Basil of Caesarea

The Roman Emperor Valens sent into exile any church bishop who displeased him.  As a supporter of Arius, who denied Jesus was coeternal with God, Valens was gunning for bishops who did not conform to his way of thinking.  He sent Modestus, a high-ranking court official to intimidate Basil (330-379), bishop of Caesarea, who was a strong proponent of the Nicene Creed that reaffirmed belief in the triune God. Modestus threatened Basil with the confiscation of property, exile, torture and even death.  Basil didn’t flinch. “If you take away my possessions, you will not enrich yourself, nor will you make me a pauper. You have no need of my old worn-out clothing, nor of my few books, of which the entirety of my wealth is comprised.  Exile means nothing to me, since I am bound to no particular place.  This place in which I now dwell is not mine, and any place you send me shall be mine.  Better to say: every place is God’s.  Where I would be neither a stranger nor sojourner.  Who can torture me?  I am so weak, that the very first blow would render me insensible.  Death would be a kindness to me, for it will bring me all the sooner to God, for whom I live and labor, and to whom I hasten.”  Modestus was stunned by the bishop’s forthright answer.  “No one has spoken so audaciously to me,” he said.  Basil replied, “Perhaps, this is because you’ve never spoken to a bishop before.”
Modestus reported to the emperor that Basil wouldn’t be intimidated.  Then, he added, “Emperor, we stand defeated by a leader of the church.”  Basil ably led the church in tumultuous times.  His prayer for strength and courage is a needed corrective in our day when fear is rampant: