Memorial of Saints
Basil and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the Church
(I John 2:22-28; John 1:19-28)
The saints celebrated today, Basil and Gregory, worked in
a time of great theological controversy.
Although the Council of Nicea proclaimed Christ as Son of God and
coeternal with the Father, many Christians believed that the proposition
contradicted monotheism. Even some of
those who accepted the Nicene Creed had distorted ideas about how Jesus was
both God and human. There was also the
question of how the Holy Spirit related to the Father and the Son. These questions were similar to the ones
asked in today’s readings.
It is not certain what John, the presbyter, has in mind
when he condemns those who deny the Son.
But it likely has something to do with Jesus’ divinity. Likewise, the gospel reading seems to be
directed toward a Christological question: was John the Baptist or Jesus the
Messiah of Israel? The answers given to
these inquiries, implied in each reading, are formative as we begin another
year, another milestone in history.
Many look to Jesus as only a great teacher whose wisdom
deserves consideration. We, however, profess
him to be the final word of a loving God.
Through his death and resurrection his Father imparts to us his Spirit. This gift leads us outside the narrow
confines of self-interest into the wonders of God’s love. Here we find the fullness of life that overcomes
even death. Each day of this new year we
look forward to delving more deeply into this mystery.
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