MODERN DAY CAPPADOCIANS
“Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying; but let us live well, and times shall be good. We are the times; Such as we are, such are the times.” - St Augustine of Hippo
I love feast days. Those of you reading who know me, also know the depth and breadth of my Catholic nerdiness. Today, we celebrate the feast of two of the Cappadocians - so named as they hailed from Cappadocia. The crew also included St. Gregory of Nyssa, Basil’s brother, and St. Macrina, their sister. Their parents were also saints, as were a couple of their grandparents. Their family - male and female - studied with great teachers of their time, and they, in turn, became influential writers and teachers. They were nobles who influenced the upper echelons of society as peers and pastoral ministers who served the needs of the poor and vulnerable as brothers and sisters. They are also grouped in the Orthodox Churches with St. John Chrysostom and known as the “Three Holy Hierarchs.” Are you beginning to wonder how you have come this far without being a Cappadocian fanboy/fangirl???
In Paul’s letter to Ephesus from today’s readings (in Cappadocia, well played Church), I can imagine the foundation of the Christian community being laid by Paul and inherited by Basil, Gregory and their friends and family members two centuries later. The stories of the Cappadocians paint a beautiful picture, but as I keep reading, they also resist romantic distortion. Those aforementioned grandparents came by their Sainthood as they fled persecution or by martyrdom. Basil and Gregory also weathered the conflicts of Arian and Apollinarian heresies and the unrest they caused among the faithful. I am encouraged as I read their story to recognize that today certainly isn’t the worst we’ve gone through, though it seems like there is no end of op-eds, social media campaigns, and think pieces proclaiming ours the worst of times.
Days like today are the reason I love me some feast days. There is much in our day, like the ongoing sexual abuse and financial scandals that continue to erupt, that continue to gnaw at my heart. Christian martyrdom is happening at rates unseen for a long time. I can give in and despair at times. But then I remember that those stories alone do not define the Church. There are modern-day Cappadocians, networks of friends and families that I have had the privilege to meet. They are on the front lines at the border; they are ministering to addicts and fighting the root causes of the opioid crisis where it’s hitting our country the hardest; they are in chanceries praying their way through paradigm shifts; they are prelates making hard, faithful choices daily amidst a barrage of complaints and anonymous invective; they are nuns on the bus; they are everyday Catholics doing small things with great love, and doing exciting, creative things for love of neighbor and to share the Good News. The times are hard, yet they are also filled with good. This is the only time we are given and, for better or worse, it’s a good time to follow Jesus. It’s a good day “to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
Watch: Restored Series by ODB Films: https://storiesofencounter.com/
What is a sign of hope in your life? Where do you find opportunities to affirm the Spirit at work?
Jason Coito