1/27/15 - St. John Chrysostom
Today is one of the days in the church calendar where we celebrate St. John the "Golden Mouth" Chrysostom. His golden mouth led him to be a favorite of the people. Soon, he was whisked away from his church to become a bishop by political leaders based on his amazing speaking, but they were in for more than they bargained. He began a series of reforms where, it is described, that "he swept the stairs from the top down." He called out political figures for corruption. He whippe d his clergy into place. He refused to host the usual lavish banquets and preached against the wealthy as thieves of the poor. With the money he saved from a simple lifestyle, he opened a string of hospitals for the poor. Then he turned his sights to his congregation. The common people absolutely loved him. As you might suspect, this made him unpopular with the rich and powerful. Ultimately he was exiled from his position for some trumped up theological charges. But the support and lov...