In the fourth century, Saint Ephrem the Syrian went to Caesarea of Cappadocia to spy on Saint Basil the Great, because while he was praying to God in the wilderness to show him the glory of Saint Basil, he saw a pillar of fire reaching up to heaven, and a voice saying: in this manner is Basil! Yet he could not understand how a man clad in so much worldly glory [not in poor rags like the monks], surrounded and admired by so many people [which might lead one to pride], living in a very crowded city [and not in the loneliness of the desert], could be so holy.. So he sat in the back of the Church and watched him serve the Holy Liturgy --and he went there (from the Syrian desert to the city of Caesarea) in secret: theyve never met before, nor was Saint Basil informed of Saint Ephrems visit-- and all of a sudden, a deacon is sent to the back of the Church to tell Saint Ephrem that the bishop is expecting him in the Altar! He tried to excuse himself through his translator, but the deacon insisted, and when he went into the Altar, Saint Basil asked him, through the translator (because Basil spoke Greek, and Ephrem Syrian) to read the Ectenia [that is, the Litany]: again, he tried to excuse himself, saying that he couldnt read or speak Greek, but Saint Basil again insisted, and when he began to utter the prayer, it came out of his mouth in Greek, and this is how Saint Ephrem became convinced of the holiness of Basil the Great.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 03:20:03 +0000
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