Metr. Saba Reflects on Holiness Through Life of Bp. Basil
Metr. Saba used the life of Bp. Basil Rodzianko to show how humble obedience and pastoral love reveal the hidden work of God.
ENGLEWOOD, NJ — His Eminence Metr. Saba (Isper) reflected on the sanctifying role of the priesthood through the life and witness of Bp. Basil Rodzianko in the third part of his series, “The Sanctifying Dimension.” The article recounts Bp. Basil’s devotion to obedience, humility, and pastoral care amid hardship and exile.
Born into a Russian aristocratic family forced into exile after the Bolshevik Revolution, Bp. Basil eventually served in Serbia, Paris, London, and North America. Metr. Saba highlighted the Bishop’s missionary zeal, his spiritual struggle after the death of his wife, and his eventual consecration as a bishop following monastic tonsure.
The article centered on several encounters illustrating Bp. Basil’s radical obedience, including blessing a poor woman’s apartment after years of neglect and unknowingly praying over the body of a man spiritually converted through his BBC broadcasts. Metr. Saba concluded with a prayer that God would grant the Church more priests of similar holiness and compassion.
Previously, the UOJ reported that Metr. Saba called for the renewal of Orthodox prayer life.
