Among todays saints is St JOHN OF DAMASCUS. Born in Syria to a Christian family in 680, John was taught by a learned monk and quickly learnt his lessons, becoming a well-respected government official. When Iconoclasm arose, John wrote a defence of icons, which enraged the emperor - but at this time, he did not live within the Empire. John left to be a monk in Jerusalem, and his elder forbade him to write (fearing pride). Once he broke this, writing troparia for the grief-stricken brother of a monk, and was assigned to remove waste from the monastery. Soon after, the Mother of God appeared to the elder and commanded him to allow John to write again. John was ordained to the priesthood and made a preacher at the patriarchal cathedral, but he soon returned to his monastery, writing books (including Exposition on the Orthodox Faith) and liturgical texts (including large portions of the Octoechos). After this, he left the monastery only once, in order to denounce the iconoclasts (and for which he was imprisoned and tortured) before returning again to his monastery. He reposed around 780. ++!
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 03:03:24 +0000
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