Devotion for The Feast of St. John Chrysostom

Bishop & Theologian, 407

Jean-Paul Laurens - Saint John Chrysostom and Empress Eudoxia

One of the goals for The Gospel Plow is to offer regular reflections on the scripture readings appointed in the Daily Office Lectionary, Lesser Feasts and Fasts, The Weekday Eucharistic Lectionary and at least some of the Sunday readings. The format of these devotions will be simple: The collect of the day (or other appropriate prayer) followed by a recording of one of the readings for the day, which will form the basis for a devotion or reflection that will be posted as a second video.

January 27th is the Feast of St. John Chrysostom.

Collect of the Day

O God, who gave your servant John Chrysostom grace eloquently to proclaim your righteousness in the great congregation, and fearlessly to bear reproach for the honor of your Name: Mercifully grant to all who proclaim your word such excellence in preaching, that all your people may be made partakers of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

The lessons appointed are:

Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 49:1-8
Luke 21:12-15

I have chosen Psalm 49 for the reflection:

49 Audite hæc, omnes

1     Hear this, all you peoples;
       hearken, all you who dwell in the world, *
            you of high degree and low, rich and poor together.

2     My mouth shall speak of wisdom, *
            and my heart shall meditate on understanding.

3     I will incline my ear to a proverb *
            and set forth my riddle upon the harp.

4     Why should I be afraid in evil days, *
            when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,

5     The wickedness of those who put their trust in their goods, *
            and boast of their great riches?

6.    We can never ransom ourselves, *
           or deliver to God the price of our life;

7     For the ransom of our life is so great, *
           that we should never have enough to pay it,

8     In order to live for ever and ever, *
           and never see the grave.

9     For we see that the wise die also;
       like the dull and stupid they perish *
            and leave their wealth to those who come after them.

10   Their graves shall be their homes for ever,
       their dwelling places from generation to generation, *
            though they call the lands after their own names.

11    Even though honored, they cannot live for ever; *
            they are like the beasts that perish.

12    Such is the way of those who foolishly trust in themselves, *
             and the end of those who delight in their own words.

13    Like a flock of sheep they are destined to die;
        Death is their shepherd; *
             they go down straightway to the grave.

14    Their form shall waste away, *
             and the land of the dead shall be their home.

15    But God will ransom my life; *
             he will snatch me from the grasp of death.

16    Do not be envious when some become rich, *
             or when the grandeur of their house increases;

17    For they will carry nothing away at their death, *
             nor will their grandeur follow them.

18    Though they thought highly of themselves while they lived, *
             and were praised for their success,

19    They shall join the company of their forebears, *
             who will never see the light again.

20    Those who are honored, but have no understanding, *
             are like the beasts that perish.

A few notes about St. Chrysostom that I wasn’t able to fit in the already long devotional above. As patriarch of Constantinople, John Chrysostom was the Archbishop of one of the five historic Patriarchates (Cities where the Apostles were Bishops), which included: Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome.

Chrysostom came from Antioch to Constantinople—now Istanbul in Turkey (and if you’re hearing a “They Might be Giants” song in your head, you and I are of a similar generation). When he was exiled by the emperor for the last time before his death he appealed to the Pope in Rome for assistance, which game—though the personal delegation that was sent to see the emperor encountered difficulties in their travels and had to turn back. Chrysostom himself died while en route from one place of exile to another. His last words were reportedly “Glory be to God for all things.”

I also want to note that Chrysostom is rightly honored and that he is unquestionably influential and we can learn much from him that could benefit our own faith, but he is also an example of the fact that being a saint does not mean achieving perfection. In his passion to counter those Christians known by the pejorative term “judaizers” Chrysostom sowed seeds of antisemitism in the Church. I think it is particularly important that we name these realities when they touch on the life and work of people we honor in the Church. It’s not to say we cannot remember and celebrate the good, but simply to note the instances where people have fueled the undeniable sins that have been carried out by Christians and by the Church through its history. It’s part of confession, and part of making things right in the present.

Resources:

• The Paschal Homily of St. John Chrysostom

• Biography from the Encyclopedia Britannica

• Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2022 (PDF)