Our Saint Among Us!
Feb 01, 2009 by Fr Luke Palumbis
Christianity offers experience which extends beyond commonplace or common understanding. This experience is easily understood when recognizing Christianity as the offering of something beyond our grasp, or even comprehension – Christianity offers the experience of God! Christian traditions are living assistants and testimonies in the pilgrimage of faith, helping us realize the possibility and opportunity to be a part of something greater than ourselves – helping us realize our experience within the Body of Christ!
Powerful and ancient are many traditions of the Christian Church. Regrettably, many have foregone either some or all Christian traditions when not easily applicable to current agendas, or understandings, yet in Orthodoxy, we maintain steadfastness in consistency, appreciation, and application of Christian traditions; those which have been with us since the time of the Apostles, and those which continue to be developed today.
An ancient Christian tradition is the possession and veneration of relics of saints. Today relics of saints may be witnessed in varied forms: a piece of clothing worn by the saint, a cloth laid upon the tomb of a saint, a tool or utensil once used by a saint, etc, yet the most revered and ancient form of relics are the actual bones of saints! Since the times when Christians would worship in catacombs, which held the bodies of martyrs, to the martyrdom of Saint Polycarp (2nd C.), Christians have worshiped among, and venerated the bones of saints and martyrs. With humility and respect, Orthodoxy continues to maintain this powerful Christian tradition, which has been in existence for almost 2000 years!
An Orthodox community is complete when there are the presence of both clergy and laity who experience God through the Eucharist; however, a greater fullness of the experience of the Church may be felt when the Patron Saint of the community is tangible among them. Our Christian community in Stockton has been blessed to have been given a Patron such as Saint Basil the Great, having had his intercessions for 80 years! Building upon these 80 years of Saint Basil’s guidance and intercessions, this very month our community is taking a tremendous step in tangibly bringing Saint Basil within our midst – this month, a relic of Saint Basil the Great, a piece of his bone, is being gifted to our beloved community from a Byzantine-founded monastery in Greece!
Our community will now actively and tangibly participate in worship with, and veneration of, our Patron and Intercessor, the Heaven Revealer, Saint Basil the Great! This tremendous blessing and chapter of living Christian history will no doubt bear much fruit in the vineyard of Saint Basil’s – may he pray for us always!
Stay vigilant and watch for live updates, including pictures, from the journey to receive the relic of Saint Basil the Great, on our parish website (www.gosaintbasil.org).