One faith, many tongues: Saints Cyril and Methodius and the Eucharist

 

Basilica of Saint Cyrillus and Methodius in Velehrad village in The Czech republic

Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius were ninth Century Byzantine missionaries in communion with Rome and Constantinople who brought the Gospel to the Slavic people of the time.  They translated the Bible and the Liturgy into Slavonic.  Pope Adrian II approved their use of the vernacular liturgy which more or less survives to the present day.  They understood that the people of God should be able to worship God in a language understood by the people.  Their witness showed that the Eucharist could be celebrated faithfully in languages other than Greek, Latin or Hebrew while preserving the same faith.

Among Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians, these saints are held in the highest esteem and are regarded as co-equal to the Apostles among the Eastern Orthodox. While they did not leave a treatise on the Eucharist, it is clear that they saw it as central to the life and ministry of the Church.  Nothing in their teaching suggests any departure from the mainstream Eucharistic faith of the undivided Church.

For them the Eucharistic liturgy was a means by which peoples and cultures were drawn into communion with Christ and with one another. This vision later contributed to their being recognised as co-patrons of Europe along with the Western Saint Benedict.  Among Eastern Orthodox Catholics these saints to the Slavs are regarded as co-equals with the 12 Apostles.

Europe needs the witness of Christians, today, to bring disparate nations together in peace and harmony.  Europeans need to rediscover Christ in the Eucharist.  The Prince of Peace, alone, can bring lasting peace to Europe – east and west - at this time.

The beauty of the Eastern liturgies is deepened by sacred music and by the rich cadences of the Slavic languages.

The feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius is celebrated in the Western Church on 14 February, while many Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches commemorate them on 11 May or 24 May, depending on the particular tradition and calendar