Have you ever been sent into a mission? A real one?

In the 9th century, two brothers set out on a road to bring the words of Jesus Christ to a place 1000 km away. It was a long dangerous road but it turned out to be a real success. Thanks to that mission almost 300 000 000 people can now speak of God and pray in their own languages. We are talking about the Slavs – the largest ethno-linguistic group in Europe.

Their life

Cyril and Methodius were born in the early 9th century in Thessalonika into a senatorial family. Their father was an officer in a part of Greece inhabited by many Slavs. In 862, a decisive change in their lives occurred when the Duke of Moravia (today in the Czech Republic) asked the Eastern Emperor Michael for political independence from German rule and ecclesiastical autonomy (having their own clergy and liturgy). Cyril and Methodius undertook the missionary task.

Cyril’s first work was to invent an alphabet, still used in some Eastern liturgies. Together they translated the Gospels, the psalter, Paul’s letters and the liturgical books into Slavonic, and composed a Slavonic liturgy, highly irregular then.

Their heritage

“Blessed are you, O Christ our God. You have shown the fishermen to be all wise, sending down upon them the Holy Spirit. Through them You have caught the whole world in Your net. O Lover of Mankind, glory to You.” (Pentecost Troparion).

Reflecting on the Feast of Pentecost reveals Ss. Cyril and Methodius to be examples to you. These “Equals to the Apostles” responded to the gift of the Holy Spirit with an outpouring of themselves in love, manifested in sacrifice and service.

Jesus’ pursuit of love for you is relentless, but He will not trespass. He waits for your consent, like the Theotokos’ fiat, like the Apostles “yes” to His call, “Come follow Me.” He calls you beyond a superficial walk with Him into the mystery of His love unto death. Your “yes” is a yes unto death, a dying to self; here you find your fulfillment. St. John Paul II said. “Man cannot fully find himself, except through a sincere gift of himself” (Theology of the Body).

There is a particular way that God is calling you to lay down your life, and you will be given the gifts you need. On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gave the uneducated fishermen the ability to proclaim the mighty works of God in many languages (see Acts 2:1-11). Similarly, the Holy Spirit enlightened two Greek brothers, Ss. Cyril and Methodius, with a tremendous ability to create an alphabet for a foreign language, thus enabling them to translate Scripture, Liturgy, and sacred writings for the Slavic people. Your gift may not be one of language, but you may be surprised by the gifts you are given.

Dear rovers and rangers on the way to Euromoot 2019!

You have read the story of another two patron saints of the Euromoot. It is time to reflect on their lives and respond to these three questions:

1. Do I see myself as an Apostle of Christ?

2. How often do I read the Gospel? Can I manage my everyday Hour of the Road/Moment of the Light?

3. What more can I do to bring faith in Jesus into my community/society?

During next months, you will have a chance to reflect on the lives of all the patron saints of the Euromoot 2019. It is an opportunity to” prepare the way for the Lord”!

Parate Viam Domini!

Now let us pray to Saints Cyril and Methodius for the unity of all the rovers and rangers as brothers and sisters and all the members of European nations as friends and citizens of Europe: