This post is part of an ongoing series for celebrating Advent in the home.
Background
St. John of Damascus (or Damascene), universal doctor of the Church, is the last of the Greek Fathers. After being educated in the liberal arts, he spent the majority of his adulthood in a monastery near Jerusalem. His writing is considered a bridge to the scholastic theology of the West. He presents some of the first systematic expositions of the faith in such works as De Fide Orthodoxa (On the Orthodox Faith) and De Trinitate (On the Trinity). He is also remembered for his powerful defense of sacred images during the iconoclast controversy, when pressure from Muslim influence caused the emperor to outlaw religious art. Local leaders initially condemned St. John’s argument for venerating icons. He was later recognized as the champion of orthodoxy for connecting the theology of the Incarnation to the use of images in worship.
Simple Celebration
The reading of St. John in the Divine Office today reminds us that Christmas is ultimately bound up with the Cross; in the Incarnation the Lamb of God appears who will sacrifice his life for the life of the world. As an Advent meditation, gather the children around the Wreath or in the home shrine and read the excerpt from St. John Damascene, either whole or in part. Share a little of his biography, then move on to the reading. Older children might begin to grasp the connection between the orthodox teaching handed down in the Church and our personal relationship with the Good Shepherd; according to St. John, the two are organically connected. For additional reinforcement, print out the Christ the Redeemer icon and place it in the home shrine, or have the children color a line drawing of an icon. You might also do a general activity on sacred images using the Picture Study materials.
Reading
Excerpts from St. John Damascene, from the Office of Readings:
You loved us, O Lord, and gave up your only-begotten Son for our redemption. And he undertook the task willingly and did not shrink from it. Indeed, he applied himself to it as though destined for sacrifice, like an innocent lamb. Although he was God, he became man, and in his human will, became obedient to you, God his Father, unto death, even death on a cross.
In this way you have humbled yourself, Christ my God, so that you might carry me, your stray sheep, on your shoulders. You let me graze in green pastures, refreshing me with the waters of orthodox teaching at the hands of your shepherds. You pastured these shepherds, and now they in turn tend your chosen and special flock. Now you have called me, Lord, by the hand of your bishop to minister to your people...
Lead me to pastures, Lord, and graze there with me. Do not let my heart lean either to the right or to the left, but let your good Spirit guide me along the straight path. Whatever I do, let it be in accordance with your will, now until the end.
And you, O Church, are a most excellent assembly, the noble summit of perfect purity, whose assistance comes from God. You in whom God lives, receive from us an exposition of the faith that is free from error, to strengthen the Church, just as our Fathers handed it down to us.
Prayer
Let us pray.
Lord God, let Saint John Damascene help us by his prayers, so that the true faith, of which he was so outstanding a teacher, may always bring us light and strength. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Quick Activities
Print out Christ the Redeemer or Holy Trinity icon from Picture Study PDF and place in the home shrine.
Use the Feast of St. John Damascene to look at iconography and religious art. Integrate with Picture Study of the Middle Ages.
Color an icon coloring page. PDF Packet or The Teaching Christ.