Today, the Church honors two of the great Cappadocian
Fathers, Basil and Gregory Nazianzen. Both were distinguished theologians and
champions of the faith in the fourth century, developing and defending our most
holy doctrines of God as Trinity.
In the West, Basil and Gregory are recognized as Doctors of
the Church, while in the East, they are—along with St. John Chrysostom—recognized
as the Three Holy Hierarchs.
As bishops and doctors of the Church, Basil, Gregory, and John
were really the backbone of Catholic Orthodoxy during a period of doctrinal
struggle and confusion.
Gregory presided over the ecumenical council held at
Constantinople, whose great achievement was the completion of the
Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed that the Catholic Church recites each Sunday.
We could speak endlessly on their towering doctrinal
achievements and developments, but I’d like to speak about their friendship.
Basil and Gregory began their friendship while away at
school in Athens. Their love for the faith and their love for Christ joined
them. Together they produced a work called the Philokalia, coming from the two
greek words for “Love” and “Beauty”.
Listen to the words Gregory wrote about his friendship with
Basil.
“Not only did I feel veneration for my great Basil because
of the seriousness of his morals and the maturity and wisdom of his speeches,
but he induced others who did not yet know him to be like him…the same
eagerness for knowledge motivated us…It seemed as if we had one soul in two
bodies.”
It is important, in the Christian life to have such friends.
I’m blessed with several priest friends who I meet with on a regular basis. We
encourage each other in our priestly ministry, we bounce ideas off of each
other for homilies and for projects around the parish, we share good meals with
each other and from time to time, a fine cigar.
I think the Christian life is impossible without good
friends. Jesus himself surrounded himself with the twelve, who he called, not
servants, but friends.
C.S. Lewis said, “To the Ancients, Friendship seemed the
happiest and most fully human of all loves; the crown of life and the school of
virtue. The modern world, in comparison, ignores it.”
Good spiritual friends encourage you to be a better you, the
best you. The true measure of authentic friendship: a good friend helps you to serve
God with more of yourself. They help us to love and appreciate truth and
beauty. True friends help to bring out those qualities in you which are
effective in building up the kingdom of God, they help us to become saints.
Today, let’s thank God for the friends in our life who help
us to become as holy as we should, and pray that we can be good Christian
friends to others, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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