2nd Sunday of the Year (A)

References to the Sunday Readings for Your Reflection: 2014 (A), 2015 (B) and 2016 (C)

January 19, 2014
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 49:3, 5-6
Psalm 40
1 Corinthians 1:1-3
John 1:29-34

"After me is to come a man who ranks ahead of me."

Humility is not an easy virtue to practice. We know this by experience. It is easier to be noisy than to remain in silence. It is easier to race to be the first in line, than to remain calm, and trust that we can be first, and will get what we need eventually through patience. And it is easier to burst in righteous anger, than to avoid the slightest annoyance or irritation that can enter and invade the heart. But even if humility may not be what the world expects of us, it can be practiced, integrated into in our work, and be used by God to influence the same on others. Evangelization by example can be produced, as long as we are aware of God's will and His grace as the source of humility.

St. John the Baptist is a good example of one who knows his place before God and those in authority. He lived and evangelized in humility. In the gospel, we read what he said:

After me is to come a man who ranks ahead of me, because He was before me.

John the Baptist had an important role in the plan of God. But He knew, like the prophets of the Old Testament, that someone is to come who will be a "light to the nations". John knew that through Jesus, "salvation will reach to the ends of the earth". He was completely grounded in the truth of his being only the herald of this Messiah.

In daily life, we may oftentimes get distracted and lose our grounding in God. When this happens, the call to be humble gets blurred, and we easily get tempted to make ourselves as the source of all right and wrong - without referring to a higher authority. There is a great temptation to be unkind to others if we are not humble and speak or act with discretion. But St. John's example in the gospel can teach us how to re-ground ourselves in what is truly the Source of Truth. When John caught sight of Jesus, he pointed out: "Look there! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John teaches us to be attentive to the presence of God, and to know where we stand amidst His presence.

Scripture quotes for reflection:
The Lord said to Israel: you are my servant, through whom I show my glory (Isaiah 49)
The Lord put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God (Psalm 40)

St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop of Nazianzus

St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop and Doctor of the Church:
ca. 329-389 A.D.

Feast day, January 2

Birth, family background and studies

St. Gregory was born at Nazianzus, Cappadocia, Turkey, in ca. 329 A.D., to St. Gregory Nazianzen the Elder and St. Nonna. Gregory's two other siblings were Caesarius and Gorgonia, and are also venerated as saints. St. Gregory studied first at Caesarea, Cappadocia (where he met St. Basil), then in the rhetorical school at Caesarea, Palestine. He studied further for ten years at Athens (where St. Basil and Julian the Apostate were also studying).

Gregory returns to Nazianzus

When he was about 30 years old, St. Gregory joined St. Basil at Pontus on the Iris River, where the two chose to live the contemplative life as hermits. This decision was short-lived for Gregory, because his father, who was about 80 years old, and bishop of Nazianzus, called for Gregory to return home so he can help manage the diocese and the estate. Gregory had to obey. Reluctantly, Gregory was ordained in ca. 362 A.D. by his father. Gregory worked with his father and managed the diocese to prevent a schism. His father however fell into heresy when he made compromises with Arianism. But Gregory brought his father back to orthodoxy. His father died in 374 A.D.

Consecrated as bishop of Sesima

Before Gregory's father passed away, in ca. 372 A.D., St. Basil, now metropolitan of Caesarea, named St. Gregory as bishop of Sesima. Sesima was a newly created see in the middle of territory beset by Arianism. Although St. Gregory was consecrated as bishop, he never went to Sesima, to the dismay of St. Basil, but rather remained as coadjutor to his father. This severely strained the friendship between the two, as Gregory chose to remain and help his father in Nazianzus.

Prevaling over Arianism at Constantinople

After the death of his father in 374 A.D., Gregory continued to administer the see until a new bishop was chosen. He however suffered a breakdown in 375 A.D., and spent the next five years retiring to a monastery in Seleucia, Isauria (near modern Baghdad, Iraq). Here, he lived in much prayer and study. While in Seleucia, in 379 A.D., Gregory was called to help the Church of Constantinople. That Church had been under Arian dominance during the reign of Emperor Valens. But with Valens now dead, a group of orthodox bishops wanted Gregory to revitalize orthodoxy in Constantinople. Gregory went and naturally met opposition. But he prevailed over the Arians, and in 380 A.D., the newly baptized Emperor Theodosius decreed that all his subjects must be orthodox. Theodosius ordered the Arian leaders to submit or leave, and then named Gregory archbishop of Constantinople.

Resigning as bishop, retirement and death

Just a few months after Gregory's installation as bishop of Constantinople, hostilities began anew and the validity of his election was questioned at the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D. (at which St. Gregory also presided). Fearing then that this present unrest would lead to bloodshed, Gregory left the office of bishop in 382 A.D. and retired to a private life - living a quiet life of prayer, meditation, penance and great austerity at Nazianzus. He devoted the last years of his life to writing until his death in 389 A.D. He died on January 25, 389 at the age of fifty-nine years.

Cappadocian Father and Doctor of the Church

St. Gregory Nazianzen is ranked along with St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa as one of the "three Cappadocian Fathers". Besides his sermons, his writings include: Five Theological Orations, a compilation of Origen's writings which he did with Basil, and a poem entitled De Vita Sua. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church, St. Gregory is often surnamed "the Theologian" for his eloquent defense of orthodoxy and the decrees of the Council of Nicea in his sermons and treatises (notably his celebrated sermons on the Trinity). He shares the same feast with St. Basil the Great every 2nd of January.

References of this article

• Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney
• Saints for Our Time, by Ed Ransom
• The Doctors of the Church, by John F. Fink
• A Year With the Saints, by Don Bosco Press, Inc.

St. Basil the Great, Bishop and Doctor

St. Basil the Great, Bishop and Doctor, 329-379 A.D., feast January 2

St. Basil "the Great"

St. Basil shares the honorific title "the Great" with three other doctors of the Church: Pope Leo, Pope Gregory, and Albert. (The Church declares certain Saints as Doctors of the Church because their writings continue to uphold the Church's teachings for the universal Church). So great were Basil's accomplishments that he was already being called "the Great" during his lifetime. His spiritually influenced Eastern monasticism and the liturgy of the Eastern Church. He also defended orthodox Christianity in the East against the heresy of Arianism after St. Athanasius' death.

Born of a family of saints

St. Basil was one of ten children of St. Basil the Elder and St. Emmelia. His grandmother was St. Macrina the Elder, his brother was St. Gregory of Nyssa, and his eldest sister was St. Macrina the Younger. Basil was born in Caesarea of Cappadocia - in what is now southeastern Turkey. Educated first by his father and grandmother, he then studied further in Constantinople and Athens. There he met St. Gregory Nazianzen, who would become his close friend. He also met Julian - who would become the future emperor and apostate.

Pursuit of religious life

When his education was completed, St. Basil returned home, where he taught rhetoric and planned a career in teaching. However, St. Macrina the Younger, his eldest sister, influenced him to pursue religious life. Basil travelled to many monasteries in the East (in Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt) to learn about monastic life. Upon his return back in 358 A.D., he settled in a secluded spot by the Iris River in Pontus, and devoted himself to prayer and study. A group of disciples soon gathered around him. With these followers, he founded the first monastery in Asia Minor. It is them that St. Basil formulated the principles that would rule and regulate the lives of monks in the Eastern Church (including those of modern Orthodox Churches) up to the present age. It is this accomplishment that St. Basil came to be known as "the Father of Eastern Monasticism".

A priest in 363 A.D.

Basil consented to be ordained a priest and he immediately began to play a role in the administration of the diocese. After a dispute with his bishop Eusebius, he returned to his monastery. He was recalled to the diocese in 365 A.D. through the insistence of his friend, Gregory of Nazianzen. Upon his return, he became the power behind the episcopal throne for the next five years. When the bishop died in 370 A.D., St. Basil was chosen bishop. He then spent the next eight and one half years caring for his diocese.

Involvement against Arianism

Because orthodox Christians were being persecuted by Arian bishops, Basil was called upon to help defend the faith against Arianism (which claims that Christ is not divine). Valens, an Arian emperor, pressured Basil to allow Arians full communion with the Church. St. Basil firmly refused and the Emperor decided to exile him. Upon signing the order of banishment, Valens' pen broke in his hand three times. Astonished by this happening, the Emperor then backed down and never again interfered with ecclesial affairs.

The Basilade

St. Basil was known for his care of the poor. He devoted all of his income for the good of the people. He founded an immense charitable institution, later known as the Basilade. This institution included a hospital, a hospice for the homeless, an asylum for orphans, and a school for the young.

A great orator and a prolific writer

St. Basil was one of the great orators of the Church - preaching brilliant sermons twice a day. He was a prolific writer - writing four hundred letters that had tremendous influence on the Church. His other writings include a book On the Holy Spirit; three books against Arian bishop Enomius; and a compilation with Gregory Nazianzen of the works of Origen. It was his 42 written sermons, his writings, and his 400 letters that earned him the designation of Doctor of the Church.

Pain and illness

St. Basil was already suffering from a chest ailment when he was contending against Arian Emperor Valens. This chest pain and other infirmities brought about his death on January 1, 379 A.D. at age 49. Because he was so beloved, his funeral was attended by large numbers of Christians, Jews, and pagans.