Saint John of Damascus, Doctor of the Church: Missa “Tenuísti manum“
Saint John of Damascus, renowned as the last major figure among the Eastern Church fathers and its most eminent poet, has a life story shrouded in both history and legend. His biographer, John of Jerusalem, who wrote about him two centuries posthumously, blended myth with fact, blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
John hailed from a family that stood steadfast in their Christian faith even as Damascus fell to Arab rule. His forebears were not only respected by the conquerors but also held significant judicial roles, likely overseeing Christian laws for the Sultan’s Christian subjects. His father, apart from his prestigious position, amassed considerable wealth, dedicating it to freeing Christian slaves and granting them liberty. John’s birth was seen as a divine reward for these virtuous deeds, and he was baptized immediately, possibly by Peter II, Bishop of Damascus.
Keen to shield his son from the prevalent martial and piratical culture of Damascus’s youth, John’s father focused on nurturing his intellectual growth. During this era, Saracen pirates captured a monk named Cosmas. Facing execution, he was spared upon revealing his educational prowess, which prompted John’s father to free him and appoint him as John’s tutor. John rapidly absorbed all of Cosmas’s knowledge, leading Cosmas to eventually retire to the Monastery of S. Sabas.
John’s intellectual acumen earned the admiration of the Saracens, and he was reluctantly thrust into a role of greater authority than his father. As the Iconoclastic controversy intensified, John boldly opposed the Eastern Emperor, penning treatises advocating for the veneration of religious images. These writings, especially potent after Leo the Isaurian’s decree against icons in 730, swiftly spread across the Christian world.
A dramatic episode in John’s life involves a purported act of treason against Damascus, fabricated by Emperor Leo. The Sultan, believing this ruse, ordered John’s hand severed. However, a miraculous event – the restoration of his hand following prayer before an image of the Virgin Mary – convinced John of divine protection, leading him to a monastic life at the monastery of Saint Sabas.
The historical accuracy of this tale is debated, as scholarly research suggests John may have joined Saint Sabas’s monastery before the Iconoclasm controversy. During the Khalif Ahlid II’s persecution of Christians in 743, John composed an eulogy for the martyred Peter, Bishop of Majuma.
John’s life also includes a poignant anecdote where, donned in humble attire, he was sent to sell baskets in Damascus. His creative spirit was initially suppressed by the monastery’s abbot but, after composing a lament for a grieving individual, he was eventually allowed to focus on religious poetry and theological works. His hymns and defences of Christian art and doctrine have immortalized him as “The Doctor of Christian Art.” His death date is uncertain, but it likely occurred between 754 and 787.
INTROIT Psalm Ps 72:24
You have hold of my right hand; with Your counsel You guide me, and in the end You will receive me in glory. Ps 72:1 How good God is to Israel, to those who are clean of heart! V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. You have hold of my right hand; with Your counsel You guide me, and in the end You will receive me in glory.
COLLECT
Almighty, eternal God, Who to defend the honor paid to sacred images, filled blessed John with heavenly learning and wondrous strength of soul, grant that, by his intercession and example, we may imitate the virtues of those whose images we honor and may enjoy the help of their patronage. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen
EPISTLE Wis 10:10-17.
Lesson from the book of Wisdom. The Lord guided the just in direct ways, showed him the kingdom of God, and gave him knowledge of holy things; He prospered him in his labors and made abundant the fruit of his works, stood by him against the greed of his defrauders, and enriched him; He preserved him from foes, and secured him against ambush, and He gave him the prize for his stern struggle that he mighty recognize that devotion to God is mightier than all else. He did not abandon the just man when he was sold, but delivered him from sin. He went down with him into the dungeon, and did not desert him in his bonds, until He brought him the scepter of royalty and authority over his oppressors, showed those who had defamed him false, and gave him eternal glory. The holy people and blameless race – it was He Who delivered them from the nation that oppressed them. He entered the soul of God’s servant, and withstood fearsome kings with signs and portents. He gave the holy ones the recompense of their labors.
Alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia.
1 Kings 25:26, 28 V. The Lord has saved your hand to you: because you fight the battles of the Lord. Alleluia. Ps 143:1V. Blessed be the Lord my God, Who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war. Alleluia.
GOSPEL Luke 6:6-11.
At that time, it came to pass on another Sabbath, that Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there and his right hand was withered. And the Scribes and the Pharisees were watching whether He cured on the Sabbath, that they might find how to accuse Him. But He knew their thoughts, and He said to the man with the withered hand, Arise and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. But Jesus said to them, I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save a life, or to destroy it? And having looked around upon them all, He said to the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he stretched it forth, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury, and began to discuss among themselves what they should do to Jesus.
OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Job 14:7
For a tree there is hope, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again and that its tender shoots will not cease.
SECRET
O Lord, may the holy intercession of blessed John be united with that of Your Saints whose images, through his efforts, we venerate in our churches, and thus may the gifts we offer You be found worthy in Your sight. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.
PREFACE of Easter
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, at all times to praise Thee, O Lord, but more gloriously especially in this season when Christ our Pasch was sacrificed. For He is the Lamb Who hath taken away the sins of the world: Who by dying hath destroyed our death: and by rising again hath restored us to life. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing the hymn of Thy glory, evermore saying: Holy, Holy, Holy…
ACT OF SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
Oh my Jesus,
I believe that Thou art present in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love Thee above all things, and I desire Thee in my soul.
Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
As though Thou were already there,
I embrace Thee and unite myself wholly to Thee.
Permit not that I should ever be separated from Thee. Amen.
COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps 36:17
The power of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord supports the just.
POSTCOMMUNION
We beseech You, O Lord, that the gifts we have eaten may be as heavenly weapons to guard us; and may we be protected by the patronage of blessed John, reinforced by the united prayers of the Saints, the veneration of whose images by the Church, he gloriously vindicated. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.
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