30-THREE HOLY HIERARCHS
		
		
		Among the works of Byzantine art that create a prayerful 
		attitude on the part of the faithful are the icons of the 
		Saints. The Icon of the Three Holy Hierarchs portrays the 
		feast which is celebrated on January 30th. On the icon, 
		three great Fathers of the Church are portrayed: St. Basil 
		to the left, St. John Chrysostom in the center, and St. 
		Gregory the Theologian to the right. We live in their 
		presence, we see the life of Christ in them, and we worship
		in the Holy Spirit Who dwells among men and leads us to 
		the fullness of truth. 
		
		
		St. Basil, after receiving a secular education, travelled 
		about the monasteries of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria, 
		learning the asceticism of the great Desert Fathers. He 
		wrote two Rules which form the foundation for Christian 
		monastic life. Elected a bishop in 370, Basil extended 
		his ecclesiastical duties to establishing hospitals, 
		caring for the poor, and providing homes for the strangers
		and travellers. His writings are vast, including dogmatic,
		liturgical, ascetic, and homiletic works as well as 
		letters. He is the author of the Anaphora (the central 
		portion of the Divine Liturgy) and it is read at the 
		Divine Liturgy which bears his name and which is 
		celebrated ten times during the liturgical year. 
		
		
		St. John Chrysostom also received a secular education, 
		after which he retired to the desert to devote himself to 
		the ascetical life and especially the study of Scripture. 
		Failing health forced him to return to the city, where he 
		was ordained a Deacon and received the popular title 
		"golden mouth" because of his great eloquence and profound
		depth as a preacher. Later elected Patriarch of 
		Constantinople, he never permitted internal difficulties 
		to hinder his pastoral concern. He left numerous writings 
		and homilies, all of which bear a characteristically 
		pastoral tone. The Divine Liturgy celebrated during most 
		of the liturgical year bears his name. 
		
		
		St. Gregory Nazianzus found himself attracted to a more 
		contemplative style of Christian living than the active 
		ecclesiastical leadership of his close friend, Basil. By 
		contemplating the divine mystery, he became transformed 
		into a living image of Christ. His writings speak with 
		theological profundity. His great orations, poems, and 
		letters have earned him the title: "The Theologian". This 
		title is given to only two other Saints: St. John the 
		Evangelist, and St. Simeon the New Theologian. 
		
		
		The figures of the Saints appear almost motionless, but 
		possess a deep inner life. The forehead as a vast dome is
		symbolic of wisdom, while hollowed cheeks and fully-molded 
		mouth suggest that each Saint was a great orator, 
		theologian, and a man of ascetical vision. 
		
		
		The Saints are dressed in the full vestments of a Bishop. 
		Over the phelonion and around the shoulders is the 
		omophorion, the sign of their high office, symbolizing 
		their role as Bishops seeking the lost sheep as did our 
		Lord. As teachers of the Church, they hold in their left 
		hand the Gospels, while they bless with their right hand. 
		Through the icon these Saints enter into our lives. They 
		manifest God's speaking to us. 
		
		
		VESPER HYMN -Come together, O Feast-lovers, and extol in 
		songs of praise those Bishops of Christ, the pride of the 
		Fathers, and towers of faith, the Teachers and Defenders 
		of the faithful, saying: "Rejoice, 0 Basil the Wise, light
		of the Church, and its unshakeable pillar! Rejoice, 
		0 Heaven-given Intellect, the great hierarch, Gregory the 
		Theologian! Rejoice, 0 John the golden-mouthed Chrysostom,
		fervent preacher of repentance! Wherefore, 0 thrice-blessed
		Fathers, cease not to intercede with Christ for those who 
		celebrate in faith and love Your all-blessed and divine 
		feast."

		I take the time to develop my own mind
		
		
		There are times when it is difficult to make sense of the 
		experiences we have in life. How are we to get ahead without 
		money? How are we to overcome intangible obstacles? How are 
		we to move through the challenges, difficulties and limitations
		we face at every turn? It may seem that no matter haw hard you 
		try, something or someone is there to block you. In those 
		times remember the words of Dr. Benjamin Mays:
		
		It is not your environment;
		It is not your history;
		It is not your education or ability;
		It is the quality of your mind that predicts 
		your future.
		
		
		The mind is and always will be our primary business
		

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