New this year, we are pleased to offer a brief Opening Ceremony video for Lent Madness. It might not involve a cast of thousands like the Olympics, but it does feature two dead archbishops introducing a true Episcopal celebrity wearing a purple cassock. See, we win!
Isn't it just "astonishing" how many people have been looking forward to the start of Lent? Isn't it just "great" that Lent Madness has finally begun? The Supreme Executive Committee has fired the starting gun (don't worry, it's metaphorical) and...we're off! The 2014 Saintly Smackdown has officially commenced.
So, hang onto your halos as we begin whittling down our field of 32 saints. All are worthy (yes, they have already received their respective crowns of glory) yet only one will attain the coveted Golden Halo. There will be debates, ire, angst, rejoicing, and holy trash talking. Just remember, it’s all in the spirit of this season specifically set aside to grow closer to God through our relationship with Jesus Christ. On behalf of the Lent Madness team, we’re delighted you’ve decided to spend some of this holy season with us.
If this is your first year playing Lent Madness, welcome. You're in for a fun, informative, engaging, occasionally wild, ride. (Looking for a Lent Madness primer? Click here). If you're back for more heart-stopping saintly thrills, it's good to see you!
After you vote we encourage you to do three things: First, like us on Facebook. Second, follow us on Twitter (if you just can't get enough of the Madness, social media is the perfect way to continue the conversation). Finally, visit the Lentorium where you can purchase ebook versions of the Saintly Scorecard: The Definitive Guide to Lent Madness 2014 and other Lent Madness paraphernalia such as mugs. Your hairdresser, local barista, cousin, etc. will be thrilled with such thoughtful and wholly unexpected gifts.
Make sure you watch LentMadnessTV regularly for updates from Archbishops Thomas Cranmer and John Chrysostom, as well as the Supreme Executive Committee. Each week you'll find a video about that week's match-ups. Here's a video about the competition of Ash Week.
P.S. Here's a Lent Madness "Pro Tip" -- if you want to receive all the daily match-ups in your e-mail inbox, we encourage you to go to the home page and "subscribe" by entering your e-mail address (near the top right). This will insure you never miss a vote!
Basil the Great
In the early years of Christianity, much of what we take for granted was in flux. Exact points of belief were the source of schism and argument. In the 4th century, one of the great controversies was Arianism, or the belief that Jesus was subordinate to God and was not created with God the Father, but at a later time; therefore, Jesus was distinct from God. The initial Council of Nicea addressed the issue, but the debate would not rest.
In the region of Cappadocia, particularly, the Arian controversy threatened to divide the region. One of the priests in the region, Basil, stepped firmly into the fray.
Basil was one of the three Cappadocian Fathers, three men who, along with their sister Macrina, profoundly influenced Christian orthodoxy in the 4th century. Basil was born into a family of wealth and privilege and educated in the classic Greek style of the era and the Christian faith. When his sister Macrina used her wealth and status to establish a monastery, Basil himself traveled in the area of Mesopotamia and lived the life of a solitary monastic. He soon shifted his interest to a community of faith rooted in prayer and work. Assisted by Gregory of Nazianzus, he wrote a monastic Rule, which would become the foundation for Eastern monastic discipline.
He retired to a life of monastic living and writing, but was called out of retirement to defend against the heresy of Arianism. Through his intellect, profound and deep faith, and no small amount of political savvy, Basil did just as he was asked. In his On the Holy Spirit, Basil wrote that both the words of Scripture and the traditions of the Church require that the same honor, glory, and worship are to be paid to God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. For Basil, correct worship would include the formula, “Glory to the Father with the Son together with the Holy Spirit.”
Basil lived what he preached. He never allowed his concern for proper orthodox belief to distract from his focus and work for the poor. He, in his life and after his death through bequests, built homes, hospitals, churches, and other support agencies for the poor and outcasts.
Basil died in 379 at the age of fifty. Two years later, the Second Ecumenical Council affirmed the Nicene faith as understood and presented by Basil and his supporters - the very same words we affirm today in the Nicene Creed.
Collect for Basil the Great
Almighty God, you have revealed to your Church your eternal Being of glorious majesty and perfect love as one God in Trinity of Persons: Give us grace that, like your bishop Basil of Caesarea, we may continue steadfast in the confession of this faith, and constant in our worship of you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; for you live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
-- Laurie Brock
Christina the Astonishing (also known as Christina Miribilis)
In 1172, in St-Tronde (Belgium), the body of a twenty-something orphan named Christina was brought into church, surrounded by a priest, her sisters, and other mourners, for her funeral mass. After the Agnus Dei, Christina rose from her open coffin and levitated into the rafters, where she perched like a bird as all the mourners except for the priest and one sister fled, amazed.
Christina then came down and told what had happened to her while she was “dead.” Angels had guided her into a dark place where she saw many people she had known, in torment. This was Purgatory. Then she was taken to Hell, where she saw others suffering. Finally, she was taken to Heaven and given this choice: stay in Heaven, or return to earth to make penances for those in Hell and Purgatory, that they might be released; and suffer to convert the living, too.
She chose to return. And, she said, “my life will be astonishing, like nothing you have ever seen.”
Christina, the patron of both the mentally ill and therapists, embarked on a life of extreme behavior. She became homeless, dressed in rags, begging for food. During intense prayer, she threw herself into fiery furnaces or into the frozen river for days, emerging unscathed. She recoiled from human contact and often was found perched in treetops, towers, and other remote places, because the smell of human sin was too much for her.
Her family, thinking her possessed, once had her captured and her leg broken by a thug in an effort to control her. Then they called a doctor. And then Christina escaped.
Yet she lived out her last three years obediently at St Catherine’s Convent where locals -- saints, counts, villagers -- came to her for counsel and confession. She died in 1224 at the age of 74.
In addition to being immortalized in plays, poems, and a song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Christina’s original story was written down by a contemporary, Thomas de Cantimpre, a Belgian Dominican, based on eyewitness accounts from villagers and Cardinal Jaques de Vitry, who knew Christina. This astonishing woman was a great puzzle to everyone, who were never sure if she was a mystic or insane. Perhaps she was shattered by an encounter with the Divine.
She herself was convinced she was called to suffer for others, to be a different kind of witness. And that she was.
** Image of Christina the Astonishing by Cookie Scottorn. Used with permission.
Collect for Christina the Astonishing
Eternal God, in the example of Christina, we are reminded of the fine line between mysticism and mental illness. You gave to her a passionate spirit, a vivid mind, and the call to suffer for others. Through her example, may we be awakened to passionate and compassionate witness to your glory. In the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(Collect written by Nancy Hopkins-Greene.)
283 comments on “Basil the Great vs. Christina the Astonishing”
Check out the Nick Cave song. Haunting! Had I found that before I voted, I might have voted differently. The stench of mortal sin and corruption as a factor in her reclusiveness give me much to ponder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ86DlemOWQ
I loved the write-up on Christina and almost voted for her. But Basil gets my vote, not only for helping us to understand the Trinity (and really, folks, it's not that complicated), but for all the work he did for the poor and the hungry. He put his theology to work in solid ways and is a role model for me. Go, Basil!
My thoughts exactly, Lauren!
WOW, I need to remember to read the comments before casting my ballot, not that I would have changed my vote (for Basil) but that might not always be the case. Lobbying is good, unless you consider those in Gucci Gulch, Washington, DC.
Penny Nash made a much more compelling case for Christina the astonishing than I would have expected, given my pre-Lent Madness perusal of Wikipedia. However, I have to go with Basil. While other commenters have framed this as a heart vs. brain vote, I have to say that the mystery of the Trinity is very much a matter of the heart for me, a majestic, humbling uncertainty at the core of our faith.
I'm excited to play again this year, and this was a great first match up! I read both and still had no easy decision. Prayed. Did some work. Prayed some more and let the Spirit guide me. Couldn't resist Christina for all of the reasons so many others have articulated. Yes, we would be a different faith community without Basil, and he'll probably win, but Christina touched me. More likely, God touched me through Christina. Thanks for putting up such a great match!
My first round of my first Lent Madness and it looks like Lent Madness is going to be a real brain stretcher for me, which I'm going to love! This was tough right out of the gate. My first inclination was to vote for Basil however, since my family is dealing with several different forms of mental disabilities and illnesses I had to go with Christina.
Basil has my vote! Christina was definetly intriguing, should I say, er, astonishing but I appreciate the work he did for those less fortunate. Go Badil!
I thought this was a tough choice! But, although I am very trinitarian, I had to vote for Christina. We all know so many people who are, to a greater or lesser degree, 'mentally ill', that it is good to know there is a saint on their side.
I also loved the Opening Ceremonies video! Thanks, SEC and celebrity bloggers, I can see it's going to be a great year!
Initial round here too. Basil, in a sense, clarified Faith; howsomever, Christina used whatever faith she had as a foundation; therefore, I choose Christina.
On behalf of the fourth graders of St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Episcopal) School in Alexandria, VA, I cast a vote for Christina the Astonishing. My four sections of fourth grade voted 50 to 14 for C the A, largely unmoved by Basil's contributions to the Nicene Creed and to orthodoxy. Really, how can you compete with perching in the rafters like a bird? We look forward to voting for Stephen and Agnes one day!
I will be tracking these bellweather voters with tremendous interest!
Rosemary Beales, wish ALL those 4th graders could cast official ballots!!!!
I prefer boots-on-the-ground Basil to perched-in-the-rafters Christina. And that cassock is definitely blue!
As a fan of Basil, another "ugh" vote for: "In the 4th century, one of the great controversies was Arianism, or the belief that Jesus was subordinate to God and was not created with God the Father, but at a later time; therefore, Jesus was distinct from God." Basil would have agreed with the Anthanasian Creed: "The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy Ghost uncreate."
Can't figure out how to vote for Basil, a real person, over a woman about whom tales were made up.
Voted in haste for Basil, now repenting as I read all the very persuasive comments for Christina.
I voted for Christina. The way of theologian/teacher was a way that was open only to men. Because of that men are more recognized and honored than women. In order for women to be recognized, they often had to exhibit severe ascetical tendencies. Although an extreme example (and one that I would not emulate), Christina is an exemplar of many, many women who tried to live lives of holiness in a culture in which harsh treatment of one's body was a necessary element for women. I admire her courage, and her willingness to be outrageous for the sake of the Gospel, in a repressive culture for women that "rewarded" women who abused their bodies.
I voted, but I got no sort of confirmation - so I'm not sure it went through. I'm afraid to click it again lest it appear I'm trying to vote twice! Once you submit a vote, do you get a message like, "Thank you for voting"? or something?
Once you vote, those little voting circles disappear & the current percentage of votes appears (at least on my computer).
Just voted for Christina the Astonishing.Basil is Great and all but I thought she was/is the perfect paradigm for servant minded, sacrificial ministry – the heart and mind of Lent. (Even though if she were my parishoner, I'd think of her as a bit of [forgive me!] a whack-job.)
I think it took a great deal of courage for Basil to stand for The Trinity, a concept previously unknown. While I appreciate how Crishtina stood for the mentally ill (or perhaps more correctly 'perched') my vote is for Basil.
I voted for Basil, not for his theology (which I will never understand) but for his good deeds. I see people like Christina every day on my way to work, and while they are, of course, all saints, as we all are, I do not see that their actions match Basil's.
Had to go with Basil. Even though the title of "the Astonishing" was awesome, her story had me raising the Eyebrow of Skepticism. On the other hand, (or perhaps with the Brow of Belief) calling attention to mental illness is very important, and if anyone needs a saint, someone struggling with that certainly deserves an astonishing one. But Basil it is; go Nicea!
I am hoping that if Basil wins, Episcopalians will be forced to learn how to pronounce the name Cappadocia properly so that when they visit Turkey they will at the very least be able to get directions to the area from local inhabitants. Tired of wincing.
While Christine is astonishing, Basil and his Cappadocian Gang had a lasting impact on the faith.
The write up on Basil, unfortunately, is unfair to Arians--they did not at all deny the divinity of the Word/Wisdom/Second Person, just saw it as lesser than the First Person's out of honor for Jewish monotheism (and their exegesis of the texts on Wisdom). I come down with Nicea but as a scholar of early church dislike stigmatizing "heretics" especially when their theological insights are ignored or misstated. And Jesus' humanity was created and time bound, by the way--only the divine Second person who became incarnate in him was eternal along with First and Third--though communicatio idiomatorum allows us to speak of him as eternal.
I was touched, and yes, astonished, by Christina's experiences and actions, but I inclined towards Basil, for reasons that may have been Fawlty.
Knowing and loving several who suffer from mental illness and since my cheese is pretty close to slipping off the cracker, I almost voted for Christina but in the end, in a rare moment of clarity, I had to go with Basil.
After careful consideration, Christina seems somewhat flighty, though she has risen to a higher acclaim. Alas I went with Basil.
I'm going with Basil, but it's mostly because of his tremendously emphatic advocacy on behalf of the poor, not because of his work in theology.
We voted for Tinker Bell. Oops, we mean Christina the Astonishing!
1. It will be interesting to see who wins; the real person or the imaginary one.
2. Arians did not hold the Father was created first and the Son later. They believe with their orthodox opponents that the Father is not created at all. As God, the Father is the uncreated Creator of all. Arianism held that the Son was created and therefore not God like the Father.
3. Why would Basil's commitment to orthodoxy detract from his focus on ministry to the poor?
I'm a sufferer of mental illness myself (Depression, Anxiety, OCD) so it's nice to know there's a saint out there representing those of us who do suffer. Plus, I can't pass up the whimsical nature of her hagiography!