The Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzen

1 Jn 2:22-28, Jn 1:19-28. The opening line of today's first reading helps us to redirect our steps: “Beloved: Who is the liar? The one who denies that Jesus is the Christ.” We really have no hope if we take our sights off God, His Word, His Son and put them exclusively on the present world and its divisions and rancor. As the Psalmist says: “All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.” We just need to remember that, to revel in it and let it permeate our being, we must seek God always. In today's Gospel, the Priests and Levites went to John the Baptist asking who he was: “He admitted and did not deny it, ‘I am not the Christ.’” They asked if he had the authority to do what he has been doing and wondering if he was the Messiah that God has promised to His people.

John the Baptist clearly told those who asked him that he was not the Messiah and that he was just the one who was sent into this world to prepare the way for the Messiah of God. Had anyone else been asked of this at that time, more likely than not they would have claimed that they were the Messiah promised by God. We have yet two more great examples of faith we can be inspired with, St Basil the Great and St Gregory Nazianzen, as we celebrate their memorial today. These saints also had to contend with the heretics and their powerful influence at their time, at a time when false teachings and ideas threatened not only to destroy the unity of the Church, but also the salvation of many souls and the survival of the Church and faith itself.

May Lord help us to follow John’s lead and always look to His Son for the answer to every problem, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life! Amen!! Good morning and have a blissful day!!!