Gregory went to Caesarea, where he first met the young man Basil, also the future hierarch of the Church of Christ. From Caesarea, Gregory went to Alexandria, and then to Athens. The world spread out all its wealth before the young man, but also all its temptations.

On the threshold of adulthood, when he entered a new vast world, as a warning from God, a terrible storm broke out during Gregory's voyage on the sea, foreshadowing the future storms of life that awaited him. For twenty days, not hoping to stay alive, the youth Gregory lay in the stern, begging God that "the murderous waters of the sea would not deprive him of the purifying waters of baptism." It was then that the young man made a vow to God to devote all of himself, his whole life only to Him. And if his first striving for God was a tribute to obedience to his mother, then this vow is already a conscious and voluntary choice of the narrow and sorrowful path to follow God.

It is impossible to keep silent about the miraculous revelation given to Gregory by God at this tragic time of his life. It was revealed to the young man that it was his mother's prayer that forbade the elements from destroying him. One of Gregory's companions, who was making this journey with him, saw how during a storm Gregory's mother approached the ship, took the ship with an imperious firm hand and led it to a quiet harbor. Soon after that, the elements calmed down.

And Gregory, having survived the storm in his soul, understood that his life and death were entirely in the hands of God. And he entered the capital of the empire, into the noisy world, as a man hidden in his heart. And he lived in it as in the desert. His food was the food of the desert, his clothing was the garment of need. He lived near the imperial court, but did not look for anything at the court.

Later the saint recalled: "For me a piece of bread is pleasant, I have a sweet seasoning – salt; and sober drink is water. My best wealth is Christ."

And if Christ is the main thing in life, then all life is subordinate to Him. Therefore, living in a great city full of temptations, Gregory knew only two paths: the first and most excellent led to the church, the second to the teachers of secular sciences.

The Lord sent to reinforce the young man with a friend, like-minded person and co-sacrament Basil, who was later called the Great. Thus the two of them began to grow from strength to strength, learning to submit their spirit to God, and their flesh to the spirit.

You may object to me that exceptional time and exceptional circumstances have nurtured these great pillars of the Church. But was it not at the same time, and in the same circumstances, and from the same teachers, that the one who became the great apostate and persecutor of the Church, Julian the Apostate, studied? Yes, all three of them, as they say, sat at the same desk and were even friends for some time. Why do human paths diverge?

Yes, this is the work of Satan. Wide and wide is the path that leads to destruction, narrow is the path that leads to life. Each person chooses for himself.

God! Help us!

And today, as in the fourth century, holiness and apostasy exist side by side in one life. See how dangerously you walk, everything is around – both salvation and death.

The young men Gregory and Basil, as an example to the youth of our time, have acquired a depth of mind through the purity of their lives. Having brilliantly completed their studies, they both took another important step towards God, towards holiness. They died forever to the world, and the world died to them. Having learned the secular sciences, they settled in the wilderness in order to study perfectly the main science of life, the science of knowing God, and to be confirmed in their knowledge and election.

St. Gregory remembered this time with a special feeling. And then he wished to ascend to God with a pure heart and mind far from all worldly cares, far from all worldly cares, far from all the cares of life. But a different definition of him was drawn by God's Providence. His striving for personal podvig was sacrificed to the Holy Church, which at that time was torn apart by numerous heretical false teachings. And the gift of speech, given to Gregory by God, was called to serve the Church. "This gift I offer to my God, this gift I dedicate to Him — this is the only thing that I have left, and with which I am rich; he refused all other things according to the commandment of the Spirit."

At the age of thirty-three, with the assumption of the priesthood, the time of discipleship ended for Gregory. And the future saint went out to serve and preach, relentlessly following the beloved Christ the Savior. For ten years he helped his father, the bishop, with pastoral service, sharing with him all his labors and burdens. At the end of these ten years, St. Basil the Great, who was then already Archbishop of Caesarea, consecrated the priest Gregory as bishop.