The Departure of St . Gregorius (Gregory of Nyssa), Brother of St . Basil the Great .

On this day also, of the year 396 A .D ., St . Gregory of Nyssa, the brother of St . Basil the Great,departed . This great father of the church was virtuous and so were his brothers . He was very wellversed in the art of discourse and in the Greek language . He was also strongly zealous in hisOrthodox faith .When these good characteristics were known about him, he was chosen bishop against his will,and was ordained over the city of Nyssa . He shepherded the flock of Christ, that was entrusted tohim, very well . He illumined the souls with his sermons and discourses . He interpreted manybooks of the Holy Bible . He was exiled at the time of Emperor Valens, but returned to Nyssa bythe order of Emperor Theodosius the Great, in 378 A .D .When the one hundred and fifty fathers gathered together in the second Universal Council inConstantinople, in 381 A .D ., because of the heresy of Macedonius, the archbishop of the city, atthe order of Emperor Theodosius, St . Gregory, was one of the fathers present . He silencedSabilius, Macedonius, and Apolinarus, arguing their heretic opinions and exposing the fallacies oftheir heresies .It was said about him, that while he was celebrating the divine liturgy, he saw the cherubim on thealtar .After thirty-three years as the bishop of Nyssa, his brother St . Basil came to visit him, for St .Gregory was sick as a result of his austere ascetic life . St . Gregory received his brother with joy .Once, when St . Gregory was about to start the holy mass, he fell into a trance, and the Virgin St .Mary appeared to him and said, "Today, you will come to us ." He departed the same day, and St .Basil, his brother, prayed over him, and he was buried with great honors .His prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever . Amen .