St Basil the Great and St Gregory Nazianzen were named as Doctors of the Church in 1568, along with Athanasius and John Chrysostom. Together, they are known as the great Greek Fathers of the Church, as they were prominent figures in the Eastern realm of the Roman empire. There are now 37 Doctors of the Church, with St Irenaeus of Lyon named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis in 2022. I love learning about the saints and love learning about the contributions brought to our faith in a special way by the Doctors of the Church.
Basil and Gregory were both from Cappadocia in present day Turkey. A monk who became the Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia in 370 AD, Basil fought vigorously against the Arian heresy. The monastic rule that Basil wrote is still followed in monasteries in the East to this day. Gregory, a great friend of Basil’s, became Bishop of Constantinople. He was a great theologian and preacher. Not only were Basil and Gregory, great theologians, but they practiced God’s love and mercy in the way they led the Church. Here is a great quote from Basil the Great: “The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the money that you keep locked away is the money of the poor; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.”
We hear a message today in the midst of the Christmas season that we heard during Advent as well, of John the Baptist giving testimony and preparing a path for the Lord. Whether we realize it or not, all of us give testimony to our faith through our words and our actions. Our Church Fathers such as Basil and Gregory also continued the testimony that John the Baptist gave. May we continue to prepare a path for Jesus in our lives .
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