσῆλθες, ἵνα ἀκαίρως ἐκβληθῇς. Καὶ προστάσσει τοῖς ὑπηρέταις· ∆ήσατε αὐτοῦ πόδας, τοὺς τολμηρῶς εἰσβάλλοντας· δήσατε αὐτοῦ χεῖρας, τὰς μὴ εἰδυίας ἔνδυμα περιβαλέσθαι φαιδρόν· καὶ ἐκβάλετε αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον· ἀνάξιος γάρ ἐστι λαμπάδων νυμφικῶν. Ἰδὲ τί συνέβη τῷ τότε· ἀσφάλισαι τὰ σεαυτοῦ. 4 Ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ, οἱ διάκονοι Χριστοῦ, δεδέγμεθα ἕκαστον, καὶ θυρωρῶν ὥσπερ τάξιν ἐπέχοντες, ἀνέτην ἀφήκαμεν τὴν θύραν. Ἐγχωρεῖ δέ σε βεβορβορωμένην ἔχοντα τὴν ψυχὴν ἁμαρτίαις, καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν ἐσπιλωμένην, εἰσελθεῖν. Εἰσῆλθες· κατηξιώθης· ὄνομά σου ἐνεγράφη. Βλέπεις μοι τὸ σεμνὸν τοῦτο τῆς ἐκκλησίας κατάστημα; θεωρεῖς μοι τάξιν καὶ ἐπιστήμην; γραφῶν ἀνάγνωσιν, κανονικῶν παρουσίαν, διδασκαλίας ἀκολουθίαν; δυσωπήθητι καὶ τὸν τόπον, καὶ