| 選讀亞歷山大主教聖啟祿若望福音釋義 | Ex Commentário sancti Cyrílli Alexandríni epíscopi in Evangélium Ioánnis (Lib. 11, 11: PG 74, 559-562) |
| 基督是合一的聯繫 | Christus est unitatis vinculum |
| 我們分享基督的聖體時，就享有與基督的肉體方面的結合。當聖保祿論及天主慈愛的奧秘時，為這事作證說：「這奧秘在以前的世代、並沒有啟示給人，像現在藉聖神啟示給祂的聖宗徒和先知。這奧秘就是：外邦人在耶穌基督內成為共同繼承者，同為一體，共享同一的恩許。」 既然我們大家彼此在基督內形成一個身體，不僅我們之間，而且也同祂是一體：因為顯然祂是藉自己的身體而在我們內，那麼，我們彼此之間和在基督內的合一，不已經是有形可見的了嗎？因為基督本身同時是天主、又是人，祂是合一的聯繫。 至於在聖神內的合一，我們遵循同一途徑，再次說明：既然我們大家都領受了同一的「神」，我是說「聖神」，我們彼此之間並和天主便密切地結合在一起了。事實上，雖然我們是由個體而成的羣體，而且基督使祂父的神、也是祂的神居住在我們每一個人內，然而這却是一個不可分割的「神」。祂把許多各自有別的神──這是由於他們個體的存在──聚集在祂內，並使他們顯示出來，可以說好像大家在祂內只有一個人存在。 正如聖體的能力使眾人，就是使所有領了聖體的人，成為一體；依照我的意見，同樣，居住在所有人身上的天主的神是唯一而不可分的，祂並且引導我們大家趨於精神的合一。因此，聖保祿這樣勸勉我們說：「你們要以愛情彼此擔待；務要以和平的聯繫，保持心靈的一致。只有一個身體和一個聖神，正如你們蒙召，同有一個希望一樣。只有一個主，一個信仰，一個洗禮，只有一個天主，作眾人的父，祂超越萬有，貫徹萬有，並在萬有之內。」既然唯一的聖神居住在我們內，那麼，唯一的天主、眾人之父，便將在我們內，藉祂的聖子將所有分享聖神的人導致彼此間的合一，以及與聖子的合一。 我們藉分享聖神而彼此結合的事實也是很明顯的，請看如何：如果我們放棄了純粹本性的生活，而願永久遵循聖神的法律，我們便清楚地看出：在擯棄我們固有的生活後，而實現了與聖神的結合，我們便獲得了一種天上的境界，我們好像改變了本性一樣。因此，我們不再是普通的人，而且也是天主的子女，是天上的人，因為我們分享了天主的性體。 所以，我們大家在父、子、和聖神內成了一體：我們因有同一身分而是一體，因在愛德中團結一致而是一體，因共領同一基督聖體而是一體。因與唯一聖神共融，而是一體。 | Uniónem corporálem cum Christo nos cónsequi, quotquot sanctæ eius carnis sumus partícipes, testátur Paulus, de mystério pietátis dicens: Quod áliis generatiónibus non est ágnitum fíliis hóminum, sícuti nunc revelátum est sanctis apóstolis eius et prophétis in Spíritu, gentes esse coherédes et concorporáles et compartícipes promissiónis in Christo Iesu. Quod si concorporáles sumus omnes inter nos in Christo, neque solum inter nos, sed et ei nimírum qui in nobis est per suam carnem; quómodo non tam apérte unum sumus omnes, et inter nos, et in Christo? Christus enim est unitátis vínculum, cum idem sit Deus et homo. De unióne vero spiritáli, eándem viam sequéntes, dicémus rursus, nos omnes, accépto uno et eódem Spíritu, Sancto nimírum, commiscéri quodámmodo et inter nos, et cum Deo. Licet enim multi seórsim simus, et in unoquóque nostrum Christus Spíritum Patris ac suum inhabitáre fáciat, unus tamen est ac indivisíbilis, qui Spíritus ínvicem distínctos, quátenus singuláriter subsístunt, in unitátem cólligit per seípsum, et omnes velut unum quid cerni facit in seípso. Quemádmodum enim sanctæ carnis virtus concorporáles reddit eos, in quibus est, eódem, opínor, modo unus in ómnibus indivisíbilis inhábitans Dei Spíritus ad unitátem spiritálem omnes cogit. Idcírco nos rursus divínus Paulus compellébat: Supportántes ínvicem in caritáte, sollíciti serváre unitátem spíritus, in vínculo pacis, unum corpus, et unus Spíritus, sicut vocáti estis in una spe vocatiónis vestræ. Unus Dóminus, una fides, unum baptísma, unus Deus et Pater ómnium, qui est super omnes et per ómnia et in ómnibus. Uno enim diversánte in nobis Spíritu, unus ómnium Pater in nobis erit Deus per Fílium, ad unitátem mútuam et suam addúcens ea quæ Spíritus partícipant. Quod autem Sancto Spirítui per participatiónem uniámur, hinc quoque quodámmodo, maniféstum est. Nam si animáli vita relícta spíritus légibus semel obtemperavérimus; nonne patet ómnibus nos, vita quodámmodo nostra relícta, et coniúncto nobis Sancto Spíritu, cæléstem conformatiónem nactos in áliam quodámmodo natúram transformátos, non iam hómines tantum, sed et fílios Dei ac cæléstes hómines nuncupári, ex eo quod divínæ consórtes natúræ sumus rédditi? Unum ígitur omnes sumus in Patre et Fílio ac Sancto Spíritu: unum, inquam, hábitus identitáte, unum conformatióne secúndum pietátem, et communióne sanctæ carnis Christi, et participatióne uníus et Sancti Spíritus. |
From a commentary on the gospel of John by Saint Cyril of Alexandria, bishop
What binds us together is Christ
Paul bears witness to the fact that we achieve bodily union with Christ to the extent that we partake of his holy flesh. About this great mystery he says: This that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations: it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ.
If we are all the same body with one another in Christ – not just with one another, but with him who, through communion with his flesh, is actually within us – are we not then all of us clearly one with one another and one with Christ? For Christ is the bond that unites us, being at once God and Man.
Following the same line of thought, we can say this about spiritual unity: we all receive one and the same Spirit, I mean the Holy Spirit. So in a way we are blended together with one another and with God. Even though we are many individuals and Christ, the Spirit of the Father and his own Spirit, dwells in each one of us individually, still the Spirit is really one and indivisible. And so that one Spirit binds together the separated spirits of each one of us so that we are seen to be one, together in Christ.
Just as the power of Christ’s holy flesh makes into one body everyone in whom it exists, in the same way the Spirit of God, being indivisible, ties together the spirits in which it dwells.
Again, Paul emphasized this point: Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all. As the one Spirit abides in us, the one God and Father will be with us through the Son, leading those who share the Spirit into unity with each other and with himself.
There is another way to show that we are united through sharing in the Holy Spirit. If we abandon living as mere animals and surrender ourselves wholly to the laws of the Spirit, it is surely beyond question that by effectively denying our own life and taking upon ourselves the transcendent likeness of the Holy Spirit who is joined to us, we are practically transformed into another nature.
We are no longer mere men, but sons of God and citizens of Heaven, through becoming partakers of the divine nature. We are all, therefore, one in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; one because we have the same relationship, one because we live the same life of righteousness, and one in receiving the holy flesh of Christ and in sharing the one Holy Spirit.
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