Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

John was born about 347 in Antioch, studied rhetoric under Libanius and lived for some years as a monk in the hills. Ordained priest in 386, he preached in Antioch for twelve years, verse by verse through whole books of the Bible; his eloquence later earned him the name Chrysostom, “golden mouth”. In 398 he was made archbishop of Constantinople, where he cut the expenses of his household, built hospitals and spoke sharply against luxury, which turned Empress Eudoxia and some bishops against him. Deposed in 403, recalled, and exiled again in 404, he was marched towards the far end of the Black Sea and died on the way at Comana in Pontus on 14 September 407. His last words are reported as “Glory to God for all things”.