MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN DAMASCENE (SAINT JOHN OF DAMASCUS), PRIEST, RELIGIOUS AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AND SAINT BARBARA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR – FEAST DAY ~ DECEMBER 4TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint John Damascene (Saint John of Damascus) Priest, Religious and Doctor of the Church and Saint Barbara, Virgin and Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and all the Saints during this special season of Advent, we humbly pray for God’s grace and mercy as we prepare for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Praying for hope, faith, love, joy and peace in our world today, as we face these incredibly challenging times. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. Amen🙏
SAINT JOHN DAMASCENE (SAINT JOHN OF DAMASCUS), PRIEST, RELIGIOUS AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: St John (c. 676-749) also known as St. John of Damascus was a Syrian monk and priest, was the last of the Greek Fathers and referred to as the great Arab Church Father. Among Eastern Christians, St. John is best known for his defense of Christian sacred art, particularly in the form of icons. While the churches of Rome and Constantinople were still united during St. John’s life, the Byzantine Emperor Leo III broke radically from the ancient tradition of the church, charging that the veneration of Christian icons was a form of idolatry. St. John was born about the year 676 and had grown up under Muslim rule in Damascus, as the child of strongly Christian parents. His excellent education – particularly in theology – prepared him well to defend the tradition of sacred iconography, against the heresy of the “iconoclasts,” so-called because they would enter churches and destroy the images therein. During the 720s, the upstart theologian began publicly opposing the emperor’s command against sacred images in a series of writings. The heart of his argument was twofold: first, that Christians did not actually worship images, but rather, through them they worshiped God, and honored the memory of the saints. Second, he asserted that by taking an incarnate physical form, Christ had given warrant to the Church’s depiction of him in images. St. John vigorously opposed the Iconoclast persecution of the Emperor of Constantinople, Leo the Isaurian, and he distinguished himself in the defense of the veneration of sacred images. His defense of the veneration of icons procured him the title of “The Doctor of Christian Art.”
By 730, the young public official’s persistent defense of Christian artwork had made him a permanent enemy of the emperor, who had a letter forged in St. John’s name offering to betray the Muslim government of Damascus. The ruling caliph of the city, taken in by the forgery, is said to have cut off John’s hand. The saint’s sole surviving biography states that the Virgin Mary acted to restore it miraculously. John eventually managed to convince the Muslim ruler of his innocence, before making the decision to become a monk and later a priest. St. John of Damascus is known for his poems, hymns or “canons,” and his treatise “Exposition of the Orthodox Faith.” He became a trusted magistrate under Arab rule and a monk at Mar Saba monastery near Jerusalem where he died. St. John of Damascus’ other notable achievements include the “Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith,” a work in which he systematized the earlier Greek Fathers’ thinking about theological truths in light of philosophy. The work exerted a profound influence on St. Thomas Aquinas and subsequent scholastic theologians. Centuries later, St. John’s sermons on the Virgin Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven were cited in Pope Pius XII’s dogmatic definition on the subject.
Although a number of imperially-convened synods condemned John’s advocacy of Christian iconography, the Roman church always regarded his position as a defense of apostolic tradition. Years after the priest and monk died, the Seventh Ecumenical Council vindicated his orthodoxy, and ensured the permanent place of holy images in both Eastern and Western Christian piety. St. John was condemned to have his right hand cut off, but lived to see it miraculously restored through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. After continued persecutions he died in peace, about the year 749. He was famous for his great encyclopedic knowledge and theological method, which later was a source of inspiration to St. Thomas Aquinas. St. John also contributed as an author and editor, to some of the liturgical hymns and poetry that Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics still use in their celebrations of the liturgy. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1890. St. John of Damascus is the Patron Saint of Pharmacists, icon painters, theology students.
QUOTE OF SAINT JOHN OF DAMASCUS: “Show me the icons that you venerate, that I may be able to understand your faith.”
PRAYER: Grant, O Lord, that we may be aided by the prayers of St. John, Your Priest. May the true Faith that he taught with excellence be our constant light and strength. Amen 🙏
SAINT BARBARA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR: Saint Barbara (273-306), also known as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Greek martyr born in 273AD in mid-third century in Heliopolis, Phoenicia, present-day Baalbek, Lebanon, and recent discovered texts in the Saida early church archives suggest her maternal grandmother is a descendant from Miye ou Miye village. St. Barbara was the daughter to a rich pagan named Dioscorus. According to tradition, after the death of her mother she was raised by her rich and tyrannical pagan father who, because of her beauty and intelligence, guarded her closely, keeping her locked away in a tower to “protect” her from the outside world. Dioscorus dedicated his life to his only daughter, who was known for being extremely beautiful. He allowed only her pagan teachers to see her. Her father, Dioscorus of Heliopolis, was a controlling and abusive person. He forced Barbara to live alone atop a tower so no man would see her beauty. She was educated by tutors and came to reject the false gods she was taught to worship in favor of the true God for whom she yearned and wished to discover, dedicating her life and virginity to this purpose. She developed a prayer life and resisted her father’s attempts to have her marry. Believing Barbara to be negatively affected by the seclusion, her father allowed her more freedom to associate with the world.
A Christian was permitted to see St. Barbara when he pretended to be a doctor. She soon discovered Christians, and, recognizing the Creator she sought, St. Barbara converted to Christianity and was baptized in secret. When her father was out of town, Barbara instructed workers to install a third window in her tower, in reverence of the Trinity. When Dioscorus came home, he realized Barbara had become a Christian. After informing her father that she was a Christian, he then beat and nearly killed her and denounced her and turned Barbara over to the Court authorities under the persecution of Roman Emperor Maximian. She was imprisoned and cruelly tortured, but remained steadfast in her faith. During the night she would pray fervently, and her wounds would miraculously heal. This only subjected her to greater torments, followed by more miraculous interventions. St. Barbara was sentenced her to death and her father, Dioscorus volunteered to be her executor. She was finally beheaded by her own father, and seconds after her death, he was struck by lightning and died himself as punishment. St. Barbara died in 306 AD, Nicomedia. St. Barbara is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, venerated because their intercession is believed to be particularly effective against diseases. St. Barbara is often invoked against lightning and fire, with associations of explosions. St. Barbara is the Patron Saint of armourers, artillerymen, architects, mathematicians, miners and the Italian Navy, firemen, military engineers, miners, and others who work with explosives. She is also the patron against storms, lightning, and fire, to name a few. St. Barbara’s feast day is December 4th.
Saint Barbara, Virgin and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏