Bishop of Caesarea
by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1877
St. Basil, who is called by the Holy Church, the Great, because he was truly so, not only in mind, eloquence and learning, but also in courage against the heretics, in zeal for the honor of God, in holiness and in miracles, was born in Cappadocia, of noble, rich, but at the same time, holy parents. He had three brothers who are also honored as Saints. He studied the liberal arts at Caesarea, Constantinople, and lastly at Athens: in the last place he became acquainted with St. Gregory Nazianzen. St. Porphyrius, who was superior of a convent in Egypt, instructed him in Holy Writ. After this he visited the holy places and was on his return, ordained deacon by Bishop Meletius at Antioch, and began to preach in that city, and afterwards continued at Caesarea, not only with the fame of great wisdom, but also with indescribable benefit to his hearers. At the latter place he was ordained priest. When he, however, perceived that even the bishop became jealous of him on account of the great reputation which he gained by his sermons, he fled secretly to a desert in the land of Pontus. There he lived several years with his friend Gregory, occupied in the study of Holy Writ, praying, fasting and watching. Many came to him, desirous to live more piously. The rules he gave them to regulate their conduct, were by no one kept more punctually than by himself. He also instructed the heathen inhabitants of the surrounding places in the true faith, and converted many of them.
Some years later, Valens, an Arian, ascended the imperial throne and persecuted the Catholics most cruelly. When St Basil was informed of this, he left the desert, repaired to Caesarea, fearlessly opposed the heretics and strengthened the Catholics in their faith. Meanwhile the Bishop of that city, St. Eusebius, died, and Basil much against his inclinations, became his successor. Invested with this dignity, he changed nothing in the austerity to which he had been accustomed while living in the desert; but he used the opportunities offered to him to be still more kind and charitable to the poor. A terrible famine took place at that time by which many lost their lives. The holy bishop sold all that he possessed and divided the money among the poor, and exhorted others in his sermons to be charitable to the needy. The sick he nursed with admirable humility, in a hospital which he had built for them. He hesitated not to give them food with his own hands, and to wash and bandage their wounds. But notwithstanding all these acts of pious kindness, he neglected not to combat the Arians, both with tongue and pen, and to guard his flock from their ravages.
Valens, the Emperor, sent one of his chief officers to Caesarea to induce the Saint to join the Arians, or else to drive him out of the city. Modestus, the imperial officer, summoned Basil into his presence, and addressed him haughtily in the following words: "Why do you not comply with the Emperor's wishes, and confess yourself to belong to his faith?" Basil fearlessly replied: "Because the Lord, my God, who is infinitely greater than your Emperor, forbids it." "Do you not fear then," said Modestus, "the power and wrath of the Emperor? He can deprive you of all your possessions, drive you from your country, make you suffer and languish, and even take your life." The holy man answered: "Whosoever possesses nothing, fears not that anything can be taken away from him. My country is heaven, out of which you cannot drive me. You cannot make me suffer long, as my body is so weak that his first blow will destroy my life. Death will be a favor to me; for it will bring me sooner to my God." Modestus, astonished at the boldness of this answer, said: "Nobody has ever dared to speak to me in such a manner." "This may be the case, because you have never spoken to a bishop, said Basil; for in cases like this, all bishops speak as I do." "I will give you this night," said Modestus, "to consider the wishes of the Emperor." "And I shall be the same tomorrow as today," replied Basil, as he went away.
With all his might he resisted the emperor Valens, who strove to introduce Arianism into his diocese, and impressed the emperor so strongly that, although inclined to banish the intractable bishop, he left him unmolested. To the imperial prefect, Modestus, who was astonished at St. Basil's temerity, he said, "Perhaps you have never before dealt with a proper bishop."
The Emperor himself was filled with admiration for the Saint, when he was informed of what had taken place; but the heretics left him no peace, until he gave orders that Bishop Basil should be placed in a carriage during the night and secretly carried away. Everything was in readiness to execute the Emperor's command, when suddenly the Empress and her son, a very young child, became dangerously sick. The physician despaired of their lives, and the Emperor, thinking it was a punishment sent by God because of his evil intentions against the holy Bishop, sent hastily to him to request earnestly that he would obtain from God the health of the mother and the child. Basil promised to comply with his wish on the condition that the Emperor would promise that the child should be baptized and educated in the Catholic faith. The Emperor consented, Basil prayed, and the Empress and the prince entirely recovered in the same hour. Hardly, however, had the Saint left the Emperor, when the latter, breaking his promise, had the child christened by an Arian bishop: but he was almost immediately punished, for the prince became sick again and died.
Some time later the Emperor, again incited against the Saint intended to banish him; but when he sat down to sign the order, the chair suddenly broke under him. He rose, took three pens, one after the other, but was not able to write his name. None of them gave any ink, but all split in his hand, which itself began to tremble and lose all life. Hence, he tore the order, and left the Saint undisturbed. Many other miraculous events took place in regard to this holy bishop, to relate all of which would occupy too much space; as also all the labor he performed for the salvation of his flock and to the benefit of the whole Church. Neither can we relate how much he wrote in defense of the true faith, how valiantly he opposed the heretics, how carefully he guarded the faithful. To a steward of the Emperor, who dared to dispute with him about articles of Faith, he gave an answer, which by a slight change would serve very well in our days for many who deem themselves wiser than they are. "Your office is," said he, "to attend to the soup in the kitchen, and to see that it is not too much salted; but not to dispute about articles of Faith."
St. Ephrem saw the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove upon the shoulder of the Saint, whispering to him what to preach or to write. A Jew, who had crept secretly into the Church during Holy Mass, saw a beautiful child in the hands of the bishop, when he raised the consecrated Host, which miracle caused him to embrace Christianity. With another Jew, who had considerable medical knowledge, the saint had frequent conversations in the hope of converting him to Christ. When he became dangerously sick, he called the Jewish physician into his presence, and asked him what hope there was of his recovery. The Jew answered; "There is no hope: this very evening, the bishop will be a corpse." "But what would you say," said the Saint, "if I should still be alive tomorrow?" "It is impossible," was the Jew's reply; "if that should happen I will become a Christian." "I will remind you of your promise," said Basil: and turning his heart to God, he prayed fervently that his life might be prolonged for the conversion of the Jew. And in fact on the following day, the holy bishop arose from his bed entirely recovered. The Jew came, saw the miracle, and being already sufficiently instructed in the Christian faith, was led by the Saint into the Church, and amidst a crowd of people, baptized with his whole family. This being accomplished the Saint returned to his bed, his sickness reappeared, and a happy death soon ended his earthly pilgrimage.
Before his end, he exhorted all present to remain constant in the true faith, and zealous in the practice of virtue. After this he saw a host of angels who invited him to enter heaven. His last words were; "Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit." His happy death took place in the year of our Lord 378.
Saint Basil's entire life was one of suffering, both physical and moral; he lived amidst jealousies, misunderstandings and seeming disappointments. But he sowed the seed which bore good fruit in the future generations. He was God's instrument to resist the Arian and other heretics in the East, and to restore the spirit of discipline and fervor in the Church.
(Something to think about)
St. Basil gave to the Arian steward who disputed with him on articles of faith a memorable and well-deserved reproof, as it is not becoming that such people should doubt or criticize what the true and infallible Church teaches. At the present day, nothing is more common than a desire in those who are not Catholics to dispute about articles of faith. And whom do they attack? Generally those they suppose are not very well versed in the knowledge of their faith. To these they say what they like. They cite a verse from Holy Writ, and expound it after their own fashion, thus seeking to mislead the Catholics. There are, however, Catholics also, who although they have never studied theology, pretend to understand Holy Writ better than the Holy Fathers, and who explain the most difficult mysteries of the faith more thoroughly than they; nay, who even dare to doubt the teachings of the true Church, and who consider lawful what priests, confessors and spiritual advisers unanimously declare to be sinful. We have here two dangerous kinds of men. As far as the first are concerned, do not dispute with them if you are not well instructed. Tell them to go to those whose office it is to expound and to defend the articles of faith. As for yourself, believe as true what the Catholic Church teaches, and you will walk in the sure path. To testify the truth of anything it is not sufficient to cite a few verses of Holy Writ, and explain them to one's own liking. Did not Satan do the same when he tempted Christ in the wilderness? The second kind of people you should shun as you would shun heretics, and believe not their words, as they are not appointed to instruct you in articles of faith. This is the office of the priests, the preachers, and the confessors. To those Christ says: "He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me " (St. Luke, x.). And the prophet Malachy says: "The lips of the priest shall keep knowledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth: because he is the Angel (or messenger) of the Lord of Hosts" (Malach. ii.).
St. Basil said to the Imperial officer, that he obeyed not the Emperor, because God, an infinitely greater Lord, had forbidden it. And the Saint was right, for when a man commands what God forbids, our own reason tells us to obey God and not man, even if he were the greatest monarch on earth, because God is an infinitely greater and mightier Lord than all men. Hence, the two holy Apostles said to the Jewish priests who forbade them to teach in the name of Jesus: "If it be just in the sight of God, to hear you rather than God, judge ye!" (Acts iv.) Whence comes then the blasphemous manner of speaking which in our day has almost become.a proverb; "Man's laws are above God's laws."
Truly none but Satan himself could inspire such words. In times long gone by, he wished to be the Lord's equal; but now he incites some people to prefer the lord of earth to the Lord of heaven and earth. And who are those lords whose laws should be above the laws of God! Are they not men, though they are the greatest monarchs on earth? But what is man in comparison with God? Less than a worm crawling on the ground, in comparison with the mighty monarch. Is it therefore reasonable to prefer the command of a creature to that of a Creator? For example, your governor, king or prince commands you to do something; but a servant orders you to do just the contrary; now if you obey the latter, saying that his commands were above those of your governor, king or prince, would it not be an unendurable offence to him and justly deserve punishment? would it not be a kind of rebellion and a great wickedness? For would it not be a sign that you obeyed the servant rather than the governor, because you esteemed the command of the servant above his? From this you may conclude, how unreasonable and blasphemous it is to say "Man's laws are above God's laws." I am willing to believe that many who speak thus do not mean what they say; but one ought to abstain from such words and instead of them say with St. Peter: "We ought to obey God rather than man. (Acts v.)
St. Basil the Great, Sermon in Ps. xxxiii:
"When temptation to sin assails you I would have you reflect on that awful, insupportable judgment-seat of Christ when the Judge will preside on His high and lofty throne, when the whole of creation will stand before Him and tremble at the sight of His glory. For one by one we shall be brought before Him to give an account of what we have done during our lives. Speedily will the terrible and misshapen demons stand beside those who have committed many crimes during their lives; they will show their fiery countenances and will breathe out fire, thus betraying their cruel mind and purpose; their faces will be like the night owing to their own gloom and their hatred of the human race.
"Then think of that deep pit, of the indescribable darkness, of that fire that affords no light, for though it has the power to burn it lacks light; think of the worms that discharge their poison, that devour the flesh, that eat and are never sated nor filled but inflict insupportable pain by their gnawings. Finally--and this is the worst punishment of all--think of the disgrace and the everlasting shame. Dread these things and, overwhelmed by your dread, keep your soul, as by a bit in your mouth, from the concupiscence of sin."
Prayer to St. Basil
by Dom Gueranger, our beloved Abbot
O doctor of the Holy Ghost, O defender of the Word Consubstantial to the Father, grant that we, now prostrate at thy feet, may ever live to the glory of the Holy Trinity. These are the words of thine own admirable formulary: To be baptised in the Trinity, to hold one's belief conformable to one's baptism, to glorify God according to our Faith,--such was the essential basis set down by thee, for the being a Monk; but is it not that also of the being a Christian? Would that all might thoroughly understand this! Vouchsafe, dear Saint, to bless us all.
Petition to the Holy Trinity
Most Holy Trinity, Godhead indivisible, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our first beginning and our last end, since Thou hast made us after Thine own image and likeness, grant that all the thoughts of our minds, all the words of our tongues, all the affections of our hearts and all our actions may be always conformed to Thy most holy will, to the end that after having seen Thee here below in appearances and by means of faith, we may come at last to contemplate Thee face-to-face in the perfect possession of Thee forever in paradise. Amen.
(Indulgence of 3 years)
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