Dear Saints,

Today is the feast of St. Pope John I. Elected in a moment of considerable turmoil between the Eastern and Western halves of the Roman empire, Pope John was thrust onto a world stage of intrigue, conspiracy, violence, and widespread denial - within the Church - of the divinity of Christ. The rulers of the day wanted to use him as a political pawn. He acted instead as a peacemaker. That cost him his freedom, his health, and, ultimately, his life. He died a martyr, likely starved and tortured while imprisoned.

Every age has its own troubles, and we don’t get to choose the particular disorder and discontent that’s ours to confront and put to rights. In fact, we often don’t even know what we’re up against until we’re in the thick of it. But in one sense, the face of the foe doesn’t matter, because the path to victory remains the same. Whether it’s the Arian heresy in 526 A.D., or the culture of death and neglect in 2025 A.D., we know what we have to do.

Christ’s Peace,

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ