Brunch with Benedict: St. Gregory with St. Macrina and St. Basil

Description

Bring your faith formation out of the classroom and into the kitchen with our Brunch with Benedict boxes! Developed by Dr. Amanda Drury of Discipleship by Design (also the mastermind behind Ripple Effect, Whoopsie!, and Blow up Your Idea) these meal kit-meets-Sunday school lesson boxes are meant to engage families or small groups in meaningful discussion, learning, and reflection inspired by the life of one of the saints, as they prepare a food inspired by that saint’s life or legacy together.

This box is built around St. Gregory, with St. Macrina and St. Basil. The three saints were siblings who lived in modern-day Turkey in 4th century. St. Macrina was the oldest and modeled a life of prayer and devotion for her younger brothers. One of the younger brothers, St. Basil, became of Cesarea, specifically helping defend the diety of Christ and the Holy Spirit. St. Gregory helped define Christian doctrine around the Holy Spirit and its role in the trinity, and he taught bishops how to teach the faith for themselves. The three siblings have had far-reaching impacted on Christian doctrine and life, and are an excellent example of how we can challenge and encourage one another to greater faith.

Participants are invited to bake Vasilopita (St. Basil cake). The cake is based on a legendary story of how St. Basil convinced the Emperor to return unfairly taxed income to residents, and St. Basil hiding it in pita to help it be distributed fairly without being confiscated, and miraculously, everyone received exactly the money they had lost back in their pitas.

Included in the box is:

• Narrative of St. Basil, St. Gregory, and St. Macrina
• Discussion question table placards
• Keepsake cards with quotes from St. Gregory and St. Basil
• Magnets featuring St. Gregory and his words
• A recipe for Vasilopita (St. Basil cake)
• A package of almonds for use in the recipe