Hi,
Happy feast to all Basils in joy net.
Saint of the Day January 02, 2003
St. Basil
Basil was on his way to becoming a famous teacher when
he decided to begin a religious life of gospel
poverty. After studying various modes of religious
life, he founded what was probably the first monastery
in Asia Minor. He is to monks of the East what St.
Benedict is to the West, and his principles influence
Eastern monasticism today.
He was ordained a priest, assisted the archbishop of
Caesarea (now southeastern Turkey), and ultimately
became archbishop himself, in spite of opposition from
some of his suffragan bishops, probably because they
foresaw coming reforms.
One of the most damaging heresies in the history of
the Church, Arianism, which denied the divinity of
Christ, was at its height. Emperor Valens persecuted
orthodox believers, and put great pressure on Basil to
remain silent and admit the heretics to communion.
Basil remained firm, and Valens backed down. But
trouble remained. When the great St. Athanasius died,
the mantle of defender of the faith against Arianism
fell upon Basil. He strove mightily to unite and rally
his fellow Catholics who were crushed by tyranny and
torn by internal dissension. He was misunderstood,
misrepresented, accused of heresy and ambition. Even
appeals to the pope brought no response. “For my sins
I seem to be unsuccessful in everything.”
He was tireless in pastoral care. He preached twice a
day to huge crowds, built a hospital that was called a
wonder of the world (as a youth he had organized
famine relief and worked in a soup kitchen himself)
and fought the prostitution business.
Basil was best known as an orator. His writings,
though not recognized greatly in his lifetime, rightly
place him among the great teachers of the Church.
Seventy-two years after his death, the Council of
Chalcedon described him as “the great Basil, minister
of grace who has expounded the truth to the whole
earth.”
love + prayers,
Joseachayan / Jeddah
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com
===============================================================================
This mail is generated from JOYnet, a Jesus Youth mailing list.
For more info on the list visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet
To unsubscribe from the list send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To subscribe to the list visit http://www.jesusyouth.org/joynet/join
In case of any issue related to the mailing list contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
===============================================================================
