Our Orthodox Church is a Garden where flowers with an unfading fragrance grow. Among these spiritual flowers are the Three Holy Hierarchs whose memory we celebrate today: Saint Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian, and Saint John Chrysostom.
These saints were great fighters for the faith. Remember that our earthly life is a time of spiritual warfare, a battlefield... The Three Ecumenical Teachers are a model for us all.
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Their era, like any other, was riddled with sins, vices, passions, crimes, temptations, errors, and all manner of heresies... but they did not succumb. They confronted all these challenges, waging an unwavering struggle. And thus became an example for those who defend the Christian faith.
Saint Basil the Great was born in Caesarea in Cappadocia. He possessed an exceptional intellect. At the age of twenty, he went to study in Athens. There, he acquired a precious gift—his friend Gregory. This friendship protected them from the vice that reigned in the city. Athens was a gathering place for the sons of wealthy families, whose parents sent them money, which they then squandered in dissolute living. Nevertheless, these two friends remained as pure as lilies amid the thorns of human passions.
From Athens, Saint Basil returned to Caesarea. At the time, Arianism was prevalent there. The emperor sent Eparch Modestus with the task of pressuring the bishops to sign a heretical document. All but Saint Basil the Great signed the document declaring themselves to be Arians. When Modestus arrived in Caesarea and demanded Basil's signature, he categorically refused.
“My Tsar does not allow me to do this,” Vasily declared.
- Aren't you afraid of the emperor?
- What can he do to me?
- He will confiscate your property, send you into exile, or even execute you!
Saint Basil the Great smiled in response:
- What should I fear? Confiscation of my property? I have nothing but my cassock and a few books. Exile? "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof" (Psalm 24:1); wherever I go, I am an exile. Death? Death will be a blessing to me. I will not retreat...
Modest, listening to him, could not hide his amazement.
The inner fortitude that enabled him to resist lawlessness was always present in Saint Basil: both when he was a student in Athens and when, already being a bishop in Caesarea, he confronted Modestus and the emperor.
Saint Gregory the Theologian. His steadfastness of spirit was evident in Athens, where he resisted the influence of an unfavorable environment. One of his fellow students was Julian the Apostate, the future pagan emperor. Saint Gregory resisted his influence, but opposed Julian's views.
He then went to his native village of Arianzos, where he became a priest and later a bishop. He was called to Constantinople during the Time of Troubles, when the city was under Arian rule.
All the churches in the city were seized by heretics, except for one small church, St. Anastasia. It was there that Saint Gregory began his famous sermons on the Holy Trinity, earning him the name "Theologian." At first, his work attracted little attention, but soon he converted so many city residents to Orthodoxy that they were impossible to count. The Arians were outraged and fiercely opposed him. On Easter Day, they stormed his church with sticks and stones and began pelting the parishioners. Saint Gregory was wounded. He emerged from this ordeal, nearly dying.
His life was a constant struggle: against Julian, against the Arians and against other heresies of that time.
But let us now move on to Chrysostom.
Saint John Chrysostom. His entire life was a struggle. In his writings and sermons, he uses words like "battle," "war," "weapons," and "battle." He says, "I am returning from the battlefield!" And when you listen to him, you are deeply convinced that he is waging a ceaseless spiritual battle against error and heresy. Saint John Chrysostom was a true fighter.
He fought against pagan rituals and entertainment, theaters, horse racing, depraved dances, against the ruthless greed of the rich and their excessive luxury.
One day, Saint John Chrysostom spoke out against Eutropius, the favorite and favourite of Queen Eudoxia. Having become head of government, Eutropius plunged into unbridled enrichment, sparing neither widows nor orphans. Chrysostom addressed him: "The path you have taken leads to destruction!"
But Eutropius took no account of anything. Constantine the Great's sacred law protected the right of sanctuary in the church: if a person was in danger and managed to enter the church, they would be protected from persecutors and could remain safely within the church grounds. Eutropius had enemies with whom he wanted to settle scores, but some of them found refuge in the church. He then went to Chrysostom and demanded that this right be revoked—so that he could enter the church and, like a hawk, snatch his prey.
“That is impossible,” answered Saint John.
- Then I will send you into exile.
- Do what you want, but the right of asylum remains in force.
One day, while Chrysostom was preaching in church, shouts and noise erupted outside. Suddenly, someone, out of breath and exhausted, ran into the church and clasped a column with his arms. It was Eutropius himself! The one who had wanted to abolish the right of asylum now also found himself persecuted. He lost all his ranks and, pursued by an enraged mob, took refuge in the church.
From outside they shouted: “Give us this murderer, we will deal with him!”
Then Chrysostom ascended the pulpit and delivered his famous speech about Eutropius, in which he said: "All is vanity of vanities (Eccl. 1:2). Come and see him who was great yesterday: where he was before and what is his situation now..." And he did not hand Eutropius over to be torn to pieces.
Saint John Chrysostom confronted not only Eutropius but also Queen Eudoxia herself. By worldly standards, the queen won, but before God, Chrysostom prevailed. What was the conflict about? The ladies of the court, flattering the queen for her beauty, had a statue of her erected in front of the church and set a day for veneration. This provoked Chrysostom's righteous anger. When word of this spread throughout the palace, unrest and a protracted struggle ensued, involving even unworthy bishops. Ultimately, Chrysostom was exiled to Armenia. At the end of his earthly life, exhausted, worn out, suffering, and persecuted, he made the sign of the cross and said, "Glory to God for all things." Saint John Chrysostom commended his holy soul to the Lord on the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, having fully fulfilled his pastoral duty.
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God did not bring us to earth to live a short time, pleasing the devil, indulging the flesh, and acting on our own lusts. God gave us life so that we might fulfill the will of our Heavenly Father. In prayer, we ask, "Thy will be done" (Matthew 6:10). Not someone else's will, but the will of the Lord God. Therefore, if it happens that the will of some people contradicts God's commandments, we must certainly act in accordance with His holy will. Would you like me to give you an example?
Marriage is a sacrament. A wife must obey her husband, but within certain limits. If her husband demands of her actions that clearly violate God's commandments, what should she choose? If she chooses her husband's love, she ceases to be a Christian. If she chooses devotion to God, then angels will weave a thousand crowns for her! Let her say to her husband: "I became your wife so that we could walk through life together and achieve salvation, not so that you would condemn me to eternal torment." The same applies to a man: if his wife doesn't share Christian values, he shouldn't follow her lead, but he must have a say when it comes to faith.
Are you a child? Obey your parents. But if they command you to do something contrary to the law of the Lord, disobey them. Are you a soldier? Follow your officer's orders. If he offends God, be firm and disobey him. Are you an employee? Obey your superior. But refuse to carry out any assignments that violate God's commandments.
And finally, I will offer this comparison. A dead fish is carried away by the river's current, but a living fish can swim against it. My dears, answer this: are we dead or living Christians? If we are dead, then we will be carried away into the abyss by the current of sin. But if we are alive, then we must not be carried away by any sinful current. Do not succumb to the trends of our times. And may the Three Holy Hierarchs, who were renowned for their heroic confession of faith, bless us in this struggle. Amen.
Source: https://myrophoros.blogspot.com/2026/02/blog-post_12.html?m=0