EWTN Live Coverage - ECUMENICAL CELEBRATION DELIVERY RELICS JOHN CRYSOSTOM

EWTN ^ | November 26, 2004

[NYer]

The legion of saints of the Church is comprised of men of extraordinary ability whose talents may have been dissimilar but many of whom seem to have shared a common genius for oratory. Yet out of this vast assembly of eloquent speakers, whose reputation might have rested on their gift of expression alone, the one for whom the title "Chrysostom" (in Russian, "Zlatoust"), or "golden-mouthed" was reserved, was John of Antioch, known as St. John Chrysostom, a great distinction in view of the qualifications of so many others.

Endeared as one of the four great doctors of the Church, St. John Chrysostom was born in 347 in Antioch, Syria and was prepared for a career in law under the renowned Libanius, who marveled at his pupil's eloquence and foresaw a brilliant career for his pupil as statesman and lawgiver. But John decided, after he had been baptised at the age of 23, to abandon the law in favour of service to the Saviour. He entered a monastery which served to educate him in preparation for his ordination as a priest in 386 AD. From the pulpit there emerged John, a preacher whose oratorical excellence gained him a reputation throughout the Christian world, a recognition which spurred him to even greater expression that found favour with everyone but the Empress Eudoxia, whom he saw fit to examine in some of his sermons.

When St. John was forty-nine years old, his immense popularity earned him election to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, a prestigious post from which he launched a crusade against excessiveness and extreme wealth which the Empress construed as a personal affront to her and her royal court. This also gave rise to sinister forces that envied his tremendous influence. His enemies found an instrument for his indictment when they discovered that he had harboured some pious monks who had been excommunicated by his archrival Theophilos, Bishop of Alexandria, who falsely accused John of treason and surreptitiously plotted his exile.

When it was discovered that the great St. John had been exiled by the puppets of the state, there arose such a clamour of protest, promising a real threat of civil disobedience, that not even the royal court dared to confront the angry multitudes and St John was restored to his post. At about this time he put a stop to a practice which was offensive to him, although none of his predecessors outwardly considered it disrespectful;this practice was applauding in church, which would be considered extremely vulgar today, and the absence of which has added to the solemnity of Church services.

St. John delivered a sermon in which he deplored the adulation of a frenzied crowd at the unveiling of a public statue of the Empress Eudoxia. His sermon was grossly exaggerated by his enemies, and by the time it reached the ears of the Empress it resulted in his permanent exile from his beloved city of Constantinople. The humiliation of banishment did not deter the gallant, golden-mouthed St. John, who continued to communicate with the Church and wrote his precious prose until he died in the lonely reaches of Pontus in 407.

The treasure of treatises and letters which St. John left behind, included the moving sermon that is heard at Easter Sunday services. The loss of his sermons which were not set down on paper is incalculable. Nevertheless, the immense store of his excellent literature reveals his insight, straightforwardness, and rhetorical splendour, and commands a position of the greatest respect and influence in Christian thought, rivaling that of other Fathers of the Church. His liturgy, which we respectfully chant on Sundays, is a living testimony of his greatness.

The slight, five-foot St. John stood tall in his defiance of state authority, bowing only to God and never yielding the high principles of Christianity to expediency or personal welfare. In the words of his pupil, Cassia of Marseilles, "It would be a great thing to attain his stature, but it would be difficult. Nevertheless, a following of him is lovely and magnificent."

It is impossible to cover the entire life of St John Chrysostom in a few pages. However apart from providing a very brief outline of his life, we have included a little more information about his life as a monk and as Patriarch of Constantinople.

Life of St. John Chrysostom

[NYer]

Son of Saint Gregory of Nazianzen the Elder and Saint Nonna. Brother of Saint Caesar Nazianzen, and Saint Gorgonius. Spent an itinerent youth in search of learning. Friend of and fellow student with Saint Basil the Great. Monk at Basil's desert monastery.

Reluctant priest, feeling himself unworthy, and fearing that the responsibility would test his faith. Assisted his bishop father to prevent an Arian schism in the diocese. He opposed Arianism, and brought its heretical followers back to the fold. Bishop of Caesarea c.370, which put him in conflict with the Arian emperor Valens. The disputes led his friend Basil the Great, then archbishop, to reassign him to a small, out of the way posting at the edge of the archbishopric.

Bishop of Constantinople 381-390 following the death of Valens. He hated the city, despised the violence and slander involved in these disputes, and feared being drawn into politics and corruption, but he worked to bring the Arians back to the faith; for his trouble he was slandered, insulted, beaten up, and a rival "bishop" tried to take over his diocese. Noted preacher on the Trinity. When it seemed that the faith had been restored in the city, Gregory retired to live the rest of his days as a hermit. Wrote theological discourses and poetry, some of it religious, some of it autobiographical. Father of the Church. Doctor of the Church.

[Destro]

Excuse my ignorance - live on the internet coverage???

[NYer]

A ping to you too! This is a monumental event. These relics date back to the early church. This will be an ecumenical celebration between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. If you have access to EWTN via cable, it is well worth watching. This ceremony will be steeped in tradition.

[NYer]

From Zenit News Agency

Date: 2004-11-25

Return of Relics to Rekindle Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue

Event Will Help Bridge the Gap, Says Archimandrite

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 25, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Theological dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches is expected to resume after the relics of Sts. Gregory Nazianzen and John Chrysostom are returned to the patriarch of Constantinople.

On Saturday, John Paul II is scheduled to turn over the relics of the doctors of the Eastern Church to Patriarch Bartholomew I, in an ecumenical ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica. The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, "first among equals" among the Orthodox, will be in Rome for a two-day visit.

"For us, the significance of this event is very great," said Archimandrite Ignatios Sotiriadis of the Greek Orthodox Church, in statements today to Vatican Radio.

"The return of these relics means that one more bridge is created between the sister Churches of Constantinople and Rome, between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox," he said. The Patriarch of Constantinople is in Istanbul, Turkey.

According to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, when Patriarch Bartholomew I met John Paul II in Rome last June 29, he invited the Pope to Istanbul and asked if the relics of the saints could be returned from the Vatican to the See of Constantinople. The relics have been kept in St. Peter's Basilica.

An exchange of letters between the Pope and the patriarch followed, and this week's meeting will be a result of that correspondence.

"The handing over of the relics," the pontifical council said in a statement, "is a profound encouragement to walk the path of unity: the mortal remains of the two saints, patriarchs of Constantinople, who did everything possible to safeguard unity between East and West, venerated in their land of origin, welcomed with great honors in the Church of Rome, which for many centuries has preserved and venerated them, walk once again on the path to the East, thanks to this gesture of spiritual sharing which nourishes and fortifies communion between the Sees of Peter and Constantinople."

John Paul II has asked that the relics be enclosed in precious alabaster reliquaries.

When they arrive in Istanbul later on Saturday, they will be stored in a chapel of the patriarchate and, on the feast of St. Andrew, Nov. 30, they will be permanently placed in the patriarchal Church of St. George.

Accompanying the patriarch on the plane from Turkey will be Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, and Archbishop Edmond Farhat, apostolic nuncio in Turkey.

On the return trip to Istanbul, to celebrate next Tuesday's feast of St. Andrew, patron of the ecumenical patriarchate, Bartholomew I will be accompanied by a Holy See delegation that will include Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Regarding Catholic-Orthodox relations, Archimandrite Sotiriadis said: "The problem that remains to be surmounted is 'Uniatism.'" This expression refers to Eastern-rite Catholics who live in Eastern European lands of Orthodox majority.

"This problem must be surmounted, but it has been decided that ecumenical dialogue, like theological dialogue, will be resumed after the handing over of these famous relics to the ecumenical patriarch and after the feast of St. Andrew," the archimandrite said.

"Discussions will begin with the Petrine ministry and then the other questions will be addressed," he added. "I believe that our religious leaders, ecclesiastics, our superiors of the Churches have yet to sit down at a round table, perhaps behind closed doors, to discuss a speedy process of rapprochement of the Churches.

"From my point of view, there have been important gestures, photographs have been taken, and gifts have been exchanged. Now, there is need for assessment and also for a more spiritual ecumenism, namely, a grass-roots ecumenism. Now, peoples, priests and parishes and individuals must talk among themselves. It is necessary to become friends and not to speak as diplomats, but as brothers."

The archimandrite said he believes that a future of unity passes through the path traced "by all our Orthodox theologians and all our historians, as well as by famous theologians of the West, of the Catholic Church, such as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who speaks about a unity or reunification according to the historical models of the first millennium."

[NYer]

Excuse my ignorance - live on the internet coverage???

Check your local cable provider to find out if you have access to EWTN. If 'yes', ask for the local channel. If 'no', go to EWTN , point to 'Television' on the menu bar that runs across the top of their site, then 'Live TV - English (or Spanish)'. This should take you to the actual program, live, from Rome.

[Destro]

I think I may have it - do they run those great old episodes of this very dramatic Cardinal (Was he?) from the 70s? He would do programs on politics and religion?

[NYer]

The archimandrite said he believes that a future of unity passes through the path traced "by all our Orthodox theologians and all our historians, as well as by famous theologians of the West, of the Catholic Church, such as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who speaks about a unity or reunification according to the historical models of the first millennium.

This would seem to be a monumental event between our churches. May the Holy Spirit guide all involved in this exchange. May ...

Our Lady of Soufanieh

rejoice with her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, on this day that brings us one step closer to her message ...

UNITY OF HEARTS
UNITY OF CHRISTIANS

[NYer]

I think I may have it - do they run those great old episodes of this very dramatic Cardinal (Was he?) from the 70s? He would do programs on politics and religion?

Bishop!, Destro ... though he should have been named a Cardinal (my grandmother, rest her soul, never forgave the church for this 'oversight') ;-D

If you are referring to Life Is Worth Living, hosted by Bishop Sheen ... then, "yes", that is the channel. Set the alarm clock ... I certainly plan to do so, and watch this magnificent celebration "LIVE" from the Vatican.

[Destro]

Yes! Archbishop Sheen. Great you were able to figure out who I was thinking using my very vague description.

[pachomi33]

Through their holy intercessions have mercy on us and save us amen.

[Lady In Blue]

Thanks for the reminder! This is going to be fantastic! 5:00a.m.EST,that means it starts at 2:00a.m.PAC. I wonder what time the repeat is? Probably sometime Sunday. Thanks again.

[Lady In Blue]

If I remember correctly, DISH has it as well as DIRECTV(#422).At one time I was so desperate to get EWTN on cable,I thought about changing from DIRECTV to DISH.Fortunately I didn't have to because DIRECTV now has it.

[NYer]

This is going to be fantastic!

I agree! It is by sheer coincidence that I tuned into Raymond Arroyo's program this evening and caught someone discussing the importance of this event. It then shifted to video from the visit earlier this year of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, followed by the announcement of tomorrow morning's coverage. What a moment! And to be able to watch it ... live! Thank you, Mother Angelica.

[Lady In Blue]

I think you're talking about the late,great Archbishop Sheen! I used to love him. I was just a young girl and we had a black and white TV but I used to love watching him. What a sense of humor he had. In my other post,I mentioned that EWTN is on both DISH and DIRECTV(#422).I don't remember what the DISH channel number is. I think it's listed on TV Guideonline.com.

[Lady In Blue]

ping

[Lady In Blue]

Thanks again. I just set my alarm clock!

[Lady In Blue]

ping

[Lady In Blue]

You got that right. God bless EWTN and please keep it on the air. I hope that now that it's shown worldwide that people in foreign countries will help to keep it on the air by sending a donation,no matter how small it is.

[Rokke]

If I understand this correctly, the relics are human remains. Is that true?