Letter 229: I am sure that a work done by one or two pious men is not done without the cooperation of the Holy Spirit. For when nothing merely human is put before us, when holy men are moved to action with no thought of their own personal gratification, and with the sole object of pleasing God, it is plain that it is the Lord Who is directing their hearts. ...

I am confident that when one or two devout men act with no thought of personal advantage and with the sole aim of pleasing God, their work is done in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. When spiritually-minded leaders take the initiative and the Lord's people follow with willing hearts, there can be no doubt that their decisions are made with the participation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who poured out His blood for the sake of the churches. You are therefore right to believe that our beloved brother and fellow-bishop Poemenius, who arrived among you at just the right moment and found a way to bring you comfort, was moved by God. I admire not only his discernment of the right course of action, but even more the decisiveness with which he carried it out -- acting immediately, without allowing any delay that might have sapped the petitioners' energy, given the opposition time to prepare countermeasures, or set the plots of hidden enemies in motion. The Lord in His special grace preserve him and his household, so that the Church may maintain an unbroken succession of worthy leaders and give no ground to the evil one, who is now, more than ever, enraged at the firm establishment of the churches. I have also written at length to our brothers in Colonia. As for you, your duty is to bear with their feelings rather than to aggravate their irritation by appearing to despise their smallness or provoking them through contempt. It is natural for people in a dispute to act rashly and to damage their own interests in an effort to annoy their opponents. And no one, however small, is incapable of providing a pretext for great troubles to those who are looking for one. I speak from my own painful experience. May God keep you safe. Pray for me too, that my journey may go well, and that when I arrive I may share your joy in your new pastor and together with you find consolation for the departure of our common father.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To the clergy of Nicopolis. I am sure that a work done by one or two pious men is not done without the cooperation of the Holy Spirit. For when nothing merely human is put before us, when holy men are moved to action with no thought of their own personal gratification, and with the sole object of pleasing God, it is plain that it is the Lord Who is directing their hearts. When spiritually-minded men take the lead in counsel, and the Lord's people follow them with consentient hearts, there can be no doubt that their decisions are arrived at with the participation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who poured out His blood for the Churches' sake. You are therefore right in supposing that our very God-beloved brother and fellow minister Pœmenius, who arrived among you at an opportune moment, and discovered this means of consoling you, has been divinely moved. I not only praise his discovery of the right course to take; I much admire the firmness with which, without allowing any delay to intervene, so as to slacken the energy of the petitioners, or to give the opposite party an opportunity of taking precautions, and to set in motion the counterplots of secret foes, he at once crowned his happy course with a successful conclusion. The Lord of His special grace keep him and his, so that the Church, as becomes her, may remain in a succession in no way degenerate, and not give place to the evil one, who now, if ever, is vexed at the firm establishment of the Churches. 2. I have also written at length to exhort our brethren at Colonia. You, moreover, are bound rather to put up with their frame of mind than to increase their irritation, as though you despised them for their insignificance, or provoked them to a quarrel by your contempt. It is only natural for disputants to act without due counsel, and to manage their own affairs ill with the object of vexing their opponents. And no one is so small as not to be now able to give an occasion, to those who want an occasion, for great troubles. I do not speak at random. I speak from my own experience of my own troubles. From these may God keep you in answer to your prayers. Pray also for me, that I may have a successful journey, and, on my arrival, may share your joy in your present pastor, and with you may find consolation at the departure of our common father. About this page Source. Translated by Blomfield Jackson. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 8. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3202229.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.