January 2
Saint Basil the Great
Bishop, Doctor of the Church
(329 – 379)
“When you sit down to eat, pray. When you eat bread, do so thanking Him for being so generous to you. If you drink wine, be mindful of Him who has given it to you for your pleasure and as a relief in sickness. When you dress, thank Him for His kindness in providing you with clothes. When you look at the sky and the beauty of the stars, throw yourself at God’s feet and adore Him who in His wisdom has arranged things in this way.”
Saint Basil the Great
Saint’s Life Story
His Early Life
Basil was born in 329 in Caesarea, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) from a wealthy, noble, and devoutly religious family. His father, Saint Basil the Elder, and his mother, Saint Emmelia and four (4) of his nine (9) siblings were all Saints, included Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Macrina the Younger, Saint Theosebia, and Saint Peter of Sebastea. His early years were spent in the home of his grandmother, Saint Macrina the Elder, whose teaching was to influence him greatly and enriched his spiritual heritage.
From a young age, Basil exhibited a strong sense of piety and compassion for the suffering of others. In the midst of a famine, he organized relief efforts and personally worked in the kitchens, which was highly unusual for a young noble. This early experience of serving and caring for the less fortunate laid the foundation for his life of selflessness and devotion to God.
Well-Educated Orator
Basil received the best possible education at Caesarea, Constantinople, and Athens (351-356) with the intention of becoming a lawyer and orator. He associated with the more serious-minded students, including his friends Saint Gregory of Nazianzus and Julian, the future apostate emperor.
He returned to Caesarea and taught rhetoric in the city for some years. His eloquence and oratorical skills made him a sought-after speaker, which began to tempt him with pride. However, on the threshold of a brilliant career, his sister Saint Macrina, who had helped to educate and settle her siblings, retired with their widowed mother and other women to live a communal life on one of their estates at Annesi on the River Iris.
Gave Away All for Monastic Life
Fearing that worldly success would overshadow his piety, Basil made the radical decision to sell all his possessions and distribute the proceeds to the poor. There where his sister was Superior of a convent, into which his mother also had entered, Basil also retired to Pontus. So, on the opposite side of the river from the convent, Basil founded a monastery. From 358 to 362, he governed this monastery devoting himself to prayer and study. Driven by his love for God and the pursuit of spiritual perfection, Basil founded monasteries and penned rules and guidelines for monks living in the desert.
These monastic communities played a significant role in shaping Eastern Christian spirituality and asceticism. His contributions to Eastern monasticism are often compared to the impact of Saint Benedict of Nursia in the western monastic tradition. Basil’s principles and rules for living have been carried down to the present day for monks in the Eastern Church.
Basil would not permit an excess of austerity, saying that it made a man unfit for work, which is more important than extreme fasting. Arguing that the Christian life of mutual love and service is communal by its nature. he also expressed a definite preference for the communal life of the monastery over the solitary life of the hermit. The rule was sufficiently flexible to allow for the development of almsgiving, hospitals, and guest houses in which the monks worked, while it avoided the dangers of activism by a strong contemplative emphasis.
Bishop and Archbishop of Caesarea
In 363, Basil was ordained a deacon and then priest at Caesarea by Archbishop Eusebius, who became jealous of his influence, so Basil returned to Pontus. Realizing that Basil’s brilliant preaching could convert many unbelievers to Christianity, in 365, his friend Saint Gregory of Nazianzus persuaded him to leave the monastery to support the faith against Arianism in Nazianzus. He returned to Caesarea and was reconciled with Eusebius. He operated as Eusebius’s right hand, while diplomatically giving him all the credit.
In 370, Archbishop Eusebius died. Basil’s zeal and dedication were further recognized when he was elected and consecrated as the Bishop and Archbishop of Caesarea. In this role, he tirelessly conducted Mass and preached to the crowds twice daily. When the great Saint Athanasius of Alexandria died, the mantle of defender of the faith against Arianism fell upon Basil.He fiercely battled theological heresies, particularly Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. His theological writings and speeches served as a bulwark against false teachings.
Basil’s interests were not exclusively theological. He denounced and excommunicated those who owned houses of prostitution. He worked to secure justice for the poor against those who oppressed them. He fought simony–the purchase and sale of spiritual things- -and severely disciplined clergy who used their office to accumulate money or to live too well at the expense of the faithful. He also strove to develop and discipline his clergy and fearlessly denounced evil wherever he detected it. His archdiocese became a model of organization and discipline.
His Works
Penning about four hundred letters that clearly reveal his personality, Basil was an articulate and prolific writer. More than 300 of these letter are still intact. Among his better-known treatises are On the Holy Spirit (De Spiritu Sancto; 375) and Philokalia, a selection of passages from Origen, which he compiled with Saint Gregory. The work on the Holy Spirit, still unsurpassed in Catholic theology, discusses the divinity of the Third Person of the Trinity and the appropriateness of worshipping Him together with the Father and Son.
Some of his other works include Against Eumonius (three books) in which he defends the deity of Christ against an Arian writer, Ascetia, and On the Psalms. The Hexameron (The Six Days), is a series of nine sermons on the days of creation, in which he speaks of the beauties of the created world as revelations of the splendor of God. He also edited the Eucharistic Liturgy that still bears his name and that is used in the Eastern Church ten times each year.
His Death
Sickly since youth, the toil of teaching, his life of abstinence, and the concerns and sorrows of pastoral service took their toll on him. Worn out by his austere lifestyle and hard work, Basil died on January 1, 379, in Caesarea, Asia Minor. His legacy continues to inspire and guide Christians on their spiritual journeys, making him a monumental figure in the Catholic Church and beyond. Saint Basil the Great is to monks of the East what Saint Benedict of Nursia is to the West.
Born: Around 329 in Caesarea, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey)
Died: January 1, 379 in Caesarea, Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey)
Beatified: Pre-Congregation
Canonized: Pre-Congregation
Feast Day: January 2
Patron Saint: Cappadocia; Hospital Administrators; Monks; Reformers; Russia
Reflection
Like many other Saints, Saint Basil the Great did not start out as a Saint. However, he did have devout parents and grandmother, Saints Basil the Elder, Emmelia, and Macrina the Elder as well as four of his nine siblings that went onto become saints. While our family tree may not be as holy and Saintly as Saint Basil the Great’s, but we all have people that provided us with Catholic example during our own upbringing. In fact from his faith, Saint Basil the Great gave away all that he had and entered religious life when he realized that his pride might surpass his devoutness.
How can you humbly serve others today planting seeds of faith while placing God’s will above your own personal ambition? While it may seem like you are “lacking” by doing this service, instead God is leading you on toward the priceless gift of eternal salvation.
Prayers
Saint Basil the Great,
You were called by God to be a light in the midst of darkness during a time of great turmoil within the early Church.
Please pray for me, that following your example, I may never put praise, money or fame above the ways of my spiritual life.
May I always carry the light of Christ to scatter falsehood and sin, so that God may be glorified and souls may be saved.
I ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.
Saint Basil the Great, pray for us. Amen.
Saint Links
Aleteia -Here’s when you should pray, according to St. Basil the Great
All Saints & Martyrs – Saint Basil the Great
America Needs Fatima – Saint Basil the Great & Saint Gregory Nazianzen
AnaStpaul – Saint of the Day – 14 June – St Basil the Great (329-379)
Catholic Culture – Homily I: in the Beginning God Made the Heaven and the Earth by Basil the Great in 364-369 | translated by Blomfield Jackson, M.A
Catholic Exchange – St. Basil the Great
Catholic Insight – Saint Basil the Great By Pope Benedict XVI
Catholic Ireland – Jan 2 – Ss Basil the Great (330-379) and Gregory Nazianzen (329-389)
Catholic News Agency – St. Basil the Great Feast day: Jan 02
Catholic Online – St. Basil the Great
CatholicSaints.Info – Saint Basil the Great
Daily Prayers – Basil The Great & Gregory Nazianzen
Dynamic Catholic – Saint Basil the Great A.D. 329–379
Editions Magnificant – Saint Basil the Great Bishop, Doctor of the Church (329-379)
Franciscan Media – Saint Basil the Great
Heralds of the Gospel – St. Basil the Great – Monk, Theologian and Bishop
Independent Catholic News – St Basil the Great
My Catholic Life – January 2—Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors
New Advent – McSorley, J. (1907). St. Basil the Great. In The Catholic Encyclopedia
Orthodox Church in America – Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia
Rev Alban Butler’s Lives Of The Saints Complete Edition – St Basil The Great, Archbishop of Caesarea and Doctor of the Church, Patriarch of the Eastern Monks
Saint Mary’s Press – Saint Basil the Great (329-379)
The Saint of the Day – St. Basil the Great, June 14 by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
uCatholic – Saint Basil the Great
Video Link
Ss. Gregory & Basil – YouTube (Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network – USA )