St. John Chrysostom

Today the Orthodox, along with many Anglican and some Lutheran churches, celebrate the Feast Day of Saint John Chrysostom (the remaining Western Churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, commemorate him on 13 September).

A brief bio...
Chrysostom (Χρυσόστομος) literally means "golden mouth," a surname attributed to the saint because of his eloquence in the pulpit. St. Chrysostom (c. 347-407) is a Doctor of the Church, which designates him as a teacher of the highest trust and significance in contribution to Christian doctrine and theology. The Orthodox go so far as to include him in their Three Holy Hierarchs, alongside Cappadocian Fathers Gregory Nazianzus (the father of Trinitarian theology) and St. Basil the Great (the great Nicene opponent of Arianism). Known as an Early Church Father of great asceticism, St. Chrysostom was Archbishop of Constantinople, an office now translated as the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church.

One of the great legacies St. Chrysostom left was his writing on the priesthood, which is still studied and meditated upon. In Mass today, it was through the example of this great saint that we prayed for priests and bishops worldwide, for he, in fact, is quite a prototype for the Christian priest. All this to say, he is a founding rock upon which our Christian Church is built, and today is the day we remember him in gratitude and especially pray for the priests of whom God has entrusted us.

There are two of his prayers I would like to share.

First, over the past year or so, I have daily concluded my meditations with a prayer that has become a constant for me. The words are simple yet maintain a subtle wisdom and faithful confidence.

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

Secondly, there is a prayer of St. Chrysostom of which each line corresponds to an hour upon which it is prayed. This practice has yet to find great consistency in my life (especially during hours of the night), but it is a practice worth being aware of, if not sharing in...though I encourage you to indeed partake with the many within the Church who do pray upon the hour.

1. O Lord, deprive me not of Thy heavenly blessings;

2. O Lord, deliver me from eternal torment;

3. O Lord, if I have sinned in my mind or thought, in word deed, forgive me.

4. O Lord, deliver me from every ignorance and heedlessness, from pettiness of the soul and stony hardness of heart;

5. O Lord, deliver me from every temptation;

6. O Lord, enlighten my heart darkened by evil desires;

7. O Lord, I, being a human being, have sinned; do Thou, being God, forgive me in Thy lovingkindness, for Thou knowest the weakness of my soul.

8. O Lord, send down Thy grace to help me, that I may glorify Thy holy Name;

9. O Lord Jesus Christ, inscribe me, Thy servant, in the Book of Life, and grant me a blessed end;

10. O Lord my God, even if I have done nothing good in Thy sight, yet grant me, according to Thy grace, that I may make a start in doing good.

11. O Lord, sprinkle on my heart the dew of Thy grace;

12. O Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful servant, cold of heart and impure, in Thy Kingdom.

13. O Lord, receive me in repentance;

14. O Lord, leave me not;

15. O Lord, save me from temptation;

16. O Lord, grant me pure thoughts;

17. O Lord, grant me tears of repentance, remembrance of death, and the sense of peace;

18. O Lord, grant me mindfulness to confess my sins;

19. O Lord, grant me humility, charity, and obedience;

20. O Lord, grant me tolerance, magnanimity, and gentleness;

21. O Lord, implant in me the root of all blessings: the fear of Thee in my heart;

22. O Lord, vouchsafe that I may love Thee with all my heart and soul, and that I may obey in all things Thy will;

23. O Lord, shield me from evil persons and devils and passions and all other lawless matters;

24. O Lord, Who knowest Thy creation and that which Thou hast willed for it; may Thy will also be fulfilled in me, a sinner, for Thou art blessed forevermore. Amen.

The Feast of the Epiphany

Today is the Feast Day of the Epiphany, marking the start of the season within the Christian calendar that bears the same name (Christmas came to an end yesterday with Twelfth Night). A Holy Day celebrated continuously by the Church since at least the mid-fourth century, Epiphany holds great significance to the people of God. Originating in the East, this Feast Day there commemorates the Incarnation of Christ and is historically often celebrated with greater vigor than Christmas. Within the West, such cause for celebration becomes clear, for Westerners celebrate Epiphany specifically as Christ's manifestation to the Magi, who of course hailed from the East. Epiphany, then, is the day the Church celebrates Christ's coming extended to the Gentile, recognizing and praising God for salvation and redemption coming into all the world. What Christmas is for the Jew, Epiphany is for the Gentile.

As we meditate of God's working through and communing with the distinctively Jewish nation and then of His marvelous (and at the time quite risque) action of grafting us as Gentiles into His family through the Jewish Messiah, we especially today glorify God for such expansive grace. Praise Him heartily this day, all Gentiles who call upon His name for breath and salvation.

The Feast of the Circumcision of Christ

Yes, yes - Happy New Year. While this is the day that the world celebrates the turning of their calendars (that which Christians did at Advent), today is a day also not insignificant to Christ's Holy Church. January 1 has historically marked for Christians the feast in which we celebrate the circumcision and naming of Jesus. (Some Christians now separate the celebrations of Christ's circumcision and His naming, but I'll spare the details.) For those unfamiliar with this Feast Day, allow me to simply argue that when I say "historically," I refer to my own limited research pointing to this Holy Day being honored as early as the mid 6th century through today. Such is impressive in the scope of faithful believers whom we celebrate with.

Truly, this is a magnificent day. As was Jewish custom, it was during circumcision that a boy received his name. Note the significance that looms in the first shedding of blood of the Christ who is at that time proclaimed with the name Jesus, Savior. First, there is indeed much to explore regarding the soteriological implications of this first shedding of the Lamb. Additionally, we could support at least a pint or two relating our discussion to Christian baptism and God's working through covenants. Thirdly, our conversation would necessitate the inclusion of language regarding the Incarnation and Christ's humiliation. However, I will fight the temptation to do so here and will merely speak a note to the first, that traditionally it has been viewed that redemption through Christ began at His circumcision. A constant within Patristic writings is the belief that this shedding of blood was, in a sense, a downpayment or a first installment upon the redemption of mankind.

Glory be to God. Praise Him this day who became Incarnate and shed His divine blood for the remission of our sin.

Merry Christmas!

For Christmas is not merely a day like every other day. It is a day made holy and special by a sacred mystery. It is not merely another day in the weary round of time. Today, eternity enters into time, and time, sanctified, is caught up into eternity.

- Thomas Merton

Thanksgiving Prayer

Thanksgiving Day Collect:

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Prayer for General Thanksgiving:

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Up for Discussion | Deuterocanonical Texts

Yesterday, there was a pretty good discussion on my facebook regarding the employment of deuterocanonical scripture in Christian edification. I thought, if anyone wanted to jump into this more now or in the future, I'd throw it up on here. The content, which you'll find in the Comments, was catalyzed by this status update of mine:

"Reminded of the seriousness of our faith through this morning's meditation. The 1 Maccabees reading hits you in the gut. http://bit.ly/IhHgY"

Luke 14:1-6 | A Devotional

Yesterday, I submitted my Journey article for 2010. At first, I was not all that sure about the passage I was given. Luke 14:1-6 is typically viewed as an introductory story to set up a greater teaching. I was originally preparing to write something rather obvious about the dangers of legalism (this story is about a Sabbath healing). As I continued to meditate, however, my heart fell in love with what I now see as an amazing story of grace, restoration, love, and adoption. During a time when I struggle through attaching my sense of security and provision to God, this passage was a gift of God to me. Here is my devotional:

Passage: Luke 14:1-6

Key Verse: 14:5
The he said to them, “Which of you, if you have a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on the Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”

Central Truth: In God is found restoration, for we are His children.


Do you ever feel ugly, worthless, or rejected? I know I do.

Luke tells us the story of Christ healing a man with Dropsy at the dinner table of some Pharisee leaders and religious scribes. Dropsy is a condition where the body swells as fluid builds up in body tissue or cavities. It’s not a pretty sight. Moreover, rabbis and spiritual leaders believed that Dropsy was a divine punishment for immorality. One can scarcely imagine the judgment and rejection that a person with Dropsy would see in the eyes of those who looked at him, believing him to be nothing more than an ugly, wretched sinner who was being justly punished for some ungodly lifestyle. It’s probably a safe bet that this man felt alone, worthless, judged, and totally undesirable. Furthermore, he likely felt personally rejected by God.

Such a man would not randomly be at the table of a Pharisee leader. It is widely believed that he was placed there purposefully to tempt Jesus into healing on the Sabbath. So, it would seem that the man is also being overtly used as a pawn by the bullies of societal and religious elitists.

As the story goes, Christ does heal the man on the Sabbath, which He was apt to do. Outside of Christ’s initiation, two things stand out to me. First, Christ did not merely verbally command healing, but healed while “taking hold of him.” The Son of God touched him where he was most rejected.

Second, Christ justifies His Sabbath healing by asking which of the Pharisees would not save his own son or ox on the Sabbath. In this, He is recalling a combination of Mosaic law (Exodus 23) and rabbinic tradition (Shabbat 128b) while specifying within His question to the Pharisees the context of saving their very own. In this way, Christ is implying that He has the right to heal this man because the man belongs to Christ.

These religious leaders purported to be the most holy and closest to God, yet it is this rejected man whom Christ claims as His and redeems.

Our God is worthy of our praise.


Discussion Questions:
1. Who do you reject or discount that belongs to God (ex. Jonah 4:5-11)?
2. How does your “rulebook” keep you from effectively being the hands and feet of Christ in this world (ex. Luke 13:10-17)?
3. Do you believe that God cares for your needs (ex. Matthew 6:25-34)?
4. Do you ever feel rejected by God? How aware are you that nothing separates you from His love (ex. Romans 8:31ff)?