December 4, 2023 / 12:39 AM
Today, December 4, the Church celebrates the liturgical memory of Saint John Damascene, Doctor of the Church and defender of the veneration of religious images and the relics of saints. In this regard he once wrote: “Since God has now been seen in the flesh and has lived among men, I represent what is visible in God”, implying the legality of the representations that lead us to God, as long as be a means and not an end.
Saint John Damascene was born in the city of Damascus, capital of Syria – hence the name “Damascene” – and lived between the last quarter of the 18th century. VII and the first half of the s. VIII. He grew up in a very powerful Christian family, however, dissatisfied with political life, he entered the monastery of Saint Sabas, near Jerusalem. He was ordained a priest and knew how to combine the monastic lifestyle – prayer and asceticism – with theological reflection and pastoral work, contributing greatly to theological and doctrinal development.