Thursday, January 2, 2025
Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church
Ninth Day of Christmas
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
Vasilopita
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds. His right hand has won victory, his holy arm.
Andi and Aki throw great family parties. Our New Year’s Eve party moved everything up twelve hours, and we rang the new year bells at 12 pm, noon instead of midnight. Much better for the older ones (we don’t love driving after dark on highways full of people not used to drinking) and the younger ones, who were up early on Tuesday morning and would be ready for bed early on Tuesday night. And indeed for the parents, one pregnant and the other getting just four hours of sleep on Monday night.
Children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming.
Our New Year’s Eve feast came from seven countries, seven dishes the chefs had not made before. We ate the food, each of us talked about our country and its dish, and then we prayed for all the countries at the end of the meal: Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Iran, Colombia and Canada.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God.
Andi and Jasper (her 5-year-old son) made dessert, which was vasilopita, traditionally dedicated to the Greek theologian, benefactor and monk, Basil. (Vasil in Greek?) Not being Catholic, they didn’t know Saint Basil’s death would be celebrated today. Their Greek holiday cake contained one whole almond, and whoever got the almond was granted a wish. Jasper cut the cake, and Jasper got the almond! (Really, there was no plan. He had no idea.)
St. Basil would have enjoyed our party, I think. He loved life. He cared for the poor and developed theology that introduced his contemporaries (350 AD) to a triune God, which he was certain included the Holy Spirit. Many Eastern Orthodox monasteries are named after Saint Basil, because he was so influential in developing Eastern monasticism, making it more available to normal humans rather than those ascetics who lived alone in the desert.
Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song and sing praise.
Basil relics are scattered around Europe. One of the most important is his head. If you want to see the head of Basil, you must be male, because it is preserved at the Great Lavra Monastery on Mount Athos in Greece, where only men are allowed to set their feet.
Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you, and then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life.
 (1 John 2, Psalm 98, Hebrews 1, John 1)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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