The Prayer Life of Saint John Chrysostom: The Golden-Mouthed Preacher Who Prayed Without Ceasing

Introduction

Saint John Chrysostom (c. 347-407 AD), Archbishop of Constantinople and one of Christianity’s greatest preachers, earned his title “Chrysostom” (Greek for “golden-mouthed” ) through eloquent sermons that moved hearts and transformed lives. Saint John’s many great public accomplishments were, however, built on top of many years of practicing contemplative prayer, studying the Scriptures, and through mystical communion with God.

He teaches us that the most powerful public ministry flows from the deepest private prayer; that prophetic preaching emerges from prolonged silence; and that words that change the world are forged in the furnace of solitary contemplation.

Born into Prayer: A Mother’s Influence

Saint John Chrysostom was brought up in prayer due to the influence his mother had on his spiritual upbringing. Saint John’s mother Anthusa was only 20 years old and a widow with two small children when her husband died. As a result of this tragedy, Anthusa chose not to remarry (as was expected of women her age) and instead devoted her life to raising her children in an atmosphere of prayer, reading of the Scriptures and having conversations about God. Her home became a haven for all Christians in her community and was a source of prayer and spirituality for all who entered.

A pagan teacher who was amazed by Anthusa’s devotion to her faith testified:

Good heavens! What wonderful women these Christians have!

This statement illustrates the fact that Anthusa’s spirituality was not only visible, but also very compelling. As a result of this, young John was able to absorb prayer into his daily life very easily, just as he would absorb oxygen into his lungs.

The biblical examples of mothers influencing their children’s faith are found throughout the Bible:

• Hannah’s dedication of Samuel: Praying for a son and giving him to God’s service (1 Samuel 1)
• Timothy’s heritage: Faith dwelling first in his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5)
• Monica’s prayers: Augustine’s mother interceding for decades until his conversion

In later writings John spoke eloquently about the powerful influence that mothers have on their children’s spirituality. He undoubtedly drew upon the great influence his mother had on his own life for many years.

Education and the Pull of the World

John Chrysostom had an extremely high level of education beginning with a class in rhetoric from the greatest orator of the Roman Empire, Libanius. When Libanius was asked by someone who would be his successor, he indicated:

John, if the Christians had not stolen him from us.

This rhetorical training equipped John for future preaching but also tempted him toward secular career and fame. The Roman Empire offered ambitious, educated young men paths to wealth, power, and prestige through law or public speaking.

The Turning Point: Choosing Christ

Around the age of eighteen, John was faced with the important decision of whether to pursue a successful political career or devote himself to God. As he began to consider this decision, all of the elements that had brought him to that point began to clarify his direction; finally he had the benefit of three different individuals—all of whom were influencers in his decision.

Meletius, Bishop of Antioch: This saintly bishop became John’s spiritual father, baptizing him around 368 AD and nurturing his vocational discernment

Anthusa’s tears: When John expressed desire to become a monk and withdraw to the mountains, his mother wept, pleading that he not leave her alone after years of widowhood

Interior conviction: Deep prayer revealed that John’s calling involved eventual public ministry, requiring formation but not permanent withdrawal

As a result of these three influences, John chose to follow Christ rather than become a wealthy career man. However, out of love for his mother he delayed going into a monastery. This shows his understanding of the right way to exercise one’s call by not crushing others on the way to living out one’s call.

The Ascetic Years: Hermit Formation

John dedicated himself to ascetic practice after the death of his mother Anthusa, around 372 AD. He followed the guidance of an elderly Syrian hermit for approximately six years, during which time he learned the disciplines that would be essential to his later ministry in public.

The Mountain Cell: School of Prayer

Living in a small cell in the mountains near Antioch, John had committed himself to prayer, meditating on Scripture, fasting, and working with his hands. Rather than trying to escape from life on earth, he used this time to focus intensely on preparing his soul for future service.

The mountains provided John with a connection to biblical history as illustrated below:

• Moses receiving the Law: Forty days on Sinai (Exodus 24:18)
• Elijah encountering God: The mountain cave where God passed by (1 Kings 19:11-13)
• Jesus’s prayer: “He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray” (Matthew 14:23)
• The Transfiguration: Jesus revealed in glory on the mountain (Matthew 17:1-2)

Mountains indicate nearness to God, both spatially and spiritually—being above the concerns of the world and reaching out to heaven. John’s time in the mountains was a time of preparation for Christ to come and present Himself to mankind.

The Prayer of Vigils

In accordance with the desert monastic practice, John observed long vigils of prayer at night. He would rise at midnight (or very early) to pray, recite psalms, read from Scripture, and worship God during this time of silence when the world was asleep. This prayer observance was in fulfillment of the Psalmist’s declaration:

At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You, because of Your righteous judgments

Psalm 119:62

It also followed Jesus’s pattern of nocturnal prayer (Luke 6:12) and the early church’s practice (Acts 16:25).

Night prayer offered unique benefits:

Silence: The world’s noise ceased, allowing clearer spiritual hearing

Sacrifice: Surrendering natural rest demonstrated devotion’s priority over comfort

Warfare: Engaging spiritual battle during hours when demonic activity intensifies

Intimacy: Meeting God alone, with no audience or distractions

These nocturnal hours shaped John’s contemplative depth; they formed the words that would touch thousands of people, birthed in God, but heard by none.

Scripture Memorization: The Mind’s Saturation

Over these years, John committed to memory considerable portions of Scripture—possibly all of the New Testament along with large sections of the Old Testament. The goal of this action was not for academic purposes but for spiritual formation and meditation. Therefore, God’s Word was stored in John’s heart to provide continual nourishment through his meditations.

The Psalmist’s words became John’s words: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). This internalized Scripture became:

Prayer vocabulary: Providing language for addressing God when personal words failed

Temptation resistance: Offering divine truth to counter demonic lies, as Jesus quoted Scripture against Satan (Matthew 4:1-11)

Meditation material: Supplying texts for contemplative rumination during all hours

Preaching foundation: Later enabling him to teach with scriptural authority and accuracy

John’s sermons would eventually overflow with biblical quotations and allusions—not from consulting manuscripts while preaching but from decades of memorization and meditation that made Scripture his natural language.

Fasting and Asceticism

Throughout his time in the mountains, John vigorously practiced strict fasting and self-denial. His life exemplified a commitment to the observances of fasting. John practiced having very little food, sleeping on the hard ground, wearing threadbare clothes, putting immense physical strain on his body, and thereby submitting his will to the will of God through the observance of epic self-denial.

This discipline follows in the footsteps of Paul:

I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified

1 Corinthians 9:27

On the contrary, when one’s body is uncontrolled, it will dominate one’s soul. However, when supported, the body becomes a servant to support the pursuit of spiritual goals.

John ultimately paid a price for excessive asceticism, as his body sustained permanent damage as a result. Chronic digestive disorders and damage to his kidneys from these excessive periods of fasting led John to suffer from chronic pain for the remainder of his life. Through this experience, John learned a significant lesson about fasting—excessive fasting can cause serious repercussions, and thus he counseled others in their ministry by encouraging them to practice moderation in their fasting observances, rather than extremes.

John’s wise counsel reflects the teaching of Jesus concerning the practice of fasting. Jesus taught that fasting should be sincere, not done to show off to people (Matthew 6:16-18) and should be regarded as a type of spiritual discipline, not as a competitive display.

The Cave: Solitary Contemplation

Before John’s time as a hermit began, he spent two years living alone in a cave on a mountain. This was an intense experience, one that allowed him to push the limits of his contemplative life and be in the right conditions to experience deep mystical encounters.

The Desert Fathers’ Pattern

John modeled his time spent in the cave after the Egyptian desert fathers, including Anthony, Macarius, Arsenius, and so on, who went out into the wilderness to live in complete solitude as they battled with their demonic enemies and purified their hearts to achieve a more profound experience of God in union with Him.

The cave represented:

Spiritual death and resurrection: Entering the tomb to rise with Christ (Romans 6:3-4)

Interior darkness before illumination: The night of the soul preceding divine light

Prophetic isolation: Elijah’s cave, where God spoke in the “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12)

Womb of rebirth: Gestation period before emerging into public ministry

The Silence of God

Living in the cave also meant no longer having human conversation and often means going through long periods of spiritual silence when it seems God has left you, and your prayers are dry, and your soul is in desolation. John experienced what later mystics expressed as the “dark night of the soul.” It was during these times that God withdrew His felt presence to deepen John’s faith beyond emotional comfort.

This period of time fulfilled what the psalmist lamented:

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?

Psalm 13:1

Yet like the psalmist, John learned to trust when he couldn’t feel, to believe when he couldn’t see.

These dry seasons were not divine abandonment but divine schooling to teach him that authentic relationships with God transcend feelings, that faith continues after consolation ends, and that love is proven through faithfulness in absence.

The Writing Begins

While in the cave, John began writing originally he wrote treatises to defend monasticism and also to explore the dignity of the priesthood. These writings reveal a contemplative mind in the midst of wrestlings regarding his vocation through theological reflections.

John’s writings became his form of contemplative practice; it was not just writing down thoughts but writing down the result of his thinking; it allowed him to develop ideas through the process of articulating them and to discover truth through the discipline of writing.

The Call to Ministry: Reluctant Return

John’s extreme and long fasting combined with severe stomach damage and kidney stones, forced him to leave the cave and return to Antioch around the year 380 AD. Although this seemed a failure, it was actually providential preparation for his true calling.

Ordination as Deacon and Priest

Even though John had intentions of remaining in his contemplative solitude, he was ordained a deacon (381 AD) and priest (386 AD) by Bishop Meletius and his successor, Flavian. He reluctantly accepted the ordination, recognizing that there are times when the desire to follow one’s preferred path must be subordinated to obedience to church authority.

This pattern exists throughout Scripture:

• Moses’s reluctance: “O my Lord, I am not eloquent…send someone else!” (Exodus 4:10, 13)
• Jeremiah’s protest: “I cannot speak, for I am a youth” (Jeremiah 1:6)
• Jonah’s flight: Running from divine calling (Jonah 1:3)

Yet, like these biblical men of God, John came to realize that what he was initially reluctant to accept, God would ultimately fulfill him in his greatest purpose. The years in his contemplative life were not wasted weeks but formed the basis for his future ministry that would greatly influence millions of people.

The Preaching Ministry: Contemplation Made Public

As a priest in Antioch, John entered the preaching ministry that ultimately made him famous. For twelve years (386-398 AD) he preached sermons that drew enormous crowds, changed the lives of those who heard him, and earned him the name “Chrysostom,” or Golden Mouth.

John’s sermons were more than just orations. They were the gifts of God’s Spirit pouring out from John’s time spent in silent communion with God. These hours of silent communion produced sermons that carried divine authority and power. Jesus says:

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks

Matthew 12:34

The Method: From Prayer to Preaching

John’s sermon preparation reveals his contemplative approach:

Immersion in Scripture

In preparing for sermons, John took a meditative approach to Scripture. He read the Scripture multiple times to prepare to preach on it. He spent time praying for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, memorizing the text, and contemplating its meaning.

John’s way of preparing for sermons is consistent with what Paul wrote to Timothy when he said:

Give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine...Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them

1 Timothy 4:13, 15

John’s preparation was not casual. He approached Scripture with contemplation and sought transformation rather than just information.

Prayer for the Spirit’s Illumination

John recognized that Scripture would remain dark without the Holy Spirit’s assistance. Therefore, he prayed consistently for illumination from the Holy Spirit. This is consistent with what Paul taught the church at Corinth:

The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned

1 Corinthians 2:14

John depended on the Holy Spirit so that his great knowledge of oratory would not overtake the message of Scripture. His eloquence served the text rather than the other way around.

Listening for the Congregation’s Needs

In addition to praying for illumination, John also prayed for insight in regard to what he needed to preach to his congregation. He did not simply give an academic explanation of Scripture. He applied it to the individual lives of his hearers. He addressed their sin as well as comforted them in their sorrow and challenged their complacency while encouraging their faith.

This pastoral sensitivity came from John’s prayerfulness in asking God to reveal to him the spiritual condition of those he served, what their struggles and temptations were, and how to facilitate their growth and help them resist temptation.

Fasting Before Major Sermons

When preparing to preach particularly significant sermons, John would sometimes fast for days prior to the sermon. He fasted so that he could become spiritually sensitive to God and to humble himself before God. Fasting indicates one’s earnestness in striving for an awareness of the necessity for divine power rather than human cleverness for effective preaching.

Jesus taught that sometimes spiritual breakthrough requires fasting and prayer (Matthew 17:21). John applied this principle to his preaching. He recognized that words that will change the heart and soul of an individual take more preparation than just preparing a manuscript.

The Sermons: Contemplation in Action

John’s surviving sermons—hundreds of homilies on Genesis, Psalms, Isaiah, Matthew, John, Acts, Romans, Corinthians, and other biblical books—reveal his contemplative depth.

Homilies on the Psalms

The expositions of the Psalms shows how much John’s prayer life was shaped by these biblical prayers. John did not simply give an academic exposition of the Psalms, but he testified of the personal spiritual power that the Psalms have had in his life.

For example, as he preached Psalm 51 (the great penitential psalm), we hear John’s authority that comes from his personal confession. Preaching from the Psalms of praise shows how John’s worship overflowed through his words. The Psalms were not just portions of Scripture to analyze, but portions of Scripture to pray, and John had been praying the Psalms for many years before he presided over a congregation.

Homilies on Matthew’s Gospel

John’s extensive series on the Gospel of Matthew also demonstrates how he spent time meditating on how Jesus was living among us and teaching in his earthly ministry. John did not speedily work through the Gospel, but rather lingered on certain passages and contemplated their implications. Each of the ways in which the words of Jesus and his actions shaped John’s understanding of how to live.

John’s exposition of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) illustrates the depths at which John’s ethical research went. No one could preach the Word and unpack the depth of ethical teaching of Jesus unless that person had wrestled with and worked to apply those teachings to their own life.

On the Incomprehensibility of God

John preached a significant series of sermons on God being incomprehensible; that God is infinitely above and beyond man’s understanding. Five years before John was born, his experiential contemplation provided him with the theme of his sermons on God’s incomprehensibility.

He indicated that even in the highest experience of a mystical union with God, God is eternally incomprehensible to man. The soul may be able to have a mystical union with God, but the essence of God cannot be exhausted in that experience. This produces a healthy humility and removes a spiritual pride that would promote the wrong perception that someone has == “mastered” == God.

This is what Job describes after seeing God:

I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes

Job 42:5-6

When we encounter God, it should produce humility and not arrogance.

Practical Ethics: Mysticism’s Fruit

John preached extensively about living as a Christian and how faith should influence how one behaves in everyday life. The blending of the contemplative and the ethical demonstrates the differences between true, authentic mystical experiences and those mystical experiences that are focused on escape and entertainment.

John’s prophetic edge in preaching against:

• Wealth inequality: Condemning the rich who ignored the poor
• Theater and circus attendance: Warning against entertainment that inflamed passions
• Luxurious living: Challenging Christians whose lifestyle was indistinguishable from pagans
• Corrupt leadership: Denouncing political and ecclesiastical abuse of power

John was able to view reality in God’s presence. He saw the ugliness of sin, the beauty of justice, and the call of the church to represent the Kingdom of God. John’s preaching fulfilled the words that:

Faith without works is dead

James 2:26

The authentic contemplative life produces transformed behavior rather than simply heightened feelings.

The Divine Liturgy: Corporate Prayer

John’s greatest liturgical contribution was creating (or more likely, revising and shaping) the “Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom,” still used in Eastern Orthodox churches worldwide. This liturgy embodies his contemplative theology and provides a vehicle for corporate mystical participation.

The Anaphora: Ascending to Heaven

The Anaphora is the central eucharistic prayer of the Liturgy and represents the developmental ascent from earth to heaven. It begins with a prayer of gratitude for God’s creation and culminates in receiving the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, i.e., elements of the Holy Eucharist.

Significant components of the Anaphora include:

The Cherubic Hymn: “Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim…lay aside all earthly cares that we may receive the King of all” —calling worshipers to contemplative attention

The Epiclesis: Praying that God transforms the bread and the wine into the Body and Blood of Christ

Communion: Christians believe they are receiving Christ, not just a symbol, thereby creating a complete communion between the believer and the Savior.

Dismissal: Being sent forth to live transformed by encounter with divine presence

This liturgy is a representation of the liturgy because it trains the whole person to become engaged in worship; body through ritual, mind through understanding of the Sacred Scriptures, spirit through actual encounter with the divine in prayer and worship.

Beauty as Path to God

Eastern Orthodox Christianity, particularly as modified by an awareness of the Holy Mysteries, has emphasized the importance of beauty as a means to achieve the ultimate union with God, or to “transcend to walking beside God.” The use of icons, incense, chanting, and ceremonial movement create a multisensory experience to help the worshipper ascend from this earthly existence to the heavenly experience of worship.

John Chrysostom believed that man, as an embodied creature, accessed spiritual truths through material means. The Incarnation validates this—when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), God affirmed that material reality can bear divine presence.

Constantinople: The Bishop’s Burden

John was consecrated as the Archbishop of Constantinople against his wishes in the year 398. Constantinople was the second largest see in the Empire and had been second only to Rome since the 4th century. He did not want this position but felt compelled to accept it and later saw his role as the center of Christianity’s politics.

Reform and Opposition

As the Archbishop, John initiated a sweeping program of reforms across the following areas:

Ecclesiastical corruption: Restricting the use of luxuries and prohibiting the use of funds for personal gain by the clergy.

Imperial excess: Preaching against the extravagant lifestyle of the Empress Eudoxia

Social justice: Establishing hospitals for the sick, orphanages for children, and programs of service to the poor.

Clerical discipline: Forcing the clergy to live in simplicity and serve in faithfulness.

These reforms created many enemies for John, including clergy who lived in comfort; the empress compared her likeness to the praise of holy women as proclaimed in Scripture became John’s implacable foe; and wealthy laity who saw their lifestyles attacked because of John’s advocacy for social justice.

Prayer Amid Persecution

As John’s opponents grew in number, he intensified his personal prayer practices and continued to use the methods he developed as a hermit. He regularly arose for night vigils to pray and fast and spent considerable amounts of time studying Scripture. These forms of prayer ultimately became a source of strength and sustenance for him due to the demands of administering and providing pastoral care for the church in the capital city of the Empire.

John’s perseverance in disciplinary prayer practices demonstrated the teachings of St. Paul when St. Paul stated:

Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer

Romans 12:12

While John’s circumstances changed dramatically, his prayer practices did not change; they served as the stabilizing anchor in the midst of the tempest.

The Sermon that Sealed His Fate

In the year 403, there was a silver statue of Empress Eudoxia erected in front of St. John Chrysostom’s cathedral. The city held festivities in honor of the opening of the statue and John preached a sermon in which he compared Empress Eudoxia to Herodias (the one demanding the head of John the Baptist, Mark 6:17-29). The debate continues regarding the exact wording of John’s sermon but the confrontational nature of the sermon is indisputable.

John’s boldness in the step of prophesying arose from his spiritual insight. From his contemplative prayer practices, he was able to perceive the situation from the perspective of God and discern idolatry masquerading as honor; paganism disguised as Christianity; and political power undermining spiritual integrity.

Like Nathan’s boldness in confronting King David ( “You are the man!” 2 Samuel 12:7) or Elijah confronting King Ahab and Queen Jezebel (1 Kings 18), John exercised the right of a prophet to speak the truth to the powers of his day—fully aware of the consequences he could face for doing so.

Exile: The Desert Returns

John was exiled twice—first briefly in 403 AD (recalled when an earthquake terrified Eudoxia), then permanently in 404 AD. He spent his final years in increasingly remote locations, eventually dying in 407 AD while being marched to an even more distant exile.

Prayer in Isolation

John’s return to the desert gave him back the ability to spend time alone as he did when he was growing up. Now, however, he was suffering as a result of being exiled, and it was really not voluntary asceticism as he would have preferred; however, he found that all of his years of contemplation prepared him for this time in seclusion.

Letters from John while he was in exile showed a notable peace and spiritual richness.

I give thanks to God for everything. Glory to God for all things.

This was not resignation but a sincere state of gratitude from prayer. He saw God’s hand in his suffering and acknowledged that this was all part of His plan.

This attitude is an example of the fulfillment of 1 Thessalonians 5:18:

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you

1 Thessalonians 5:18

John’s contemplative lifestyle had intertwined his will with God’s will, resulting in his ability to thank God for even his return to the desert.

Continued Ministry Through Letters

During his time of exile and being physically away from the people he ministered to, John continued to minister to his congregation. He did this through letters he wrote; the letters reveal John’s pastorally-experienced insights on his way through difficult times. His letters to Olympias (a wealthy deaconess who supported him) and others are examples of John’s support of his spiritual children through their times of trial.

These letters provide examples of John’s contemplative wisdom:

On suffering’s purpose: Teaching that trials purify faith like fire refines gold (1 Peter 1:7)

On God’s providence: Affirming that nothing happens outside divine permission and purpose (Romans 8:28)

On perseverance: Encouraging faithfulness regardless of outcomes

On joy in tribulation: Modeling the paradox of suffering infused with supernatural peace

The Final Journey

John was sent into yet another exile in Pityus, which is at the eastern shore of the Black Sea in 407 AD. John was already in very poor health and when he had to endure a forced march through the cold, rainy weather, he was basically given a death sentence because no one expected him to survive this trip.

During the trip, John continued to maintain a prayer life: mouthing memorized psalms, studying Scripture and being with God. Witnesses stated that due to his continuous praying with his mouth constantly moving, he appeared to be in a weakened state.

“Glory to God for All Things”

John’s final words, reportedly spoken as he died on September 14, 407, were:

Glory to God for all things. Amen

This doxology represents John’s life. His life consisted of years of prayer, preaching, suffering and service unto God. John’s last words during his last act of worship summarize his life.

John’s last words echo Job’s declaration:

The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord

Job 1:21

They reflect Paul’s testimony:

I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content

Philippians 4:11

Lastly, John’s statements demonstrate the fruition of a life of contemplation, which created a soul which had united itself to God in such a manner that it was able to worship through any circumstance.

The Prayer of the Heart: John’s Interior Life

While John’s public ministry was spectacular, his interior prayer life provided its foundation. Several themes characterize his contemplative practice:

Continuous Prayer

John embodied Paul’s instruction to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). For him, this meant:

Morning consecration: Beginning each day dedicating himself to God

Brief prayers throughout the day: Turning frequently to God in short, ejaculatory prayers

Scripture meditation: Constantly pondering biblical texts

Night vigils: Extended nocturnal prayer sessions

Eucharistic celebration: Daily offering of the Liturgy

Evening thanksgiving: Ending each day with gratitude

Through this continuous rhythm of constant prayer, John created the atmosphere for being aware of God’s presence. Prayer was not just a compartmentalized thing he did but an integral part of his daily life, the air he breathed, the water in which he swam, and the reality in which he lived.

Tears of Compunction

Ancient sources say that John often wept while praying because of his contrition for sin, compassion for the suffering, gratitude for God’s mercy, and because of his longing for God. The == “gift of tears” == was recognized in the early Christian tradition as evidence of a man who had a very deep spiritual experience of spirituality.

The psalmist testifies that “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18). These tears revealed a man who maintained a tender heart for God and who was not hardened to the world by performing religious duties.

John’s tears were genuine emotional expressions and not the result of manipulated, feigned, or theatrical feelings. His tears were expressions of the spiritual overflow of a heart that experienced God’s divine love and was grieving the sins of all mankind.

Intercession for All

John regularly prayed for the people in his environment:

His congregation: Asking God to transform, protect, and mature them

The church universal: Interceding for Christians throughout the empire Civil authorities: Praying even for enemies like Empress Eudoxia

The poor and suffering: Bringing their needs before God’s throne

Heretics and pagans: Seeking their conversion and salvation

This comprehensive intercession reflected Christ’s high priestly prayer (John 17) and Paul’s instruction:

I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority

1 Timothy 2:1-2

Contemplation of Christ’s Passion

John, through meditation on Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection, and through his sermons, demonstrated how his meditation on the passion of Christ had transformed John’s understanding and feelings.

John’s meditation on the passion of Christ and his resulting mystical union with the passion helped him understand Paul’s teaching:

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death

Philippians 3:10

Contemplating Christ’s passion produced mystical participation in it.

The Divine Office: Structured Prayer

John encouraged people to pray using the Divine Office, structured according to Jewish prayer practices and early Christian traditions.

Morning Prayer (Matins): Welcoming the new day with praise

Third Hour (Terce, 9 AM): Remembering the Spirit’s Pentecost descent (Acts 2:15)

Sixth Hour (Sext, Noon): Recalling Peter’s rooftop prayer (Acts 10:9)

Ninth Hour (None, 3 PM): Commemorating Jesus’s death (Matthew 27:46)

Evening Prayer (Vespers): Giving thanks as daylight fades

Night Prayer (Compline): Committing oneself to God’s care before sleep

Night Vigils: Rising for extended prayer during darkness

Through the Divine Office and the regular prayers attached to those days, the daily life of the Christian was punctuated on a regular basis with a specific focus on God and His presence in their lives. Between the fixed prayer times, John provided continual opportunities to pray short prayers throughout the day, to be constantly aware of God’s presence.

Teaching on Prayer

John’s sermons were full of teaching about prayer, which he learned through his own life, experience, and ministry:

On Persistence

Expounding Jesus’s parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8), John taught that we should “always pray and not lose heart.” In John’s experience, some prayers take years of perseverance before God responds.

To support an attitude of persistence, John taught that when we pray, we should continue to pray on a regular basis, have faith in God’s timing, and persevere regardless of the time delay we may experience while waiting for God’s response to our prayers. God sometimes says “no” or “wait” to our prayers so that He may show mercy to us by preventing us from making harmful requests at the time when we pray.

On Simplicity

John cautioned against elaborate prayer strategies that attempt to impress people rather than to impress God. He taught that God prefers simple, heartfelt prayers from a prayerful heart over elaborate, wordy prayer strategies that are performed for the purpose of pride.

The reason for John’s emphasis on the simplicity of prayer was because it closely aligns with Jesus’s teachings about prayer, when He stated:

When you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words

Matthew 6:7

When we pray, it must come from the heart.

On Corporate Prayer

John emphasized the importance of corporate prayer, or praying with groups of believers, in addition to private prayer. Although both types of prayer are essential to developing a life of prayer, corporate prayer allows for a unique form of communion with God and each other. As stated by Jesus:

Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them

Matthew 18:20

The prayer liturgy that John developed served as a guideline for corporate prayer, enabling individual church members to come together as one to worship God.

On Answered Prayer

John taught that our expectations of receiving answers to our prayers should be grounded in reality. While not every request that we make in our prayers will receive the exact answer we hoped for, God will pay attention to every prayer we pray. In many instances, God does respond to our requests with either a “no” or a “wait” response because He knows what we do not know—that our request will harm us or will harm someone else.

This same type of wisdom is seen in the manner in which Jesus prayed in Gethsemane:

Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done

Luke 22:42

Therefore, the ultimate goal of true prayer is to seek God’s will, not our will.

Practical Applications from John Chrysostom’s Example

Balance Contemplation and Action

Let your private prayers inform your public ministry. Do not sacrifice the depth of what you are privately praying about to engage in public ministry, rather allow your private prayer life to overflow into your public ministry.

Maintain Prayer Rhythms Amid Busyness

Make it your practice to establish regular times for prayer, such as morning, noon, and evening, even if doing so will require rearranging the structure of your schedule to accommodate those times. Structure creates space for what will occur when spontaneity does not.

Memorize and Meditate on Scripture

To keep God’s Word in your heart, memorize Scripture. During the day, meditate on Scripture and allow God’s Word to shape the way you think.

Practice Night Prayer

Whenever possible, get up during the night to pray. Through the quiet and dark, you can experience a unique intimacy in communion with God.

Fast Before Important Events

Consider fasting prior to making a significant decision, having a challenging conversation, or conducting ministry. Fasting can heighten one’s sensitivity to spiritual matters.

Speak Truth Courageously

When you discover injustice or sin through your contemplative prayers, speak out about it. Do not be afraid of speaking out, for it takes courage to do so.

Thank God in All Circumstances

Be thankful in all circumstances, including suffering. Pray as John prayed: “Glory to God for all things.”

Intercede Comprehensively

Pray for various types of people: your enemies, people in authority, believers, and people who do not know Jesus. Your intercession should be as broad as God’s love.

Use Liturgy as Prayer School

Be a participant in the liturgical life of corporate worship to learn how to pray through the structure and beauty of the liturgy. Be an active participant and not an observer.

Integrate Tears and Emotions

When praying, do not suppress any spiritual emotion that you may have while praying. Let your heart break over that which breaks God’s heart and weep when appropriate.

Make Work a Prayer

You should offer your daily work to God as an act of worship. Whether you are preaching, teaching, writing, or doing manual labor, let all of your work be done for God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Preserve Solitude Amid Demands

However busy your life, create regular space for solitary prayer. Follow Jesus’s pattern of withdrawing to lonely places (Luke 5:16).

Legacy: The Golden Mouth’s Enduring Voice

Saint John Chrysostom shaped Christian spirituality in a broad range of ways:

Liturgical: His Divine Liturgy shapes millions of worshipers’ weekly experience

Homiletical: His preaching established standards for biblical exposition

Ascetical: His balanced approach to spiritual discipline guides contemplatives

Ethical: His social teachings challenge economic injustice

Theological: His Christology and pneumatology enriched church doctrine

The Eastern Orthodox Church regards Saint John as one of the Three Holy Hierarchs (with Saints Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian) who profoundly shaped the foundation of Christian theology and spirituality.

Conclusion: From Silence to Speech and Back

Saint John Chrysostom traveled from a place of silence to speaking out, and returned again to silence through exile. Nevertheless, during all points of his life, prayer was his source of life and the foundation for his ministry. He received the power of his ministry through prayer and contemplation, produced eloquent speeches that were the result of prayer and meditation, and demonstrated that the source of the courage to confront emperors was from prayer in silence with Jesus.

Saint John Chrysostom teaches us that the most effective public ministry is the result of the most intimate private prayer. Words that change the world are conceived in the silence of contemplation, and that the greatest transformation of the human heart occurs through being in communion with the Word of God.

As we pursue our own paths to fulfillment — whether in public or private spheres, visible or hidden — may we follow his example by beginning with prayer, maintaining a life of contemplative depth even while serving in action, letting the silence from our hearts serve as a guide for our speech, and ultimately giving God all glory for everything in our lives.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus

Philippians 4:6-7

May we, like John Chrysostom, discover that prayer produces peace transcending circumstances, that contemplation equips for every challenge, and that lives hidden with Christ in God become lives that shine His light into darkness.

Glory to God for all things. Amen.