November: Day 13: Saint John Chrysostom

November: Day 13:
Saint John Chrysostom
 
(On Zeal for the Fulfillment of the Duties of a Christian and Citizen)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint John Chrysostom, whose memory is celebrated today, was born in Syrian Antioch in the year 347 A.D. His father, Secundus, was a military leader. His mother, Anthusa, was left a widow at the age of 22 and devoted her cares and all her wealth to raising her son under the guidance of the best teachers. In 369 John was baptized and became a Reader in the Antiochian Church. After the death of his mother, he withdrew to the desert, but when the harsh life in the desert ruined his health, he returned to Antioch. Here, in the rank of Deacon, and then Priest, John served for the benefit of the Church: he cared for the poor, denounced the vices of the Antiochians, calmed popular unrest and saved the Antiochian people from the punishment that threatened them from Emperor Theodosius the Great for overthrowing the royal statues. In 397, Emperor Arcadius elevated John to the rank of Archbishop of Constantinople. Here the Saint demonstrated even greater zeal as a Christian shepherd. He led the life of a strict monk, cared for the poor, boldly exposed the vices of society, not sparing the highest officials, tirelessly preached, explaining the Holy Scriptures, instituted religious processions, sent preachers of the word of God to the pagans, composed prayers, set forth the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great in an abbreviated form, and generally very zealously fulfilled the duties of an archshepherd.

With his denunciations he made many enemies, the most powerful of whom were: the Empress Eudoxia, the nobleman Eutropios and the Archbishop of Alexandria Theophilos. The enemies of Chrysostom, having formed a synod of bishops who were hostile to him, condemned him and with the consent of the emperor removed him from the capital. Although the disasters in the empire, the fire in the capital, as God's punishment for the oppression of the great Saint, forced the emperor to return John, but for new denunciations he was subjected to final exile. He was exiled to a remote city of Armenia, but since here too he was considered dangerous to the enemies of the Church, it was decided to send him even further, to the city of Pitiunt, near the present city of Poti, on the southern shore of the Black Sea. But the cold and difficulties of the journey exhausted the sufferer's last strength. John did not reach Pitiunt and died in Pontian Comana on September 14, 407 A.D. In 438 his relics were transferred to Constantinople. Because of the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, the Church celebrates his memory not on September 14, when the Saint reposed, but on November 13.

II. Saint John Chrysostom can rightly be our teacher of zeal in the fulfillment of the duties of a Christian and a citizen, a member of the Church and a member of civil society, since he carried out in his life in all perfection the instruction of the Apostle: “Do not be lax in zeal” (Rom. 12:11).

One of the important shortcomings of our activity is unevenness, inconstancy, and often negligence and carelessness in the conscientious and zealous fulfillment of the duties imposed on us by our very rank.

a) The lofty grace-filled calling of a Christian, common to all of us, obliges everyone to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), to love our Lord and Savior with all his heart, to be always faithful to Him in the constant perfection of himself in the spirit of the Gospel and the Holy Church. What then? Shall we say that we do not weaken in our zeal for the Lord and His demands? Shall we say that with each passing day we move forward along the path of Christian commandments, boldly, with God's help, enduring the struggle with the obstacles that slow our march to the heavenly homeland? Very few strive tirelessly for the goal indicated by Christ the Savior. In most of us, with the years and days, passions grow in our hearts, wicked/ habits intensify, and zeal for Christian duty, zeal for moral success weaken. Why? From neglect of the soul, from lack of concern for its activity in accordance with our high, heavenly purpose. A field that is not cleared of weeds naturally becomes overgrown with tares, harmful to the growth and good quality of wheat. So too, in the human heart, the thorns of evil passions, harmful to piety, will certainly take root and grow, if we do not begin to eradicate them in time and diligently, carefully strengthening good, Christian inclinations.

b) Besides the common and most important calling of Christians, which is common to all of us, there is, as is well known, a whole series of private callings which impose on one or another Christian private duties, more or less difficult. And in the social order of life, private titles are necessary for the good of the peoples and the state; but this good is achieved in practice only by the zeal for their duty of heterogeneous figures, members of society. A complex machine performs its movement correctly and successfully only when all its parts are intact, each in its place and corresponds to its purpose. Otherwise, i.e., when any part, even if it is unimportant, is damaged, and under the action of its skilful ruler, it is disturbed, its progress is either slowed down, or, until the damaged part of the mechanism is repaired, it stops. Is it not in the same way that order is disrupted in the vast machine of social life, stagnation occurs from laziness and neglect of the performance of their duty by private, sometimes barely noticeable in their position, figures? Thus, brethren, there are often great consequences from seemingly insignificant causes and events.

In justification of weakening their zeal to fulfill their duty in various areas of public life, some figures come up with and express various excuses.

1) "Honest and zealous service to a cause," they say, "makes many enemies for the selfless worker, with whom one must be in constant struggle." But is there not some consolation in this struggle? Is not fighting for the truth, for the debt of honor, a true pleasure and the direct duty of a Christian? Cannot the consciousness that I am fulfilling my duty conscientiously give a joyful peace to the soul? And even the enemies themselves will always pay due respect to the diligent and selfless performer of duty and, perhaps, will themselves take advantage of the lesson.

2) Another says: “I have weakened in my zeal for my work because I do not see a proper assessment of my labors, encouragement for them, while others, less worthy of me, enjoy the advantages of service.” True, incentives in service are of no small importance; they inspire the worker; it is also true that it is unpleasant when zeal for work is not properly assessed. But is it fair to be indifferent to one’s duty because of this? Is it fair to neglect one’s work, which is not to blame for anything? If people do not properly assess labors, that is, the highest heavenly Judge of human affairs, His judgment is the most correct, and He will reward everyone in due time with an impartial reward; and the assurance of conscience is the best reward on earth. Unfortunately, it often happens that people who consider themselves misunderstood, unappreciated, do not have a correct concept of themselves and exaggerate their own value.

There are many more excuses for neglecting the duty of calling. But we are silent about them; they are all unfounded.

III. Beloved brethren in Christ! For our own good and for the good of society, let us actively remember the Apostle’s admonition: “Do not be lax in zeal,” and let us imitate Saint John Chrysostom, now being glorified for his zeal in fulfilling his duties as a Christian and shepherd of Christ’s flock – a zeal that extended to the readiness to lay down his life for that holy work which was entrusted to him by God. Amen.

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.