Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:
Basil received normal education in Caerasea Mazaca in Cappadocia (modern-day Kayseri, Turkey). There he met Gregory of Nazianzus, who would become a lifetime friend. Together, basil & Gregory went to Constantinople for further studies, including the lectures of Libanius.Quoth the Holy Family bulletin:
After studying various modes of religious life, he founded what was probably the first monastery in Asia Minor. He is to monks of the East what Saint Benedict [11 July] is to the West; & Basil's principles influence Eastern monasticism today. Though not recognized greatly in his lifetime, his writings rightly place him among the great teachers of the Church. Seventy-two years after his death, the Council of Chalcedon described him as "the great Basil, minister of grace who has expounded the truth to the whole earth."St. Basil was the son of Ss. Basil the Elder & Emmelia (30 May), grandson of St. Macrina the Elder (14 January), & brother of Ss. Macrina the Younger (19 July), Naucratius (?), Peter of Sebaste (9 January), & Gregory of Nyssa (10 January).
St. Gregory Nazianen was the son of Ss. Gregory of Nazianzus the Elder (1 January) & Nonna (5 August) & the brother of Ss. Gorgonia (9 December) & Caesarius (?).
'Tis also the festival of Saint Mainchín of Limerick, Bishop (floruit seventh century; also spelt Munchin; A.K.A. the Wise, Mainchín mac Setnai): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.
'Tis also the festival of Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin, Religious, S.S.A. (1809-1890, A.K.A. Esther Blondin), foundress of the Sisters of Saint Anne: Blessed-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link S.S.A..
Commentary: Wayback Machine.
Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Christmas Weekday
The First Letter of John, chapter two, verses twenty-two thru twenty-eight;
Psalm Ninety-eight, verses one, two & three (a/b), & three(c/d) & four;
The Gospel according to John, chapter one, verses nineteen thru twenty-eight.
Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, in today’s Gospel John the Baptist identifies himself as "the voice of one crying out in the desert." How often the great heroes of the Biblical revelation have to spend time in the desert: Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, Paul. Even Jesus himself spends forty days and nights in the desert before commencing his ministry.Video reflection by Father Charles Slisz: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
They have to wait through a painful time, living a stripped-down life, before they are ready. What does the desert symbolize? Confrontation with one’s own sin; seeing one’s dark side; a deep realization of one’s dependency upon God; an ordering of the priorities of one’s life; a simplification, a getting back to basics. It means any and all of these things.
But the bottom line is that they are compelled to wait, during a time and in a place where very little life seems to be on offer. But it is precisely in such deserts that the flowers bloom. Moses becomes a great leader; Abraham is the father of many nations; Joseph becomes the savior of his people; John the Baptist is the forerunner of the Messiah; Paul is the Apostle to the Gentiles—all of this flowering was made possible by the desert.
Mass Readings—Memorial of Ss. Basil the Great & Gregory Nazianen
The Letter to the Ephesians, chapter four, verses one thru seven, eleven, twelve, & thirteen;
Psalm Twenty-three, verse one;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-three, verses eight thru twelve.
Bible Study—Pauline Letters
The Letter to the Romans, chapter one (of sixteen; verses one thru thirty-two).
Commentary: Salutation (1:1-7), Prayer of Thanksgiving (1:8-15), the Power of the Gospel (1:16-17), & the Guilt of Mankind (1:18-32).
Saint Quote o' the Day
"Let no one ever come to you without coming away better & happier."A Humble Contribution to the New Evangelization
—St. Teresa of Calcutta (A.K.A. Mother Teresa, 1910-1997; feast day: 5 September)
The Popish Plot—Taco Tuesday: "Deacons Today"
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