THE HAND OF JOHN OF
The Life of
There are three things to learn from
the life of John of Damascus: 1. He had two important visions of the Virgin
Mary and a miracle by Her intersession. 2. He was born
to defend the Church with his knowledge and writings against all heresies especially
Moslems. 3. Use the gifts that God gives and do not try to be what you are not.
This is important to me because I am at
the end of life and need to think of what God wants of me. This story told me what to do, and I hope it
inspires others to use what God gives you without pride and bring forth fruit
while you can.
John of Damascus was born just 13
years after the death of Mohammed. When
the warring Moslems swept over most all of
Enjoying the rulers' trust, John’s
father was able to help his Christian brothers, ransoming captives, setting
free the imprisoned, commuting the sentences of those condemned to death, and
extending a helping hand to all the suffering. In the heart of the Moslem
world, John was born and baptized. His father also adopted a Jewish boy from
The barbarians living in Damascus
made frequent raids by land and sea against other countries, taking Christians
captive to their city, some to be sold into slavery in the markets, others to
be put to the sword without mercy. Once they happened to capture a monk from
I HAVE NO
CHILDREN
John's father asked the monk: "Why,
O man of God, do you weep? Is it because you have lost your earthly freedom?”
"I do not weep because I have
lost my freedom," answered the monk. "I lament because I shall depart
this life childless, without an heir."
John's father said in astonishment,
"You are a monk, Father; you are not permitted to beget children. You should
not grieve over this."
"You do not understand my
words, sir," answered the monk. "I do not speak of sons according to
the flesh or of a material inheritance, but of things spiritual. It is clear
that I own nothing; nevertheless, I possess a great wealth of knowledge, which
I have labored hard from my youth to acquire. With God's help I have mastered
every worldly science, including rhetoric and dialectic, the philosophy of
Aristotle and Plato, geometry, and the theory of music. I have acquainted myself
thoroughly with the movements of the heavenly bodies and the courses of the
stars, so that through the beauty of creation I might come to a clearer
understanding of the wise Creator. Finally, I have learned well the mysteries
of Orthodoxy as expounded by the Greek and Roman theologians. Yet while I possess such knowledge myself,
I have failed to hand it on to another. Now there is no longer any
possibility for me to teach what I have learned. I have no disciple, and little
time remains to me, for I am certain that I shall die here by the sword. Then I
will appear before the Lord and be likened to the tree that brought forth no
fruit and the servant that buried his master's talent in the ground. This is
why I weep and lament. Like a married man who has no son, I leave no spiritual heir to inherit the wealth of my knowledge."
John's father rejoiced when he heard
this: "Do not sorrow, Father; for God may yet grant you the desire of your
heart." Thereupon he hastened to the Caliph, earnestly begged to be given
the captive monk. The Caliph did not refuse him.
Then he presented his two sons to
the Monk and said, "I have two children, my son John and this boy who,
like you, bears the name Cosmas. I pray you, Father, instruct them in the sciences and in good conduct,
teaching them every virtue. They shall be your spiritual children, begotten
anew by your teaching. Rear them and make them heirs of your spiritual riches,
a wealth that no one can steal."
Studying assiduously, the two
children mastered grammar, dialectic, philosophy, arithmetic, geometry, ecclesiastical
hymns, poetry, astronomy, the mysteries of theology, good morals, virtue, and
of spiritual and external wisdom.
JOHN’S RIGHT
HAND
When John's father died, the Caliph
summoned John, and forced him to become his chief counselor. At that time Leo
the Isaurian reigned over the Greek Empire. He rose
up against the
Hearing of this, John wrote many
epistles in defense of the holy icons, and circulated them all over the Greek Empire.
These were read everywhere in the Greek Empire. Word of this reached the Emperor
Leo.
To cause John’s death, the Emperor
forged letters that he claimed to be from John and sent them to the Caliph of
Damascus slandering the Caliph. After reading them, the barbarian Prince
summoned John and showed him the forged letter he had supposedly written. John
understood at once that this was a plot of the malicious and cunning heretics,
but the Caliph raged with anger and commanded that John's right hand be cut
off.
John entered his prayer-room and
fell to the floor before his icon of the most pure Theotokos. Pressing the
severed hand to his wrist, he sighed and wept, praying from the depths of his
heart:
"O Lady, most pure Mistress and
Mother of God, behold: my right hand hath been cut off for the sake of the
divine icons by the tyrant Leo! Whatsoever thou willest,
thou canst accomplish, for through thy holy prayers, the right hand of the Most
High, Who was incarnate of thee, worketh numerous
miracles; wherefore, come quickly to mine aid, that He may heal my hand by thine intercession, O Theotokos. May I again be permitted
to defend the Orthodox faith; may my hand write once more in praise of thee and
thy Son!"
With this John fell asleep and
beheld in a dream the most pure Theotokos looking down upon him from the icon
with warm, compassionate eyes. She said,
"Your
hand has been restored. Do not be troubled any longer, but return to your work
and labor diligently, like a swiftly writing scribe, even as you promised
me."
John arose from sleep, felt his
right hand, and realized that it had indeed been healed. His spirit rejoiced in
God his Savior and in the Lord's most pure Mother, who had done such a great
thing for him. He rejoiced throughout the night with his entire household,
chanting a new hymn:
"Thy right hand, O Lord, is
glorious in power. Thy right hand hath healed my severed hand and
crushed your enemies, who do not revere Thy
precious image or that of Thy most pure Mother. It shall destroy those who
destroy the icons, and multiply Thy glory!"
BAD
SPIRITUAL ADVISE
Humbled by the miracle John decided
to live a life of prayer in a monastery in
CHARITY NOT
SACRIFICE
John lived many years in this
silence and sacrifice until one of the monks died. John tried to consol his brother but could
not. The monk asked John to compose a burial hymn for his brother to console
him in his sadness. John wrote the hymns:
"What sweetness of life," "Like a flower that withereth," "All human vanity," and others,
which are used to this day in funeral services worldwide.
John’s unwise spiritual director was
so angry at John’s writing hymns he almost kicked him out of the monastery, but
Our Lady appeared to him in a dream, saying:
"Why
have you blocked up a stream which pours forth an abundance of sweet water, a water preferable to that which sprang from the rock in the
wilderness or the water that David longed to drink? This is the water Christ
promised the Samaritan woman. Do not hinder the flow of this spring that will
water the whole world, drowning heresies and their bitterness!
“Let the
thirsty hasten to this water, and let those who do not possess the pure silver
of an unsullied life sell their passions and gain it by emulating John, a man
radiant with purity and good deeds, and most learned in the dogmas of the
Church. He will take up the psaltery of the prophets and David's harp to sing a
new song to the Lord God, one that shall surpass the canticles of Moses and Mariam. The fabled odes of Orpheus will be counted as nought when compared with his works, for he will sing a
spiritual and heavenly hymn like that of cherubim.
“He will
make the churches of
The next morning, the elder summoned
John and said to him, "O son of obedience to Christ, speak
what is stored up in your heart! Let your mouth declare wisdom, announcing the
things God has revealed to your mind. Open your mouth and proclaim, not legends
and dark fables, but the truths of the Church and her dogmas. Speak to the
heart of the
John Mansur, now called Saint John
of Damascus became a doctor of the Church.
I hope the words of Our Lady will inspire Catholics all over the world
to read the great writings of John, because I believe they will cast light on
the Unity of Faith between our separated brethren and the present war we have
with Radical Islam.
His life story has also inspired me
to pass on to my children all that I have learned over the years, and even
though I am in the last days of my life, nothing else seems important to me
except that I pass on all that I have learned.
May Our Lady help me do all in truth and charity, without thought of
human of respect or rejection.