St. Basil the Great, You stood in a time of confusion, When the Spirit's glory was questioned, His Divinity doubted. Careful, wise, and rooted in prayer, You gave the Church words to hold onto. You taught that the Holy Spirit is Not a creature, Not a servant, Not a gift somehow separate from the Trinity. You demonstrated that the Spirit is Equal to the Father and the Son. Worthy of the same honor Worthy of the same worship Worthy of the same love. In this way, Today and every

St. Basil the Great (329-379), one of the Early Church Fathers who lived in the Cappadocian Region (which today is central Turkey), defined for the Christian Church the theology of the Holy Spirit. Take a moment now to consider what he writes in Chapter 9, No. 23, in On the Holy Spirit*, about how the Third Person of the Trinity changes the Baptized and Chrismated. First, the Holy Spirit consoles, lifts up, and illuminates. Second, He provides us with supernatural spiritual g