September 13 | Saint John Chrysostom

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, we're talking about a man whose superpower wasn't flying, reading minds, or super strength. His superpower was his voice.

Imagine having a voice so powerful, so absolutely mesmerizing, that thousands of people would literally crowd together and hang on to your every single word. Now, imagine using that exact same voice to publicly call out the most powerful people in the known world, including an empress, knowing full well it could cost you your freedom or even your life. Today, we are talking about a man whose mouth was made of gold, but whose spine was made of gold. was made of steel, St.

John Chrysostom. Let's rewind time to the year 347, to the ancient, bustling city of Antioch, located in modern-day Turkey. John was born into a world of incredible privilege and opportunity. He was a straight-A student, receiving a top-tier classical education in something called rhetoric.

Rhetoric is the ancient art of public speaking and persuasion. If John were in middle or high school today, he'd be the captain of the debate team, class president, and probably on his way to an Ivy League law school.

Everyone around him thought he was going to be a hotshot lawyer or a massive political figure. But instead, John chose the ascetic life. Asceticism means giving up physical comforts to focus completely on God. This was extreme, hardcore fasting and prayer in the wilderness.

For years, he lived as a monk and a hermit, pushing himself to the absolute physical limit. He barely ate or slept, and he actually pushed himself so hard that he permanently damaged his health. But while his body grew weak, his spiritual intensity became absolutely unbreakable. Eventually, because of his ruined stomach and frail health, he had to leave the wilderness and return to the city of Antioch. And that's when things got real.

Back in the city, John was ordained a priest and became famous for his preaching. John addressed real gritty issues like wealth, injustice, hypocrisy, and moral compromise. He looked right at the mega-rich people in the front pews and spoke directly against their excesses, while also calling out their terrible neglect of the poor. He didn't speak just to entertain people and make them clap. He spoke with moral force to completely convert their hearts. The crowds were so amazed by his intellectual precision that they gave him a nickname, Chrysostom, which literally translates to golden-mouthed.

But when you speak clearly about justice, you make enemies. Fast forward to the year 398, John is practically drafted into the major leagues. He was made the Patriarch of Constantinople, which was the most prominent and powerful church position in the Eastern Roman Empire right after Rome. When he got there, he looked around at the church leaders and the imperial court and was totally disgusted by the corruption and luxury he saw. So, the golden mouth started cleaning house. He attempted to reform both the clergy and the regular people.

And this is where he meets his final boss, the Empress Eudoxia. Empress Eudoxia and her powerful friends did not like this intense bishop calling out their lavish lifestyles. The clash between John and Eudoxia was legendary. It was a showdown between ultimate political power and ultimate moral truth. The Empress and her allies conspired against him and had him brutally exiled. The people loved John so much that they protested, and he was briefly recalled to the city. But John refused to water down his message.

He kept preaching the truth. So, the Empress exiled him again, this time under even harsher conditions. John was forced to travel as a prisoner across harsh terrain. He was an older man by now, exhausted, ill, and his health finally gave out. On September 14th, in the year 407, in a remote place called Comana, Saint John Chrysostom passed away. But even in his final moments, stripped of his title, his church, and his home, he wasn't bitter. His final recorded words were, Glory be to God for all things.

St. John Chrysostom is remembered today as a doctor of the church, and he is the patron saint of preachers, orators, and theologians. His legacy is a reminder that speaking up is a moral responsibility. Sometimes, doing the right thing makes you unpopular.

True courage is speaking the truth when it's uncomfortable and when it might cost you your social standing. And whatever happens, remember John's last words, glory be to God for all things. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.