January 03
St. Basil the Great and This Year's Vasilopita
Why is St. Basil called great? What makes him stand out among the saints?
He is called great for various reasons. First of all, he was a scholar of the Greek philosophers and of the Bible and a prolific writer and a God-inspired theologian. He is chiefly responsible for elucidating and explaining the Christian understanding of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, as revealed in scripture. As a principal defender of the Orthodox Faith and the doctrine of the Trinity against the heresy of Arius. Arius did not believe Jesus Christ was divine but was a created being. St. Basil insisted upon the unity of the Godhead: the divinity of Christ and of the Holy Spirit.
His great gift to us was that he was able to understand the theology found in the scriptures and explain it eloquently – simply yet profoundly – for all posterity to understand. Would that all Christians would read St. Basil. We would have greater unity. Much of what he wrote has been translated into English and is readily available to each of us for our edification as well.
St. Basil is also responsible for the composition of one of the Divine Liturgies, which is celebrated by the Church on ten occasions in the course of a year: on St. Basil’s Day; the Eve of Epiphany; the Eve of Pascha (Holy Saturday); the Eve of Christmas; and the five Sundays of Great Lent. On the other days of the year, we celebrate the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which is a revised form of the Liturgy of St. Basil.
He is also the father of Orthodox coenobitic monasticism. He founded and sponsored many monasteries and developed the normative structure of communal monastic discipline, which would serve as a guide for all Eastern Christian monasticism for centuries up to and including our present era, and as the foundation of Benedictine Monasticism in the West.
Another aspect of St. Basil that earned him the appellation “great” is pastoral. He was a good priest and bishop; Bishop of Caesarea in the Province of Cappadocia in the fourth century. This was a very populous center of Christianity. As bishop, he taught his people to be generous and philanthropic. He was himself always ready with contributions to help the victims of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, famines and floods. He was consistently aiding the poor and oppressed. In particular, he was responsible for the establishment of numerous hospitals, orphanages, and old-age homes. His example is one to be followed.
On St. Basil’s Day, which is January 1st, New Year’s Day, it is traditional for Greek Orthodox families to gather together and cut the “vasilopita”, the St. Basil’s bread. This is done as a symbol of all that he stood for. He taught benevolence and that those able should distribute their bread and money to the poor. He preached and taught charity. For this reason, the Vasilopita celebrations are sponsored by the Philoptochos (lovers of the poor), the charitable arm of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, founded by Archbishop Iakovos of blessed memory; and the proceeds go to St. Basil’s Academy in Garrison, NY.
Due to the Coronavirus, we will be unable to have our Vasilopita celebration together. However, that does not mean you cannot do so in your home with your family. Recipes are readily available. I just Googled “Vasilopita Recipe” and got a huge amount. It is a great tradition to teach and pass on to your children. And if you are so inclined, please send a donation to the Ladies of St. Demetrios earmarked for St. Basil’s Academy.
A blessed and happy new year to one and all!
