O sinner, be not discouraged, but have recourse to Mary in all you
necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will
that she should help in every kind of necessity.
Saint Basil the Great
By the command of your only-begotten Son we communicate with the
memory of your saints...by whose prayers and supplications have mercy
upon us all, and deliver us for the sake of your holy name.
Basil: Liturgy of Saint Basil, 373AD
The bread which you use is the bread of the hungry; the garment
hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes
you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the acts of
charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.
Saint Basil
Let us raise ourselves from our fall and not give up hope as long as
we are free from sin. Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners.
'Come, let us adore and prostrate ourselves and weep before him' (Psalm
95:6). The Word calls us to repentance, crying out: 'Come to me, all you
who labor and are heavily burdened and I will refresh you' (Matthew
11:28). There is, then, a way to salvation if we are willing to follow
it"
from a letter of Saint Basil the Great
Envy is a gnawing pain which springs from the success and prosperity
of another; and this is the reason why the envious are never exempt from
trouble and vexation. If an abundant harvest fills the granaries of a
neighbor, if success crowns his efforts, the envious man is chagrined
and sad. If one man can boast of prudence, talent, and eloquence; if
another is rich, and is very liberal to the poor, if good works are
praised by all around, the envious man is shocked and grieved.
The envious, however, dare not speak; although envy makes them
counterfeit gladness, their hearts are sore within. If you ask him what
vexes him, he dare not tell the reason. It is not really the happiness
of his friend that annoys him, neither is it his gaiety that makes him
sad, nor is he sorry to see his friend prosper; but it is that he is
persuaded that the prosperity of others is the cause of his misery.
This is what the envious would be forced to acknowledge, if they spoke
the truth sincerely; but because they dare not confess so shameful a
sin, they, in secret, feed a sore which tortures them and eats away
their rest.
As the shadow ever accompanies the pedestrian when walking in the sun,
so envy throws its shadow on those who are successful in the world.
Saint Basil, from "De Individia"
Thy fame has gone forth into all the earth, which has received thy
word. Thereby thou hast taught the Faith; thou hast revealed the nature
of created things; thou hast made a royal priesthood of the ordered life
of men./ Righteous Father Basil intercede with Christ our God that our
souls may be saved.
troparion of Saint Basil the Great
Thou wast an unshaken foundation of the Church and didst give to all
mortals an inviolate lordship which thou didst seal with thy doctrine, O
righteous Basil, revealer of the mysteries of heaven.
kontakion of Saint Basil the Great
