Let
the peoples recount the wisdom of the Saints, and let the
Church
proclaim their praise.
Their names will live on and on. - Cf. Sir 44:15, 14
(Entrance
Antiphon, Today's Liturgy)
"Eternal Son of the living
God, whom I acknowledge here as truly present, I adore You
with all the powers of my soul! Prostrate with the angels in the most profound
reverence, I love You, O my Savior; whom I now behold on Your throne of love. O
dread Majesty, O infinite Mercy, save me! Forgive me! Grant that I may never
more be separated from You!"
St
Basil the Great
Doctor
of the Church
Father
of Eastern Monasticism
His
single greatest contribution was his insistence
on
the divinity and consubstantiality
of
the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son
329-379
AD
FEAST
DAY - January 2
"We
should not accept in silence the benefactions of God,
but
return thanks for them." - St Basil the
Great
Click here: The Life of St. Basil the Great - YouTube (3 mins) excellent!
Click here: The Life of St. Basil the Great - YouTube (3 mins) excellent!
"Why
was St. Basil given the name "Great"? Only a few people in the world
were ever given the magnificent title, "Great"! Alexander the Great was
so-called because he conquered the world, but St. Basil was called "Great"
because he conquered the hearts and souls of men for Jesus Christ. His whole
life was dedicated to Jesus and the message of Christianity. He had the humility
of Moses, the zeal of Elijah, the piety of Peter, the eloquence of John the
Theologian, and the dedication of Paul." ~ Fr. George
Poulos
St Michael Catholic Church Adoration Chapel - Stillwater, MN - USA
“Let us remain in
adoration: and to Him,
who, in order to save us, humbled Himself to such a degree of poverty as to
receive our body, let us offer not only incense,
gold and myrrh, the first as God, the second as king, and the third as
one who sought death for our sake, but also spiritual gifts more
sublime than those which can be seen with the
eyes” (Oratorio).
St Gregory Nazienzen
Doctor
of the Church
Father
of Eastern Monasticism
Esteemed
writer and orator
especially
on theme of Trinity
aka "the
Theologian"
328
-389 AD
FEAST
DAY - January 2
“God
accepts our desires as though they were a great value. He longs ardently for us
to desire and love Him. He accepts our petitions for benefits as though we were
doing Him a favor. His joy in giving is greater than ours in receiving. So let
us not be apathetic in our asking, nor set too narrow bounds to our requests;
nor ask for frivolous things unworthy of God’s greatness.” - St Gregory
of Nazienzen
Sts Basil and Gregory, pray for
us!
Basil the Great and Gregory
Nazianzen are linked in this feast day, as they were in life; they were
schoolmates, co-defenders of the orthodox teaching on the Trinity, and dear
friends. Both served as Bishops and suffered hostility from the politically
powerful Arians. In 379 Gregory preached at Basil's
funeral: "Do you, Basil, there also
welcome me in your dwelling, when I have departed this life that we may live
together and gaze more directly and perfectly at the Holy and Blessed Trinity.
Thus we shall attain the fruition of our desire, and
receive the reward of the battles we have fought and the attacks we have
resisted." ~ Magnificat - Vol 18, No
11, January 2017
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