The Divine Wedgie
New Year’s Day in the Eastern Liturgical Calendar is the Feast of Ss. Basil of Caesarea and Gregory Nazianzen, two of the great 4th century Cappadocian Fathers, who sowed the seeds of early Monasticism and drove some of the great developments of ancient Christian theology, such as the doctrine of the Trinity. Touching on the extent to which Christian virtue must be exercised, Basil is noted to have said:
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.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In