Around the year 676, John Damascene was born to a wealthy Christian family in Muslim-controlled Damascus. His father wanted John to have a good education, so he purchased a Sicilian monk named Cosmas who had been captured and sold into slavery. He quickly learned not just Christian theology, but also logic, literature, music, and math. When his father died, John took his place working for the Muslim caliph and eventually became a priest and a monk. He adapted choral music for liturgical use, and his many writings led to him eventually being named a Doctor of the Church.
CHALLENGE
In his many letters, St. John Damascene vigorously defended the use of icons and images. He wrote, “What a book is to the literate, an image is to the illiterate. The image speaks to the sight as words to the ear; it brings us understanding.” Today, buy Christmas cards with sacred artwork on them instead of snowmen and Santa. In each one write a personalized note, and mail them out.
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