BASIL'S PRAYER

Posted: 01.01.25 in Articles category

 

At the start of the year Orthodox and Catholic churches celebrate the feast days of two remarkable 4^th century Christian saints from Cappadocia - a province of Asia Minor. Gregory of Nazianzus and Basil of Caesarea were bishops and friends who each played important roles in defending the Christian faith from the influential Arian heresy that denied the divinity of Christ and undermined Trinitarian theology. Yet I am more drawn to their words about God as the author of creation. Gregory for example wrote the following passage about creation praising God, echoing the sentiments of Paul in Romans chapter 8:  

All creatures praise you,

both those who speak and those that are dumb.

All creatures bow down before you,

both those that can think and those that cannot.

The longing of the universe,

the groaning of creation reaches out to you.

Everything that exists prays to you,

and every creature that can read your universe

directs to you a hymn of silence.

 

There is a short prayer that we sometimes use during our Even Sparrows retreats which is attributed to St Basil. It’s quite confessional in tone, using language that seems remarkably modern with its talk of recognising our duty of care for all creatures:

O God, enlarge within us the sense of fellowship with all living things, our brothers the animals to whom thou gavest the earth as their home in common with us. We remember with shame that in the past we have exercised the high dominion of man with ruthless cruelty so that the voice of the earth, which should have gone up to thee in song, has been a groan of travail. May we realise that they live not for us alone, but for themselves and for thee, and that they love the sweetness of life.

At a time of year when we often make new resolutions, I suggest these poignant words express vital truths for us all to consider.