In the spring of 388, a rebellion erupted in Antioch over the announcement of increased taxes. Statues of the emperor and his recently deceased wife were desecrated. Officials of the empire then began punishing city leaders, killing some, for the uprising. While Archbishop Flavian rushed to the capital in Constantinople 800 miles away to beg for clemency, John preached to a city in turmoil:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cImprove yourselves now truly, not as when during one of the numerous earthquakes or in famine or drought or in similar visitations you leave off your sinning for three or four days and then begin the old life again. . . . Stop evil slandering, harbor no enmities, and give up the wicked custom of frivolous cursing and swearing. If you do this, you will surely be delivered from the present distress and attain eternal happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
After eight weeks, on the day before Easter, Flavian returned with the good news of the emperor\u2019s pardon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John preached through many of Paul\u2019s letters (\u201cI like all the saints,\u201d he said, \u201cbut St. Paul the most of all\u2014that vessel of election, the trumpet of heaven\u201d), the Gospels of Matthew and of John, and the Book of Genesis. Changed lives were his goal, and he denounced sins from abortion to prostitution and from gluttony to swearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He encouraged his congregation not only to attend the divine service regularly but also to feed themselves on God\u2019s written Word. In a sermon on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, he said, \u201cReading the Scripture is a great means of security against sinning. The ignorance of Scripture is a great cliff and a deep abyss; to know nothing of the divine laws is a great betrayal of salvation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His applications could be forceful. About people\u2019s love of horse racing, he complained, \u201cMy sermons are applauded merely from custom, then everyone runs off to [horse racing] again and gives much more applause to the jockeys, showing indeed unrestrained passion for them! There they put their heads together with great attention, and say with mutual rivalry, \u2018This horse did not run well, this one stumbled,\u2019 and one holds to this jockey and another to that. No one thinks any more of my sermons, nor of the holy and awesome mysteries that are accomplished here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>
St. John Chrysostom, Bishop, Doctor of the Church (407)
He was called Chrysostom, "golden mouthed" on account of his eloquence. He loved St. Paul of whom he said: "The heart of Paul is the heart of Christ." He died in exile after suffering persecution under the empress Eudoxia. pic.twitter.com\/uUHNQ5Xcty<\/a><\/p>— Memento Mori (@TempusFugit4016) January 27, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>