Jesus was noted for attracting great crowds because He was a great story teller and he performed great miracles. Saint John Chrysostom, whose feast we celebrate today was noted for attracting great crowds for he was known to be quite a wonderful preacher, known for fervor and eloquence. Yet despite this, he was about much more. Jesus was more than a miracle worker. John Chrysostom was more than an eloquent speaker. Both challenge us to be more than the gifts God has given us. We are all called in our daily lives to give our gifts away, to love expecting nothing in return, in the words of Blessed John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter Dies Domini to put into practice our gifts—“to truly put the Eucharist into practice in (our) daily life.” Jesus in today's Gospel calls each of us to love even our enemies. This means to love, but in a way different from what most of us expect; we are called to love expecting nothing in return. The love and fidelity we come to know of our Lord in the Eucharist is likewise given witness in the sacrament of marriage. As married couples we have the opportunity to give witness to the same love and fidelity which Jesus gives His church. In the words of Saint John Chrysostom: “young husbands should say to their wives: I have taken you in my arms, and I love you, and I prefer you to my life itself. For the present life is nothing, and my most ardent dream is to spend it with you in such a way that we may be assured of not being separated in the life reserved for us. . . I place your love above all things, and nothing would be more bitter or painful to me than to be of a different mind than you.” How does our marriage reflect the love and fidelity we find in the Eucharist? Make a great day!
Today we recall the good life, gifts, and work of Saint John Chrysostom.
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