#john chrysostom

[careful-disorder]

Gustave Doré's illustrations to the Divine Comedy

"Saint John Chrysostom explained the significance of angels' wings: "They manifest a nature's sublimity..."" - Angels in Art

[probablyasocialecologist]

Now don’t tell me that you actually work hard. If you call earning money, making business deals, and caring for your possessions “work”, I say, “No, that is not work. But alms, prayers, the protection of the injured and the like – these are genuine work.” You charge the poor with idleness; I charge you with corrupt behavior.

John Chrysostom

[ancestorsalive]

Russian women near the Sharshenga River praying to trees

Russian women near the Sharshenga River praying to trees. Kozma Prazhsky in the Czech Chronicle (XII century) reported that the Slavs prayed to trees in sacred groves. A similar observation was made by the German chronicler Helmgold (XII century), who described the life and customs of the Polabian Slavs.

One of the veneration of trees among the Eastern Slavs, it is mentioned in the "Life of Constantine of Murom", and John Chrysostom spoke about the facts of the existence of special prayers to trees among the Slavic people. [He did more than that; he persecuted people who did that, in his own region of Syira and Asia Minor.] This practice is well known even today in Christianity. People didn't throw away their praying rituals of the past…

Photo source: Matea Vuković, Slavic Rituals The Sharzhenga (Russian: Шарженга, Шарженьга) is a river in Nyuksensky, Babushkinsky, and Nikolsky Districts of Vologda Oblast in Russia.

[consuetudinari0]

Simolachri, historie, e figure de la morte

[agungrichardelvonscestmavie]

_"Jika seorang pria dan seorang wanita menikah dalam rangka menjadi rekan seperjalanan dari Bumi menuju Surga, maka persekutuan mereka akan mendatangkan sukacita bagi mereka dan bagi orang lain."_ ~ John Chrysostom.

[koredzas]

Second Master of Carpi - Legend of Saint John Chrysostom. 1430

[kamala-laxman]

Happiness can only be achieved by looking inward & learning to enjoy whatever life has and this requires transforming greed into gratitude. - John Chrysostom

[veganterrorist]

PRO NOSTRA TERRA

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Higher than every painter, higher than every sculptor and than all artists do I regard him who is skilled in the art of forming the soul of children.

John Chrysostom

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM The Golden-Mouthed Bishop and Doctor of the Church Feast Day: September 13

"For I always say: Lord, your will be done; not what this fellow or that would have me do, but what you want me to do. That is my strong tower, my immovable rock, my staff that never gives way."

We usually hear people saying that everything is relative, that we do not need to tell someone what to do or what is right or wrong, they may even quote the verse: 'Thou shalt not judge.'

But God also gave us the ability to reason out, to know what is right or wrong through our conscience and the ability to help each other in the formation of our consciences. Evil usually happens when we tolerate evil and we do not use our ability to denounce it.

This saint was a very important figure in the early Church and his example still radiates for us today. He is St. John Chrysostom, one of the original Doctors of the Eastern (Greek) Church, together with Sts. Basil, Gregory Nazianzen and Athanasius.

He was born in Antioch (now part of Turkey) in c. 347 from Greek parents from Syria. His father died soon after his birth and he was raised by his mother together with his elderly sister. He was baptized in 368 and received the ministry of a lector. He was educated under the pagan Libanus, whom he acquired the skills in rhetorics and studied Christian theology under Diodore of Tarsus whom he acquired the vast knowledge of the Bible. He lived an ascetic life and became a hermit before being ordained as a deacon in 381 by Meletius and as a priest in 386 by Flavian.

Both were not in communion with Rome and later, John was instrumental in leading their followers in reconciliation between Antioch and Rome. For twelve years, he gained popularity because of eloquence in public speaking. He emphasized charity to the poor and spoke against abuse of wealth and power. His time as a hermit made him memorize the Bible and explained it in relation to everyday life; his style of preaching were efficient that many pagans were converted to the Faith.

He was appointed as the Archbishop of Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey) and was controversial for refusal to host lavish banquets, deposed those bishops and priests who have 'bought' their offices, banned the travelling preachers who ask for money and he openly criticized the opulence of the royalty. He also founded hospitals in the city and became popular among the commoners, but unpopular among the clergy and prominent citizens.

He was accused of heresy and unchastity by his enemies and was deposed in the Synod of Oaks in 403, orchestrated by the emperor Theodosius and his wife Eudoxia.

He was exiled in a far and poor town of Cucusus and then to Pythius (now part of Georgia) and died while on his way there on September 14, 407. His recorded last words were: 'Glory be to God in all things.'

His reputation was restored a decade after his death, he was referred to as 'Chysostomos' meaning 'golden-mouthed', recognized as a Church Father in the Council of Chalcedon in 451, and a Doctor of the Church in 1568. He is the patron of preachers, orators and educators, as well as against epilepsy.

Like St. John Chrysostom, may the words be coming out of our mouths be 'golden', valuable and goes beyond time, and may his example inspire us to reject honor and reputation if these will mean tolerance of misguided values and approval of evil.

[walkingthroughthisworld]

Chrysostom’s Homily on the Word Cemetery and on the Cross:

Translation by David M. Friel. “Chrysostom’s Homily on the Word Koimeterion and on the Cross: A Translation and Commentary”, Vigiliae christianae, vol. 76, no. 1, pp. 1–36. 2022.

“Do you see the marvelous victory? Do you see the feat accomplished on the cross? And shall I tell you something even more marvelous? Learn the manner of the victory, and then you will be more astounded. For through the same means by which the devil conquered, Christ in turn prevailed, and, having taken the devil’s own weapons, he subdued them. And have you heard how? “A virgin and wood and death were the symbols of our defeat. The virgin was Eve, for she had not yet known man. The wood was the tree, and death was the punishment of Adam. But behold, once again, a virgin and wood and death: these were the symbols of defeat, and they became the symbols of victory. For in place of Eve is Mary, in place of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is the wood of the cross, and in place of the death of Adam is the death of Christ. “Do you see that the devil is defeated through the same means by which he had conquered? By the tree, the devil subverted Adam, while by the cross, Christ vanquished the devil. As a tree had dispatched us into Hades, so a tree raised up those who had fallen there. Again, while a tree hid the naked prisoner, so a tree exposed the naked victor lifted high for all to see. While the death of Adam condemned those who followed after him, the death of Christ raised up all who had preceded him. ‘Who will tell the mighty deeds of the Lord’ (Ps 105:2)? “Out of death, we have been made immortals. These are the feats accomplished on the cross. “Have you learned the victory? Have you learned the manner of the battle array, in which we neither received wounds nor witnessed the war, and yet have taken the victory? The struggle was the Lord’s, yet the crown is ours. Since, therefore, the victory is ours, let us all sing today the victory song, just like soldiers, and speak the praises of the Lord. ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O Hades, is your sting’ (Hos 13:14; 1 Cor 15:54–55)?”

[tiand]

"Quote Of The Day"

“God’s goodness is the root of all goodness; and our goodness, if we have any, springs out of His goodness.” — John Chrysostom

[struckbylightningorsomething]

1 Timothy 1 Commentaries and Homilies

I read some documents on 1 Timothy and I enjoyed these pieces the most so far.

Calvin's Commentaries, 1 Timothy 1 - John Calvin

Wesley's Notes on the Bible, 1 Timothy 1 - John Wesley

Homily 2 on 1 Timothy - St. John Chrysostom

Homily 5 on 1 Timothy - St. John Chrysostom

[locustheologicus]

"This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:"

Let me share to day's lenten adventure. Today is a the first Friday in Lent and I went to visit my mother at her memory care. I was invited to have lunch with her. I asked for the fish order for us. The staff came in with two beef and bacon meals and apologized that they ran out of fish. My mother already forgot that it was lent, her only concern was that I eat with her. I made a moral decision to go ahead, accept and eat the meal with her. No sooner did we take our first bite of the bacon when we felt a rumbling underneath us. A fiery hole opened up next two us, we felt a surge of heat but since my mother does not like the cold this made her very comfortable and we continued our meal. Four tortured souls however emerged and dragged us into the fiery depth below, luckily they brough the food plates with us so we could continue eating and offending God with this diabolical action.

Well, alright, so this did not happen. The incident of the meal did take place and I did make a moral decision, my mother ate with great satisfaction that her son enjoyed a meal with her and afterwards we took a nice walk. I created this story for two reasons: first, to share with you how creatively twisted my mind can get, and second, to highlight a powerful scriptural reading from today. In today's first reading we hear from the prophet Isaiah 58: 1-9a. In this reading God responds to the complaining Isrealites who religiously fast and do penance and yet do not get their prayers answered. The complained could very well be heard today. The response from God is very simple. Fast and penance are not meant to be empty religious rituals, they were meant to guide us towards social justice. If that was the case God would be with us, but as we continue to allow and even promote injustices then we our prayers, fast and penance are hallow. The words from Isaiah say it best:

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed;

Prayer, Fast and Charity are beautiful aspects of a Catholic's lenten tradition. But it is never meant to be an empty ritual. If the purpose of not eating meat on friday is to enjoy a fish fry then go off and eat a steak because that type of fasting is meaningless. St. John Chrysostom tells us that the purpose of a fast is to make us better people for one another, not to check off some ritual obligation.

Don’t say to me: “I have fasted for so many days! I have not eaten! I have not drunk wine! I have gone without bathing!” Show me instead that, being wrathful, you became meek; and being cruel, you became compassionate to your fellow man. If you are intoxicated with wrath, to what end do you afflict your flesh? If you are filled with envy and covetousness, what benefit is there in drinking only water? I am not concerned with what is on your table, but whether your evil disposition has been transformed.

We have great models who have shown us that fasting and penance can become transformative elements from both personal and social sins. Cesar Chavez, for example, is a modern day saint for having fought for the rights of migrant farmworkers. As a Catholic he would engage in prayer and fasting in order to change economic policies and promote the rights of workers. Here he is with Bobby Kennedy ending his fast during the Delano Grape Strike of 1968.

This is the type of fasting that God is asking us to do. To transform ourselves to be better people and to challenge the social injustices that we face. This is the type of prayers and fasting that God will respond to.

[justana0kguy]

2024 JANUARY 14 Sunday

"And why was it, that He did not the miracle before they filled them, which would have been more marvelous by far? For it is one thing to change given matter to a different quality, and another to create matter out of nothing. The latter would indeed have been more wonderful, but would not have seemed so credible to the many. And therefore He often purposely lessens the greatness of His miracles, that it may be the more readily received."

~ Saint John Chrysostom, Homily 22 on St. John

[ricisidro]

Blessed are you poor,

For yours is the kingdom of God.

– Luke 6:20

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“Let us learn not to call the rich lucky nor the poor unfortunate. Rather, if we are to tell the truth, the rich man is not the one who has collected many possessions but the one who needs few possessions; and the poor man is not the one who has no possessions but the one who has many desires. We ought to consider this definition of poverty and wealth. So if you see someone greedy for many things, you should consider him the poorest of all, even if he has acquired everyone’s money. If, on the other hand, you see someone with few needs, you should count him richest of all, even if he has acquired nothing. For we are accustomed to judge poverty and affluence by the disposition of the mind, not by the measure of one’s substance… those who are satisfied with what they have, and pleased with their own possessions, and do not have their eyes on the substance of others, even if they are the poorest of all should be considered the richest of all” – St John Chrysostom .

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#wealth #rich #poverty #poor #dailyreadings #bible #KingdomOfGod #heaven