By CAROLE BRESLIN
Part 2
St. Basil the Great (born in 329 in Cappadocia) had mastered every subject he every studied. His mind was quick, his will strong, and his desire to do God’s will unshakable. After becoming an expert in almost every subject, he returned to Cappadocia where he started a school and practiced law. Once again meeting with great success, he received much praise and adulation, which disturbed him.
His holiness and desire to be nothing but a servant of God made him shun such worldly honors. He decided to leave the world of man and seek only the Kingdom of God by becoming a monk. This new endeavor was pursued with the same passion and commitment he had brought to his studies in Athens.
When St. Basil renounced the world and left it to become a monk, he knew he must do all that a monk does in order to be worthy of the name. Beginning in 357, St. Basil, with St. Gregory as his companion, traveled around the Middle East to learn from all of the monasteries what it meant to be a monk.
Together they traveled to Mesopotamia and Egypt to live in their monasteries. At each place they observed the way of life, working, praying, singing, and spending time in solitude just as the monks did. They noticed what made each monastery special, picking up good points from each one. This pilgrimage helped St. Basil realize that men were pilgrims on earth, making their way to their true home in Heaven.
In 358, St. Basil returned to Cappadocia and was ordained as a reader by Bishop Dianaeus of Caesarea.
Although the bishop had baptized St. Basil and professed to be faithful to the Creed of Nicaea, Basil learned that he sided with the Arians who did not believe in the divinity of Christ. As a result, Basil distanced himself from the bishop and moved to the home of his grandmother in Pontus, which overlooked the Iris River.
Here his mother and his sister Macrina had started a nunnery. St. Basil founded a monastery for men on the opposite side of the river. He stayed at this monastery for five years before he resigned in favor of his brother, St. Peter of Sebaste.
St. Basil founded several more monasteries around Pontus over the next seven years. He drew up rules for their living. He also wrote many ascetic works for the men as well as shorter and longer rules for the community, such as submitting all thoughts to a superior, being completely open with their confessors, giving generously to the poor while eating, and sharing an austere menu of food with visitors.
St. Basil led by example. He slept on the ground, and wore a hair shirt at night — about which no one knew. He used no fire to warm himself on cold nights and he had only one set of clothes and treated his body as a slave to the mind. He subsisted on nothing but bread and water except on special feasts when he added some herbs to his fare.
Furthermore, he practiced interior mortifications as well as exterior mortifications. While he insisted on an amiable nature, he practiced a demeanor of gravity — especially toward the things of God. His will he completely submitted to the will of God, aided by his many hours of solitude and prayer.
In short, being what some would call an overachiever, he sought to outdo the examples of the monks that he visited in the desert by adopting the best practices from each. In 359, he sold the rest of his estate in order to be totally detached from worldly goods.
However, in 360 he came out of seclusion in order to attend the Council of Constantinople and fight the Arian heresy by supporting the Nicene Creed, which is still recited each Sunday in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
In 362 he was called to the See of Caesarea and ordained a deacon by Bishop Eusebius. In 365 he was ordained a priest and spent the next few years with his close friend St. Gregory Nazianzen debating against the Arians. Sadly Eusebius became envious of Basil’s success against the agents of the Eastern Emperor Valens and relieved him of all responsibilities in the diocese.
This apparent demotion actually was warmly welcomed by Basil who enjoyed the solitude where he could simply be in the presence of God and pray. It did not last long, though. Basil was soon recalled to manage the see under Bishop Eusebius, doing so until 370, while giving all credit to the bishop.
With the death of Bishop Eusebius, Basil was named to replace him. The people welcomed this man who had saved them by providing them with food during the famine and successfully standing against the false teaching of the Arians sent by Valens. Furthermore, he wrote many letters trying to reform the lives of thieves and prostitutes.
Valens soon sent Modestus, a politician, to force Basil to accept Arianism, but failed. Modestus told Valens that nothing short of violence would get Basil to change his adherence to the Nicene Creed. When Valens attended the Mass of the Epiphany celebrated by Basil, he was greatly impressed by the man and donated some land to him.
However, the next day, Valens ordered that Basil be banished for his resistance to the Arians. This edict was not carried out because Valens’ son became ill. Violent seizures and fever attacked the six-year-old child. Fearing his son’s life was in danger, Valens sent for Basil.
The minute Basil arrived, the boy improved. Basil told Valens and his wife that he would recover completely if they instructed him in the Catholic faith. Valens accepted the terms and Basil prayed over the child. who recovered immediately. Nevertheless, Valens had his son baptized by an Arian bishop. Tragically, the boy relapsed and died right after the Baptism.
Once again, angered by these developments, Valens ordered the banishment of Basil. Every time he went to sign the decree, the reed broke and he was never able to sign the order for his banishment. On the other hand, Modestus, recognizing the holiness of St. Basil and his superior mind, became friends with Basil for the rest of his life.
Between 371 and 376, Basil oversaw Cappadocia, which had been split into two provinces by the government. Basil rejected the claim of Anthimus to be bishop and instead appointed Gregory of Nazianzen to be bishop of the second province.
The Arian conflict continued until Valens died in a battle and was replaced by the Emperor Gratian, who restored peace to the region. The next year Basil fell sick and breathed his last on January 1, 379. His feast is celebrated on January 2.
Dear St. Basil the Great who fought heresy with holiness and wisdom, help us to turn to God in these difficult times, trusting in Him to lead His Church with the help of faithful bishops and courageous laity. Amen.
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(Carole Breslin home-schooled her four daughters and served as treasurer of the Michigan Catholic Home Educators for eight years. For over ten years, she was national coordinator for the Marian Catechists, founded by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
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