Feast day: September 13
Patron saint of preachers, lecturers, orators
Our saint of the month for September is St John Chrysostom. He was a bishop in the early church and is considered a Doctor of the Church. Chrysostom is not his real name, but a nickname given to him that means “Golden mouth”, in reference to his eloquence. This is most evident in his numerous homilies – hundreds upon hundreds! He had several homily series noted down and widely circulated, and his writings have influenced the Catechism of the Catholic Church to a degree. He wrote on many topics but is famously acknowledged for his preaching on the Pauline epistles and the Old Testament, though he did also preach on other books of the New Testament.
I was first introduced to his work in reference to our understanding of the Eucharist, but have since read more widely among his writings. While I haven’t read it in full, I do love the excerpts that I have been able to read from his collection of homilies on marriage and family life (which have been published as a book, aptly titled “On Marriage and Family Life”). Although his writings are over 1500 years old, a lot of what he says is still applicable today.
For anyone looking for some faith-based reading related to parenting and family relationships, this is definitely a good resource. If you get a chance to read his work, I would highly recommend it!
Have you read any of St John Chrysostom’s writings? What do you think? Perhaps you can post in the comments if you have a favourite quote of his (he *is* very quotable) or maybe some insights you have gleaned from his work. Join the conversation!
St John Chrysostom, pray for us!
Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!
Mom Things Through Christ 