Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, one of the Three Hierarchs [January 30], was born at Antioch in about the year 347 into the family of a military commander. His father, Secundus, died soon after the birth of his son. His mother, Anthusa, widowed at twenty years of age, did not seek to remarry but rather devoted all her efforts to the raising of her son in Christian piety. The youth studied under the finest philosophers and rhetoricians. But, scorning the vain disciplines of pagan knowledge, the future hierarch turned himself to the profound study of Holy Scripture and prayerful contemplation. Saint Meletius, Bishop of Antioch (February 12), loved John like a son, guided him in the Faith, and in the year 367 baptized him.
When John’s mother died, he embraced monasticism, which he called the “true philosophy.” Soon John and his friend Basil were being considered as candidates for the episcopal office, and they decided to withdraw into the wilderness to avoid this. While Saint John avoided the episcopal rank out of humility, he secretly assisted in Basil’s consecration.
In the year 386 Saint John was ordained presbyter by Bishop Flavian of Antioch. Saint John was a splendid preacher, and his inspired words earned him the name “Golden-Mouthed” (“Chrysostom”). For twelve years the saint preached in church, usually twice a week, but sometimes daily, deeply stirring the hearts of his listeners.
In his pastoral zeal to provide Christians with a better understanding of Holy Scripture, Saint John employed hermeneutics, an interpretation and analysis of the Word of God (i.e. exegesis). Among his exegetical works are commentaries on entire books of the Holy Scripture (Genesis, the Psalter, the Gospels of Matthew and John, the Epistles of the Apostle Paul), and also many homilies on individual texts of the Holy Bible, but also instructions on the Feastdays, laudations on the Saints, and also apologetic (i.e. defensive) homilies (against Anomoeans, Judaizers and pagans). As a priest, Saint John zealously fulfilled the Lord’s command to care for the needy. Under Saint John, the Antiochian Church provided sustenance each day to as many as 3,000 virgins and widows, not including in this number the shut-ins, wanderers and the sick.
The fame of the holy preacher grew, and in the year 397 with the death of Archbishop Nectarius of Constantinople, successor to Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint John Chrysostom was summoned from Antioch, and elected to the See of Constantinople. At the capital, the holy archpastor was not able to preach as often as he had at Antioch. Many matters awaited the saint’s attention, and he began with the most important -- the spiritual perfection of the priesthood. He himself was the best example of this. The financial means apportioned for the archbishop were channeled by the saint into the upkeep of several hospices for the sick and two hostels for pilgrims. He fasted strictly and ate very little food, and usually refused invitations to dine because of his delicate stomach.
The saint’s zeal in spreading the Christian Faith extended not only to the inhabitants of Constantinople, but also to Thrace to include Slavs and Goths, and to Asia Minor and the Pontine region. He established a bishop for the Bosphorus Church in the Crimea. Saint John sent off zealous missionaries to Phoenicia, to Persia, and to the Scythians, to convert pagans to Christ. He also wrote letters to Syria to bring back the Marcionites into the Church, and he accomplished this. Preserving the unity of the Church, the saint would not permit a powerful Gothic military commander, who wanted the emperor to reward his bravery in battle, to open an Arian church at Constantinople. The saint exerted much effort in enhancing the splendor of the church services: he compiled a Liturgy, he introduced antiphonal singing for the all-night Vigil, and he wrote several prayers for the rite of anointing the sick with oil.
In Armenia, the saint strove all the more to encourage his spiritual children. In numerous letters (245 are preserved) to bishops in Asia, Africa, Europe and particularly to his friends in Constantinople, Saint John consoled the suffering, guiding and giving support to his followers. In the winter of 406 Saint John was confined to his bed with sickness, but his enemies were not to be appeased. From the capital came orders to transfer Saint John to desolate Pityus in Abkhazia on the Black Sea. Worn out by sickness, the saint began his final journey under military escort, traveling for three months in the rain and frost. He never arrived at his place of exile, for his strength failed him at Comana.
At the crypt of Saint Basiliscus (May 22), Saint John was comforted by a vision of the martyr, who said, “Despair not, brother John! Tomorrow we shall be together.” After receiving the Holy Mysteries, the hierarch fell asleep in the Lord on September 14, 407. His last words were, “Glory to God for all things!”
The holy relics of Saint John Chrysostom were solemnly transferred to Constantinople in the year 438. The disciple of Saint John, the venerable Isidore of Pelusium (February 4), wrote: “The house of David is grown strong, and the house of Saul enfeebled. He is victor over the storms of life, and has entered into heavenly repose.”
Although he died on September 14, Saint John’s celebration was transferred to this day because of the Feast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross. Saint John Chrysostom is also celebrated on January 27 and January 30.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19
Jesus is full of power and love and it is His pleasure to fill our lives, our days, with that same power and love through His Holy Spirit. St. Paul’s prayer teaches us how to pray over our families, our kids, and our people. He loved the Ephesians and longed to see them walking closely with God. His desire was that they would be continually strengthened with God’s power, and living out their faith with the example of the love of Christ. We must learn from Apostle Paul to pray for every aspect of our lives. But no matter what we might be facing or feeling, we must always remember to stand together as the body of Christ, dependent on Jesus for His Spirit’s fresh filling of power and love, and pray for others to open their hearts to receive His holy power and love. For Jesus’ love encompasses all and it reaches every dark spot in our lives and fills every need or longing. It gives us the power to forgive others and to let go of the past. It delivers sin’s hold and gives peace to the hurting. It is powerful and surpasses our own knowledge and understanding. It is wide and it stretches to a greater expanse and extent than we can ever imagine. It is long and it encompasses the length of our days, before and all beyond. His Love never fails.
“If you see your neighbor in sin, don’t look only at this, but also think about what he has done or does that is good, and infrequently trying this in general, while not partially judging, you will find that he is better than you.”
Freedom is one of God’s attributes. It is the essence of God. He created man in His image and likeness, i.e., free as He is. When Eve and Adam refused to focus on the eternal life, the Father God, and they were tempted to obey the evil’s thought and snare, they automatically got separated from His life. Sin and death entered their entity, and they felt naked, empty, and enslaved. They became slaves to what they obeyed. Freedom is the opposite of slavery. The gospel tells us that if anything controls us, we will be enslaved to “Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:34-36). So freedom means nothing controls our will; we can choose whatever is good for us. We are free to contemplate in the Spirit and receive the truth, which will free us, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8: 31). When we accept Jesus Christ and receive Him in the Holy Spirit, we can say like St. Paul in his epistle to the Romans “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.” (Romans6: 6-7). We are now people who sought to live a transformed life because of our new life in Christ, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” ( Romans 12:2).
In the Epistle of Romans, chapter six, St. Paul explained the freedom in Christ seen in contrast to the bondage of sin, saying, "For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." In other words, sin enslaves people for spiritual death and eternity apart from God. Knowing Christ provides freedom from the control of sin and eternal life with Him. Also, freedom in Christ is the only proper form of freedom because it allows for lasting freedom beyond this life. In the Gospel of John, St. John tells us that we now know the truth that sets us free as believers. "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."(John 8:36). When we find freedom in Christ, we become His children "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul also notes we are now children and heirs of the inheritance of eternal life with Christ for eternity.
In short, Jesus gave us the power to resist the slavery of sin and overcome it. Having this control over sin and being set free means we have Christ in us, abiding in Him in the Holy Spirit. We, as believers, now seek to live a transformed life because of the new free life we have in Christ. We must put off all the old sinful and worldly ways and habits and develop new patterns that honor God, “if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”(Ephesians 4:22-32). This newness manifests itself in our spiritual condition, our relationships, and our hearts.
History has failed at different stages and in many places worldwide to present the Gospel of Christ for what it is. In contrast, religious people and some clergymen have shown faint images of a God who does nothing for human beings. They deny the reality of the crude contradiction between an Old Testament full of the history of the ancient people and their laws ordering the killing of males by the sword and the plundering of women and children (Deuteronomy20:13-14,) and the Gospel of Christ and His New Covenant calling us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Mathew 5:44-45.) Their churches and meetings became devoid of Christ’s works of love to heal the sick and to free those bound from Satan. Unfortunately, these ministries turned into a form of business and wealth. And it is these images, which do not reflect the truth of the Gospel or Christ’s applied works in human lives, that the young people see as Christianity as presented by them.
Therefore, it was necessary to alert everyone’s mind to the importance of reading the Gospel of the New Testament yourself to find out the truth of Christianity and the principles of the teaching of Christ, free from the Jewish intellectual influences carried by many missionaries and preachers. They underestimated and clouded the importance of God’s appearance in the flesh in Jesus Christ to reveal to the whole world the truth and the essence of God the Father by holding on to the preaching of the stories of the ancient people and their history who were waiting for the Savior’s coming as their prophets prophesied. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to reveal to all humanity the love of the Heavenly Father, His salvation plan, and His direct intervention in the lives of His people yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He came to give us the power over sin and death, which entered the world through Satan’s temptation, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” ( Romans 5:12.) God the Father is not a killer, He is the source of life to man “ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:17.) The killer is Satan who came to steel, slaughter, and to destroy, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”(John 10:10.) If we begin a real and profound relationship with Christ; in that case we will choose the life-changing power of Christ’s presence that is active in us, that changes us from a formal Christianity that has done nothing for man to the life of Christ filled with the triumph over evil, joy, and peace with God and the others.
Now we know that God gave us commandments to follow not as rules to be obeyed, and if not obeyed, we will be punished, but as guidance to be away from the devil, the enemy, and the killer of man. He created us with a free will to choose either His guidance and so to unite with His eternal life and His goodness or choose Satan’s worldly, tempting, and sinful ways and so to unite with his evil spirit, his death, and his eternal fire. This is the New Testament and Christianity.
Father God,
Please help us find your mercy and goodness when trials and the storms of life come our way. If we are prone to grumble and complain, may the Holy Spirit convict our hearts and remind us to be thankful for your promise of eternity because of the cross. May we look for opportunities to comfort those around us who are suffering as well, so we can help hold each other up. We live in a fallen world, and although we cannot escape suffering, we know that heaven is our home and that the crown of life awaits those who stand firm in the faith, trusting that you have overcome the world and there is no reason to fear. We give you praise and thanksgiving that you will never leave us alone to walk through suffering alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. ”Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
The Behavior of God’s children:
1- Repay no one evil for evil.
2- Do good things in the sight of all men.
3- Live peacefully with all men.
3- Do not avenge for themselves because the Lord is the one who will repay.
4- Feed their enemies if they are hungry.
5- Give their enemies a drink if they are thirsty.
WHY the children of God must do all of this?
FOR in doing so, they will heap coals of fire on their enemies’ heads
What does that mean?
The EVIL ONE cannot do GOOD THINGS so when he sees good things he GET BURNED.
“Do not be overcome by evil,
BUT OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD.”
So, in order for God’s child to OVERCOME EVIL he must
NOT REPAY EVIL WITH EVIL BUT OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD.
