A Homily for Friday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom
Friday, September 13, 2024
Prince of Peace Catholic Church – 8:00 Mass
1 Corinthians 1:17-25; Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11; Matthew 25:1-13
Audio Recording
Today is the feast day of Saint John Chrysostom, born as John of Antioch in 347AD. “Chrysostom” is a title attributed to him, meaning “Golden Mouth,” an honorific Greek title emphasizing the power of his preaching and writings.
Saint John Chrysostom was a convert, a holy deacon, an influential priest, an exceptional archbishop, as well as a prolific writer. His profound writings ultimately earned him the distinction of being a Doctor of the Church. In addition to his pastoral work, he left behind about 700 sermons, hundreds of letters, commentaries on Scripture, theological treatises–including important teachings on the Eucharist and priesthood–and other writings that remain influential today.
In the year 403, through the schemes of the empress, Archbishop John was falsely accused of heresy and cruelty to the empress, deposed, and exiled. After a short reprieve and then experiencing another three years in exile, St. John was ordered to be taken to the edge of the Roman Empire where he would be even more isolated. Due to harsh conditions on the journey and the cruelty of the soldiers that exacerbated his already poor health, he died en route in the year 407.
Let’s now turn to another incredible spiritual writer and the first of only four women to have been named Doctor of the Church, Saint Teresa of Ávila. Saint Teresa was born over a millennium after Saint John Chrysostom died. In her spiritual masterpiece “Interior Castles,” she gives us an important truth related to today’s Gospel reading that one of the first steps on the path to holiness is SELF-KNOWLEDGE.
Self-knowledge produces humility, because humility is all about having an honest opinion about ourselves. It’s about seeing ourselves as God sees us.
When we fail to look at ourselves from the true perspective of the mind of God, then we open ourselves up to many errors of judgment. One such error is that we can easily become fixated on the perceived sins of others.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus asks his disciples, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?” [Luke 6:41]
This passage speaks about those who lack self-knowledge. Why? Because they “do not perceive the wooden beam” in their own eye, meaning, they do not look within to see their own faults. Rather, they become fixated upon the “splinter” in their brother’s eye. In other words, if we persist in a lack of true self-knowledge, we tend to focus on the small faults of others, rather than placing our focus on acknowledging and repenting of our own sins.
Spend some time reflecting on what you dwell upon the most throughout your day. Do you honestly look inward, seeking to know ourselves as God knows you? Or do you spend excessive time thinking about others, analyzing and judging their actions? This is an important question to ask ourselves and to answer honestly.
The best way to know ourselves is to gaze upon Jesus, to keep Him always at front of mind. When Jesus becomes the focus of our attention throughout the day, we will not only come to know Him better and realize that He is always with us, but we will also come to see ourselves as God sees us. It will help us to see others as God sees them.
When we put this into practice, something wonderful happens. The wooden beam will be removed from our eye and we’ll begin to see our brothers and sisters as God sees them. We’ll begin to see all things clearly with Jesus’ 20/20 spiritual vision, which brings us true joy and peace.
St. John Chrysostom, pray for us.