One of the most courageous and holy men of the 4th
century was St. John Chrysostom who was born in Antioch. He was studying law when Christ drew him to
the monastic life. He was ordained a
deacon and then a priest for the Church of Antioch.
John was immediately recognized as a great preacher, the
name “Chrysostom” means golden tongued.
Because of his great gift, the bishop asked John to dedicate himself to
preaching. So for the next twelve years
St. John preached and taught on virtually every book on the bible and helped
people apply the Scriptures do their daily lives.
His reputation as a preacher and teacher led, against his
will, to his election as bishop of Constantinople, the seat of the empire, which
was really, at the time, a moral cesspool.
So St. John began to preach once again, calling the people to reform
their lives. Much of this call for moral
reform was directed at the imperial court, and this drew the scorn of the
empress who was leading a very depraved life and setting a terrible example to
the people.
So, she began to conspire against John, and forced him into
exile on trumped up charges.
The people, however, loved John and so he was brought back
to Constantinople. And he didn’t back
off. He continued to preach the truth,
to condemn moral depravity and the vanities of the aristocracy and the imperial
court. They were not pleased and they
sent him again into exile, into such harsh conditions that he would not return.
The old exiled bishop died on September 14, 407.
As a seminarian St. John Chrysostom always fascinated and
inspired me. He was called the Golden
Tongue because he preached Christ. And
he was able to preach Christ because he knew Him, because Christ dwelt in his
heart. John Chyrsostom knew the
scriptures and therefore came to a piercing knowledge of our blessed Lord, and
was able to communicate Christ’s love and truth to his holy Church.
May we communicate Jesus to all those we meet today, may
Christ be on our lips and in our hearts, for the glory of God and salvation of
souls.
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