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St. John Damascene


by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1877

St. John received his name from Damascus, a city in Syria, where he was born and which at that period was under the Sceptre of the Saracens. His parents were greatly esteemed, not only for their nobility and wealth, but much more on account of their kindness to the poor and their great liberality. They devoted the greater part of their income to ransom the prisoners, and to assist the hermits in the Holy Land, who were at that time much persecuted. Among the prisoners whom they had liberated was a priest from Calabria, called Gosmas, who, being a man of great learning, instructed John, then a boy, with great care both in the liberal arts and in Theology. The father of John was Governor of Damascus, by special favor of the reigning prince, who was himseff a Pagan. After his father's death, John succeeded him in his high office, with permission to live according to the Christian religion, and he used his influence for the protection of the Christians.

Meanwhile, Leo the Isaurian, Emperor of the East, was destroying holy images and persecuting those who honored them, and John wrote several Epistles and books on the subject, by which he proved that to honor the holy images was not idolatry, but that it tended to benefit mankind; while the persecution of the same was not wrong, but wicked and sinful. This strengthened the Catholics in their veneration of the holy images, but aroused the wrath of the Emperor against John. He determined to revenge himself and had recourse to fraudulent means, which were the more despicable as they emanated from a man of such exalted station. He caused a letter to be written, by some wicked person, in the name of St. John, requesting the Emperor to send an army to Damascus and take the city again from the Saracens, promising to assist him in the enterprize.

This forged letter, accompanied by one written by the Emperor himself, in which he represented John as a traitor, was sent to the Saracen prince, with whom, as before said, John stood in high favor, in order to turn him against the Saint. He added that he disdained to make use of so shameful an act of treason to break the existing peace, but that he hoped the traitor would be rigorously dealt with. The Saracen prince was furious on reading these letters. Having caused John to be brought before him, he showed him both letters, and reproaching him with his treason, gave vent to his rage in the most abusive language. The Saint called God to witness that he had never written letters to Constantinople, except on the subject of honoring images, and requested that the matter might be investigated, as it was clear that there existed some deception. But the furious prince would listen neither to prayers nor protestations, and ordered the executioner to cut off the saint's right hand without delay, and to hang it in the market-place as a warning to others. The order was publicly executed to the great grief of the Christians, The Saint suffered the pain and the ignominy with Christian fortitude, affirming, at the same time, with undaunted courage, that he was innocent of the crime of which he stood accused On the evening of the same day, he sent to the prince asking permission to bury his hand. The prince, who had already discovered the deceit, granted his request and sent him his hand.

John, filled with trust in Christ and his holy Mother, took his hand, went into the chapel of his house, sank down before the image of the Blessed Virgin, and cried: "Heavenly Queen! Mother of Mercy! Thou knowest that I lost my hand in defence of the honored images of Thee and Thy Son. Counfound thou now the error and let truth prevail. Let this hand grow again to my arm, that with it I may still defend Thine and Thy Son's holy name: I will use it for no other purpose." While thus praying he held his hand to the arm, and, having said the last words, he fell into a light slumber, during which he seemed to hear the Blessed Virgin say: "Behold thy hand is again on thine arm. Go, now, and perform thy promise." John awoke, and found his hand so perfectly grown to his arm, that no one would have believed it had been cut off, had not a red mark, like a thin thread, remained as a token of the miracle. How happy the Saint was and how fervently he gave thanks to God and his holy mother may easily be imagined. The miracle could not be kept secret and the prince, being informed of it called the Saint into his presence, and humbly begging his pardon, assured him of his future favor. John, however, desired no other grace than to be released from public service, that he might pass the remainder of his life in a monastery or in the desert.

This being granted, he divided his wealth among the poor, went to Jerusalem, and thence to the Convent of St. Sabas, where, obliged to obey an old Monk, he was for a time occupied with the lowest menial labor. The Blessed Virgin, however, appearing to this monk, told him to let John work against the heretics in defense of the true faith. The monk informed the saint of the command of the divine Mother; and the obedient servant of Christ began anew to combat not only the Iconoclasts, but also the other enemies of the Church, while at the same time, for the instruction of the Catholics, he wrote many books replete with heavenly wisdom. The patriarch of Jerusalem ordained him priest in the year 750. Enfeebled, at length, by severe penances and incessant labor, he became sick and left this world, old in years and rich in merits, to receive the eternal reward that Christ promised to those that follow Him.


Practical Consideration

I. St. John protects the honor of the holy images. We do not worship holy images, but we honor them on account of those whom they represent. They are kept in churches and dwelling-houses on account of their beneficial influence. For, as St. Thomas teaches, they serve, first, to instruct us in virtue and in the mysteries of our faith; secondly, they recall to our memory and keep before our mind, the sufferings and noble works of our Saviour and the Saints; thirdly, they encourage us to virtue, to piety, and to the imitation of Christ and the Saints. Therefore, did St. John act rightly in opposing those who sought to destroy them, and therefore, also, is it very praiseworthy to make such images and to keep them in our apartments, our prayer-books, etc. What, however, shall be said or thought of those, who instead of holy and edifying pictures, make, sell and buy impure pictures, or give them a place in their houses? Those who speak and judge in accordance with the Christian doctrine must acknowledge that such persons commit great sin, on account of the evil which arises or may arise from it. A single unchaste speech, a single impure song, a single page of a licentious book, may give rise to many hundred evil thoughts, followed by wrong and sinful deeds, while a single look upon an obscene picture may give rise to the same results. Who dares to deny this truth? The impression a book makes upon those who read it, is the same that a picture makes upon those who behold it. The latter teaches even the illiterate to imitate. Those who cannot read one letter can read pictures. "Immodesty is learned when it is seen in pictures." Thus writes St. Gregory. Suetonius, a pagan author, relates that the lewd Emperor Tiberius filled the rooms of his palace with the most loathsome pictures, that he might entice those who came to him to the vilest deeds in which he delighted. According to my judgment, the devil has the same intention in endeavoring to place unchaste pictures before the eyes of men. And who can measure all the sin he has thus provoked, or count the priceless souls he has thus cast into Hell?

Pagan lawgivers have forbidden such pictures, that the horrible vice might not spread to the injury of public welfare. "One ought not to suffer," says Aristotle, "unchaste speeches in a city, because from the liberty to speak impurely arises the liberty to live impurely. When we however interdict unchaste speeches, it is obvious that the contemplation of unchaste pictures must be still more forbidden. Hence the Government should take care that neither unchaste pictures nor images be suffered in the city." Blind heathens have thus acknowledged that an unchaste picture gives rise to sin and vice. Are we Christians blinder than the heathen? St. Augustine relates of a youth, who by seeing an impure story painted on a wall was tempted to the most abominable vice. Oh! that the same had not happened to innumerable others! As the holy Fathers have endeavored, in order to prevent this, to preserve the custom of honoring holy images, in an equal degree they have also labored to destroy licentious pictures. Read, as proof of this, what St. Charles Borromeo ordained for his bishopric: "A father of a family," these are his words, "shall permit nothing in his house which, in point of modesty, is unsuitable to a Christian household. Immodest, unchaste pictures he ought to burn," &c. The motive of the holy Cardinal in making this regulation was no other than the great harm which such pictures do to the morality of men. He ordered such pictures to be burned, because he believed that it was better that they should be committed to the flames in this world than that souls, bought with the precious blood of our Saviour, should be led into mortal sin by them, and at last go into the flames of hell.

II. St. John's hand, so unjustly cut off, was restored by a miracle, because he used it in protection of the holy images. Thus did God recompense, here on earth, the good use his servant made of his hand. What recompense, I ask again, can those hope for, who use their hands in the production of immodest, unchaste pictures, as also those who either sell or buy such pictures, or keep them in their rooms? I well know that people seek to vindicate themselves by many excuses: but will these be one day accepted by God? The artist, be he painter or sculptor, says: "I have not made this picture of this statue to give scandal, but to show my art." Is it not, however, possible to show one's art in other subjects? Really that art must be very unfortunate which is used to offend the majesty of God, and to place the artist and others in danger of everlasting destruction. Those who buy and sell such pictures also pretend that they do it not with any intention of giving scandal, as the artist says. But is that enough for the avoidance of sin? Certainly not. For if the picture is of such a nature as to give scandal, he who produced it, or he who keeps it, commits sin, even though he does not intend to give scandal. Just as those commit, sin who dress immodestly, who speak licentiously, or who read or write unchaste books. They may not have the intention of giving scandal, but they do so nevertheless by such a dress, such conversation, or the perusal of such books.

Some say: "Intelligent people are not scandalized by them: They are not tempted by looking at them." I, however, ask, "who are these intelligent people? Do they perhaps belong to those of whom St. Cyprian says: "The devil does not tempt those he already has in his power?" Woe to you, if you belong to these intelligent people. "Silly, scrupulous persons alone are scandalized," cries another, "not I." But was St. Charles Borromeo, or were many other learned and holy men, silly, or scrupulous, when they, for fear of scandal, ordered such pictures to be destroyed? You are not scandalized; you are not tempted. That may be; but can you tell what may happen? Do you know that others, who see such pictures at your house, are not scandalized and perhaps tempted by them to commit great sin? Do you know what may happen to you because you have such confidence in yourself? The same I ask of those who, possessing immoral pictures, keep them hidden as long as they live that nobody may be scandalized by them. Do you know into whose hands they may fall and what sin they may occasion? And who will one day have to answer for those sins before God? whichever way you look there is danger. Does he not therefore act more in accordance with reason who keeps as far from temptation as possible? Did St. Charles Borromeo act wrongly when he ordered all immoral pictures to be destroyed, that we may be safe from sin and far away from danger? "We cannot make ourselves too secure where eternity is in danger," says St. Bernard.