Homily for the
Memorial of
St. John Damascene
Dec. 4, 2025
Collect
Christian Brothers, St.
Joseph Residence, N.R.
We
prayed that St. John Damascene—John of Damascus—would intercede “so that the
true faith … may always be our light and strength” (Collect).
John of Damascus
(by Emmanouel Tzanes)
John
was born in Damascus ca. 675, about 40 years after the Arabs had captured the
city and brought Islam to Syria. In his
father’s steps, John entered the service of the Muslim caliph there. When he was about 30, he abandoned that
career, went to Jerusalem, and became a monk, then a priest.
Within
the Muslim world and at the same time against the iconoclast heresy that was
roiling the Byzantine Empire, John preserved and promoted the true faith: in writings, especially in defense of the use
of sacred images, and in hymnody. Thus
he was a light for Christian orthodoxy, and as a doctor of the Church, i.e., as
a holy teacher of the true faith, he remains a light.
At
Advent and Christmas, we celebrate the light of God’s coming into our world
darkened by sin. John of Damascus
emphasized Christ as the light of true faith, the light of God, shining upon
humanity thru his human flesh, his deeds, his passion and resurrection, and his
sacraments.
Now it’s our turn to show forth God’s light thru Christ living in us—in our words and deeds, inspired by images of Christ, Mary, and the saints, and empowered by the Word of God and Christ’s sacraments.
