St. John Chrysostom

Today the Orthodox, along with many Anglican and some Lutheran churches, celebrate the Feast Day of Saint John Chrysostom (the remaining Western Churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, commemorate him on 13 September).

A brief bio...
Chrysostom (Χρυσόστομος) literally means "golden mouth," a surname attributed to the saint because of his eloquence in the pulpit. St. Chrysostom (c. 347-407) is a Doctor of the Church, which designates him as a teacher of the highest trust and significance in contribution to Christian doctrine and theology. The Orthodox go so far as to include him in their Three Holy Hierarchs, alongside Cappadocian Fathers Gregory Nazianzus (the father of Trinitarian theology) and St. Basil the Great (the great Nicene opponent of Arianism). Known as an Early Church Father of great asceticism, St. Chrysostom was Archbishop of Constantinople, an office now translated as the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church.

One of the great legacies St. Chrysostom left was his writing on the priesthood, which is still studied and meditated upon. In Mass today, it was through the example of this great saint that we prayed for priests and bishops worldwide, for he, in fact, is quite a prototype for the Christian priest. All this to say, he is a founding rock upon which our Christian Church is built, and today is the day we remember him in gratitude and especially pray for the priests of whom God has entrusted us.

There are two of his prayers I would like to share.

First, over the past year or so, I have daily concluded my meditations with a prayer that has become a constant for me. The words are simple yet maintain a subtle wisdom and faithful confidence.

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

Secondly, there is a prayer of St. Chrysostom of which each line corresponds to an hour upon which it is prayed. This practice has yet to find great consistency in my life (especially during hours of the night), but it is a practice worth being aware of, if not sharing in...though I encourage you to indeed partake with the many within the Church who do pray upon the hour.

1. O Lord, deprive me not of Thy heavenly blessings;

2. O Lord, deliver me from eternal torment;

3. O Lord, if I have sinned in my mind or thought, in word deed, forgive me.

4. O Lord, deliver me from every ignorance and heedlessness, from pettiness of the soul and stony hardness of heart;

5. O Lord, deliver me from every temptation;

6. O Lord, enlighten my heart darkened by evil desires;

7. O Lord, I, being a human being, have sinned; do Thou, being God, forgive me in Thy lovingkindness, for Thou knowest the weakness of my soul.

8. O Lord, send down Thy grace to help me, that I may glorify Thy holy Name;

9. O Lord Jesus Christ, inscribe me, Thy servant, in the Book of Life, and grant me a blessed end;

10. O Lord my God, even if I have done nothing good in Thy sight, yet grant me, according to Thy grace, that I may make a start in doing good.

11. O Lord, sprinkle on my heart the dew of Thy grace;

12. O Lord of heaven and earth, remember me, Thy sinful servant, cold of heart and impure, in Thy Kingdom.

13. O Lord, receive me in repentance;

14. O Lord, leave me not;

15. O Lord, save me from temptation;

16. O Lord, grant me pure thoughts;

17. O Lord, grant me tears of repentance, remembrance of death, and the sense of peace;

18. O Lord, grant me mindfulness to confess my sins;

19. O Lord, grant me humility, charity, and obedience;

20. O Lord, grant me tolerance, magnanimity, and gentleness;

21. O Lord, implant in me the root of all blessings: the fear of Thee in my heart;

22. O Lord, vouchsafe that I may love Thee with all my heart and soul, and that I may obey in all things Thy will;

23. O Lord, shield me from evil persons and devils and passions and all other lawless matters;

24. O Lord, Who knowest Thy creation and that which Thou hast willed for it; may Thy will also be fulfilled in me, a sinner, for Thou art blessed forevermore. Amen.