Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops, and Doctors of the Church
Scripture:
Reflection:
St. Basil and St. Gregory knew each other as children and rekindled their friendship while studying in Athens as adults. The two men became close friends who supported and challenged each other throughout their lives. After they finished their studies at the finest universities, they decided to devote themselves to a life of prayer as hermits. With input from Gregory, Basil composed a rule of life for monks, which still influences the monasteries in the Eastern Church, as well as Benedictine monks in the West.
Called to a more active life of service in the Church, they left the monastic life and were ordained priests, and eventually became bishops. St. Basil became Archbishop of Caesarea and St. Gregory became Bishop of Constantinople in what is modern day Turkey.
As bishops, both men were called upon to defend the Church from Arianism, one of the most damaging heresies; for it denied the divinity of Christ. St. Basil contributed to the Nicene Creed, which states that Jesus is “of one substance with the Father,” also expressed as “consubstantial.” In today’s first reading, written two hundred years earlier, the Apostle John could be speaking to the Arians when he said: “Anyone who denies the Son, does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.”
St. Basil and St. Gregory are Doctors of the Church because of their significant contributions to the Church’s teaching, as well as their holy lives. Their theological depth in responding to the heresy of Arianism, and their ministerial successes as bishops In contentious and polarized times (much like our own), came out of their deep prayer lives. Here is an excerpt of a prayer written by St. Gregory Nanzianzen:
For there is one longing, one groaning, that all things have for you.
All things pray to you that perceive your plan and offer you a silent hymn.
As 2025 begins, let us draw inspiration from St. Basil and St. Gregory for the new year. May we follow their example and ground all our relationships, and all our activities in prayer. As St. Gregory further prays:
In You, the One, all things abide, and all things run to you, Who are the end of all.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Patty Gillis is a retired Pastoral Minister. She serves on the Board of Directors at St. Paul of the Cross Passionist Retreat and Conference Center in Detroit, Michigan. Patty is currently a member of the Laudato Si’ Vision Fulfillment Team and the Passionist Solidarity Network.