St. John Damascene

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Today is the feast day of St. John Damascene.

Born of a Catholic family in Damascus, Syria, in the year 675, john grew up under Muslim civil rule. His father was the CFO for the Muslim ruler and over the course of his professional career John became the Chief Counsellor of the Caliph Abdul Malek.

However, in the year 726 the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople, Leo III, issued a law that all sacred images and icons of Jesus, Mary and the saints must be destroyed. As soon as he heard of this, John began writing and distributing pamphlets to convince the people to ignore this unjust law. He explained that we need sacred images and icons because they remind us of the presence of God and the help of Mary and the saints. Crucifixes, pictures, statues, icons, are vital reminders that God is with us and caring for us. When we remove these visible reminders God’s presence, we quickly forget about Him and fall prey to the pride and presumption that we control everything; or the fear and anxiety at the prospect that no one has our back.

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When the Byzantine Emperor received the news that John was undermining his law to destroy the religious art the emperor wanted John killed.

But he could do nothing, because John lived outside his empire under Muslim civil rule. So, the Byzantine Emperor had a letter forged, allegedly from John, stating John’s intention to destabilize the Muslim Caliph and hand Damascus, the Capital of the Muslim Umayyad Empire over to the Byzantine Emperor. This letter was then delivered to the Caliph who upon receiving it had John arrested and his right hand cut off in the public square.

John took his severed hand and went to the Catholic Church where he lay prostrate in front of an icon of Mary holding the child Jesus. Clutching his severed hand to his breast, he begged Mary for help until he passed out. While unconscious, She appeared to him, promising to restore his hand, and encouraging him to fight for the truth and goodness of religious images and not to give up. When he awoke his hand was restored, completely healed. With that hand John went on to write and defend sacred images, encouraging the people not to comply. And due John’s efforts we have images of Jesus, Mary and the saints today.

In gratitude John had a silver hand, representing his own, attached to the icon of Mary and Jesus he prayed before.

This icon came to be known as the Icon of Three Hands and it resides on Mt. Athos in Greece to this day.

Soon after, John left everything and became a monk and priest at the monastery of St. Saba just outside Jerusalem.

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We should imitate the trust John had for Mary

John said: “Mary you are my Mother and Queen. I belong to you. I cannot restore my hand. I can’t fix this, so I surrender everything to you.”  Because His trust was great, Mary did great things for him.

We on the other hand have very small trust – dinky trust.

We make plans, take action, do what we can, but without consulting Jesus and Mary. But there is so much we cannot control. This causes anxiety, worry, fear, anger and exhaustion…So, instead - Entrust everything to Mary

·       Say to her - I am all yours and all that is mine is yours

·       Then Pray and consult Mary

·       Think, and do what you can

·       Don’t worry about the rest. Leave it to Mary!

·       But we obsess… Have I done enough, should I do more, I need to do more?

·       Then we take it out of the Hands of Mary

·       and back into our hands…anxious, worried, and exhausted

Consecrate every to Mary

·       If she wants it - She will work it out.

·       If She doesn’t want it – then neither do you

·       The result is peace because Mary is the Queen of Peace.

In a homily given at the empty tomb of Mary in Jerusalem on the feast of her Assumption John said: What is sweeter than the Mother of God? She has taken my mind captive; she has possession of my tongue; she is on my mind day and night.

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If I belong to Mary, then I have no reason to worry.

At Cana, Mary said they have no wine. Jesus said 'Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not yet come.' Jesus was totally unconcerned about the situation at hand. Yet, Mary was watching over the beginning of the Public Ministry of Jesus

·       She intuited and prompted Jesus to act

·       He was docile to Her

·       Then He worked His first public miracle launching His public ministry

·       And the Apostles believed for the first time

What do you worry about that is beyond your ability to control?

·       Consecrate or entrust that to Mary

·       Nothing can oppose or conquer us if we belong to Mary

·       Nothing entrusted to Mary is lost

St Maximilian Kolbe wrote

·       I see Mary everywhere; I see difficulties nowhere

·       When at times I am tempted to worry I immediately say to myself: silly one, why do you worry? Is this your work? If all belongs to the Immaculate, will she not attend to it? Then let her lead you.

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In the 700s St. John Damascene taught everyone to consecrate themselves to Mary.

At the empty Tomb of Mary in Jerusalem where she was assumed into heaven body and soul, John consecrated himself to Mary with this prayer:

“We today also remain near you, O Lady. Yes, I repeat, O Lady, Mother of God and Virgin. We bind our souls to your hope, as to a most firm and totally unbreakable anchor, consecrating to you our mind, soul, body and all our being and honoring you as much as we can with psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles.”

Through this Rosary Podcast we are preparing to consecrate ourselves to Mary once again on January 1

But we can renew this consecration every day: I am all yours and all that is mine is yours dear Jesus, through the hands of Mary.

And throughout the day: Mary, I am all yours.