December: Day 4: Teaching 2: Saint John of Damascus

December: Day 4: Teaching 2:
Saint John of Damascus
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. We Must Acquire Spiritual Knowledge, and 
b. Use It For the Glory of God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable John of Damascus, who is celebrated today, received an excellent education under the guidance of the learned monk Kosmas and, having become governor of the city of Damascus after the death of his father, he used all his knowledge for the glory of God — in defense of the truth of icon veneration, contested by iconoclast heretics, in expounding the dogmas of the Christian faith, and in composing those wondrously beautiful church hymns that are sung today in all Orthodox churches of the world and which were composed in great numbers by Saint John of Damascus. Having died as a priest in the Lavra of Saint Savvas near Jerusalem in 776, Saint John of Damascus, in addition to remarkable knowledge in all areas of human knowledge, and especially in the spiritual sciences, and amazing gifts in composing church hymns, showed in his life wonderful examples of renunciation of worldly glory and wealth, obedience to the will of his mentor, a simple elder, amazing humility and ardent love for God and neighbors.

II. Christian brethren! Let us imitate the holy life of Saint John of Damascus.

a) Let us imitate him in acquiring spiritual knowledge and wisdom. Great was the wisdom of the all-wise John: there was not a single science known at that time that he had not studied with his lofty intellect. And at the same time, great was his blessedness. In heaven, he now rejoices with a host of angels in the same hymns of praise he once sang with men and for men. And on earth, he found in his acquired wisdom an inexhaustible source of blessedness. With his wisdom, he did not despair even when he lost his right hand for Orthodoxy, did not lose heart when he saw around him a hostile crowd of unbridled iconoclasts, and did not regret when he had to exchange his first place at the caliph's court for the last in a desert monastery. He triumphed over all the misfortunes that surrounded him and was far more fortunate than the enemies who armed themselves against him.

b) But whoever wishes to imitate the wise John must imitate him not only in the acquisition of knowledge, but also in its use. Many in his time possessed great knowledge, but they went to the grave with great sins and great misfortune. He was blessed not because he possessed acquired wisdom, but because he used it for the glory of God, for the good of his neighbors, and for his own salvation.

Such use of earthly wisdom can make us blessed too.

1) Blessed was the wise John because he offered all his knowledge as a sacrifice of praise and glory to the Triune God, pouring forth his wisdom in sweet-sounding sacred hymns and prayers. Anyone with acquired wisdom can be blessed. True, not everyone has the gift of sacred hymnology; but everyone, with the help of acquired knowledge, can seek out traces of the glory of the one Lord. He who pays attention to his knowledge and the talents by which it is acquired will understand not only with his mind, but with his very actions, that "the Lord gives wisdom, and from His presence knowledge and understanding" (Prov. 2:6). If anyone, with accumulated knowledge, puffed up in mind, seeks not the glory of God, but his own glory, then this is a bad sign. It is a sign that he does not at all possess the wisdom of which he boasts, does not at all possess the knowledge which his self-love sees in himself. For it is impossible for any tree laden with fruit to rise to the top and not bend to the ground, it is impossible for the mind saturated with wisdom to rise - that mind which, with the discovery of new truths, discovers in itself new shortcomings with a new realm of the unknown. It is impossible for the mind of truly wise people not sooner or later to admit its ignorance and that, with all its knowledge, it "feels at noonday as in night, and in the light as in darkness" (Job 5:14). Such precisely should be our true wisdom. It does not exist where there is pride and conceit. It is "accepted only by the lips of the humble" (Proverbs 11:2); it "captures" the arrogant "mind into the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5) and leads us to "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7).

Such was the wisdom of all God-chosen men! With it, he also served on earth, that luminary of the universe who delighted the Church of God with golden streams of teaching, who sought not his own glory but the glory of the Master who created him, and who received eternal blessedness.

2) Blessed was Saint John because he used his mind for the good of Christ's Church, defended it with word and writing from iconoclasts and other heretics, and strove to strengthen the Orthodox faith in others. Blessed because he was "a mentor of Orthodoxy, a teacher of piety and purity." Each of us can imitate such an example. We are all rewarded by God with certain talents, not however in order to "please ourselves," but in order to "bear the infirmities of the infirm." And those of us who cannot be benefactors in physical needs can provide assistance to others in spiritual needs. Not everyone can, like the wise John, argue with heretics; but "every one" of us must "serve one another with whatever gift he has received from God, as a faithful steward of God's manifold grace" (1 Peter 4:10). Therefore, if a neighbor strays from the path of truth, we must return him to it and correct him in a spirit of meekness. If anyone needs instruction, we must give him godly advice, instruct him in the word of God, and guide him in the truths of salvation (Col. 3:16). If anyone gives in to despondency in misfortune, we must instill in him that the temporary, momentary will one day be rewarded with an eternal one; we must console him, "encouraging him to love and good works" (Heb. 10:24). Such "public service," according to the Apostle, "not only supplies the poverty of the saints, but also causes many to abound in thanksgiving to God" (2 Cor. 11:29). Otherwise, what benefit will acquired wisdom bring if it remains of no benefit to others? What pleasure will knowledge bring if those in need do not enjoy its fruits? Blessed is only he who uses his knowledge for the benefit of others.

Those who are called to the service of the Church from birth and are preparing to be servants of the Lord's altar can especially share in such blessedness. As good shepherds, they will one day guard the house of God entrusted to them with constant teaching, exhortation, and reproof. As faithful soldiers of Christ, they must be constantly armed with the word of God, that spiritual, all-conquering "sword for casting down thoughts and every high thing that presumes upon the knowledge of God" (2 Cor. 10:4). They must enlighten and instruct everyone, so that no Christian, "from the least to the greatest," considers himself among those blind on the path to salvation or among "babes tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Eph. 6:14). They must be attentive "to see that no one falls short of the grace of God" through their own wise talk about the truths of faith and piety, "causing harm to themselves and thereby infecting others" (Heb. 12:15). This duty is difficult, but the fruits of fulfilling it are great. It is pleasant to reap the harvest in the fields, and even more pleasant to reap it in the spiritual fields. What pleasure can come from someone who manages to convert even one lost person to the path of truth! What a consolation to be the cause of saving others not from temporal, but from eternal death! Not only earthly angels, but also heavenly angels take part in this great joy; the heavenly Chief Shepherd Himself takes part, overseeing the recovery of each lost sheep.

III. Truly, my brethren, blessed will be the lot of those who use their acquired wisdom for the benefit of others! May the Lord, through the prayers of Saint John of Damascus, grant us the ability to acquire spiritual knowledge and the good intention to use it for the glory of God. 

 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.