John Chrysostom
“My speech and my proclamation were made not with persuasive
words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”
1 Corinthians 2:4
Today in the church’s calendar, we remember St. John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople. Chrysostom was born in 347 AD in Antioch. Soon after his birth, his father died. His mother, a devout Christian, raised him alone. Under his mother’s care, Chrysostom grew in faith and developed a keen interest in studying the Scriptures. Following his mother’s death, Chrysostom withdrew to the wilderness where he lived by himself in a cave and wrote several books on the ascetic life. Eventually, Chrysostom emerged from the cave and was ordained as a priest in 386.
Chrysostom would develop a reputation as a gifted preacher. So much so, that he was given the name “Chrysostom,” which, in Greek, means “golden-mouthed.” In 397, he became the Bishop of Constantinople, the most important church office of his day. As a bishop, Chrysostom preached regularly from the pulpit of the famed Hagia Sophia.
Alongside Chrysostom’s faithful witness and many beautiful sermons (more than 800 survive today), there are a couple of interesting connections to our faith community at St. Martin’s. The first is the pulpit in The Church. Carved into one side of the octagonal-shaped pulpit is his image. It was placed there, no doubt, to remind preachers who climb its steps, to proclaim the Word of God with power and with eloquence.
The second connection is a prayer found at the end of Evening Prayer in “The Book of Common Prayer,” named, appropriately, "A Prayer of St. Chrysostom.” It is one of the most beautiful prayers in our tradition and one that aptly sums up any petitions we may have.
As you begin your day today, I encourage you to pray to God and conclude your prayer with the heartfelt words of St. Chrysostom:
“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.” (“The Book of Common Prayer,” page 126)
