THE FEAST OF ST. JOHN CASSIAN (JULY 23RD)
Contemporary Greek Icon of St. John Cassian Edited and Compiled by Bp. Joseph ( Ancient Church of the West ) In the early centuries of Christendom, the life of St. John Cassian stands as a memorial to the growth and triumph of monasticism as a special calling to serve God with singleness of heart, godly wisdom and spiritual discipline. Born in AD 360 in the region of Scythia Minor, near the Black Sea, John was imbued with a profound love for God and an insatiable thirst for spiritual knowledge from a young age. His journey would lead him to become one of the most influential monastic writers in the Christian tradition. As a young man, John Cassian, along with his close friend Germanus, traveled to Bethlehem where they entered a monastery to begin their ascetic training. However, their quest for deeper spiritual understanding soon led them to the deserts of Egypt, where they spent several years learning from the great Desert Fathers. These experiences profoundly shaped Cassian's s...
