The Catholic Church honors four church buildings in the liturgical calendar due to their roles as ancient churches in Rome: St. John Lateran, the mother church of the Catholic Church; St. Peter’s, which is above the burial site of St. Peter; St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, which is above the burial site of St. Paul; and St. Mary Major, to honor Mary as the Mother of God. These four churches were the original major basilicas of the Catholic Church. “Basilica” is a title given to a church by the pope to have special privileges due to its history or importance. The reason St. Mary Major has a feast is because it was built immediately after the Council of Ephesus in 431, which declared that Mary was not just the mother of Jesus, or the mother of the Messiah, but the Mother of God. It is the oldest church in the West dedicated to the honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We can see that the understanding of Mary’s role in the Church goes back centuries, even to before the dedication of St. Mary Major. Mary’s role as Mother of God is foundational for God’s divine plan of salvation. We celebrate Mary, the Mother of God; the Annunciation, Mary’s fiat to being the Mother of God; the Immaculate Conception, God’s gift of freedom from Original Sin from the time of her existence; the Assumption of Mary body and soul into Heaven; the Most Holy Name of Mary; the Birth of Mary; the Queenship of Mary; Our Lady of Sorrows; Our Lady of the Rosary; Our Lady of Guadalupe; Our Lady of Lourdes; Our Lady of Fatima; and more! Why? Because she is the Mother of God! She is our Mother! She intercedes for us! She loves us! Thank God for Mary!
Are saints always well-mannered, polite, tactful, correct in their practices and policies? Do they ever behave rashly or rudely or even sinfully? Today's saint was not always "saintly”. St. Cyril was a Church Father and Doctor of the Church due to his correct teaching about Jesus as being both God and man.
In the fifth century the Church was trying to figure out the true understanding of Jesus. The Council of Ephesus was convoked in 431 because there was some false teaching about Jesus that indicated that he was not both fully God and fully man. Nestorius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, had declared that Mary could be called the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of Christ, but NOT the Mother of God. This was an attack on Jesus as God and man! St. Cyril led the way in affirming that Mary was Theotokos, which means God-bearer, at the council. This helped in understanding of Christ as having two natures.
However, early in his career he had participated in the removal of a saint from the patriarchate of Constantinople, he expelled the Jews from Alexandria for their attacks on Christians, and he confiscated church buildings from a heretical group of Christians. In other words, he was intemperate and unwise. One could even say sinful.
No saint claims to not be a sinner. One does not become a saint at conception (except for the Virgin Mary, of course), but rather it takes a lifetime of conversion. Our call to holiness, our call to sainthood, is a lifelong journey and struggle. But with the grace of God, we can overcome our intemperance, folly, and even sinfulness, as did St. Cyril.
