Saint John Chrysostom: Feast Day and Selected Teachings

The post commemorates the feast of Saint John Chrysostom on November 13, providing a biographical sketch followed by twenty quotations attributed to him. The biography notes his birth in Antioch around 347, upbringing by his mother Saint Anthousa, theological study under Diodore of Tarsus, years of ascetic practice, ordination as deacon in 381 and priest in 386, and the origin of his epithet "Chrysostom" (Golden-Mouthed) from his preaching.

It records his election as Archbishop of Constantinople in 398, his charitable work among the poor and sick, his role in shaping the Divine Liturgy that bears his name, his confrontation with imperial power leading to deposition and exile, and his death in 407 with the final words "Glory to God for all things." The quotations cover a range of themes: reliance on divine mercy rather than personal virtue; the surpassing love of God; endurance in trials; happiness through gratitude; the power of prayer; Eucharistic unity drawn from 1 Corinthians 10:17; marriage as a "little Church" modeled on Christ's love for the Church; guarding the tongue; repentance as divine medicine; opposing virtues to vices; rejecting false doctrine in the name of love; valuing virtue over physical beauty; the social obligations of fasting including feeding the hungry and visiting the sick; the identification of hoarding wealth with theft; condemnation of abortion as worse than murder; and the insistence that honoring Christ's body requires caring for the poor rather than adorning churches with gold. The post presents these sayings without additional commentary or discussion.