Bishop and Doctor of the Church · Feast day September 13
St. John Chrysostom
The feast day of St. John Chrysostom is September 13, a memorial in the US Catholic calendar. Below: a short life and 6 sourced quotations in their own words.
| Feast day | September 13 |
|---|---|
| In the US calendar | Memorial |
| Title | Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
| Died | c. 407 |
| In their own words | 6 sourced quotations |
| Next on Bless’s Today screen | None left in the published calendar (through December 31, 2028) |
Life
A monk of Antioch dragged from his solitude and made a preacher, then patriarch of Constantinople. His sermons were so plain, practical, and fearless that the people called him Chrysostom — ‘golden mouth’ — and the court called him dangerous.
He denounced luxury from the pulpit while the empress wore it, and died in exile on a forced march, his last words giving glory to God for all things.
In their own words
Each quotation names the work it comes from. Bless quotes these in the comments beside the verses listed under In Scripture.
Do you wish to honor the body of Christ? Do not ignore Him when He is naked. Do not pay Him homage in the temple clad in silk only then to neglect Him outside where He suffers cold and nakedness.
Ignorance of the Scriptures is a great cliff and a deep abyss.
Make your house a church.
Not to share our wealth with the poor is to rob them and take away their livelihood. The riches we possess are not our own but theirs.
Christ is risen, and life reigns! Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave!
Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness.
In Scripture
In Bless, St. John Chrysostom’s words appear in the comments beside these verses. This page’s labels say how each is linked: “on this verse” means the saint wrote about that very verse; “on this theme” means the quotation shares its theme. Scripture is quoted from the Catholic Public Domain Version.
On this verse
For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you covered me; sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me.’
Matthew 25:35–36 · CPDV Beside their words: “Do you wish to honor the body of Christ? Do not ignore Him when He is naked. Do not pay…”
On this verse
And in response, the King shall say to them, ‘Amen I say to you, whenever you did this for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did it for me.’
Matthew 25:40 · CPDV Beside their words: “Do you wish to honor the body of Christ? Do not ignore Him when He is naked. Do not pay…”
On this verse
A certain man was wealthy, and he was clothed in purple and in fine linen. And he feasted splendidly every day. And there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at his gate, covered with sores, wanting to be filled with the crumbs which were falling from the wealthy man’s table. But no one gave it to him. And even the dogs came and licked his sores. Then it happened that the beggar died, and he was carried by the Angels into the bosom of Abraham. Now the wealthy man also died, and he was entombed in Hell. …
Luke 16:19–31 · CPDV Beside their words: “Not to share our wealth with the poor is to rob them and take away their livelihood. The…”
On this theme
But if it seems evil to you that you would serve the Lord, a choice is given to you. Choose today what pleases you, and whom you ought to serve above all else, either the gods that your fathers served in Mesopotamia, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15 · CPDV Beside their words: “Make your house a church.”
On this theme
Unto the end. To the sons of Korah, for confidants. A Psalm.
Our God is our refuge and strength, a helper in the tribulations that have greatly overwhelmed us.
Psalm 45:1–2 · CPDV Beside their words: “Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source…”
On this theme
My people have become silent because they had no knowledge. Since you have rejected knowledge, I will drive you away; you do not perform the duties of the priesthood for me, and you have forgotten the law of your God, and so I will forget your sons.
Hosea 4:6 · CPDV Beside their words: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is a great cliff and a deep abyss.”
On this theme
He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where the Lord was placed.
Matthew 28:6 · CPDV Beside their words: “Christ is risen, and life reigns! Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave!”
On this theme
Also, they continued, daily, to be of one accord in the temple and to break bread among the houses; and they took their meals with exultation and simplicity of heart,
Acts 2:46 · CPDV Beside their words: “Make your house a church.”
4 more verses
On this theme
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
1 Corinthians 15:55 · CPDV Beside their words: “Christ is risen, and life reigns! Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave!”
On this theme
Be anxious about nothing. But in all things, with prayer and supplication, with acts of thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And so shall the peace of God, which exceeds all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6–7 · CPDV Beside their words: “Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source…”
On this theme
All Scripture, having been divinely inspired, is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in justice,
2 Timothy 3:16 · CPDV Beside their words: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is a great cliff and a deep abyss.”
On this theme
Whoever possesses the goods of this world, and sees his brother to be in need, and yet closes his heart to him: in what way does the love of God abide in him?
1 John 3:17 · CPDV Beside their words: “Not to share our wealth with the poor is to rob them and take away their livelihood. The…”
In the calendar
The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. John Chrysostom. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given.
Readings
No dates are left in Bless’s published calendar, which runs through December 31, 2028. St. John Chrysostom keeps September 13 in Bless’s calendar of saints: see the saints of September.
All the saints of September Born on September 13? A saint for every day
Spotted a mistake in a date, a patronage or a quotation? Report an error and we’ll fix it in the app and here.