St. John the Almoner, Patriarch of Alexandria (23 January): Butler's Lives of the Saints

About this sermon

St John the Almoner, Patriarch of Alexandria, stands among the greatest examples of Christian charity in Church history. Celebrated on January 23 in the Roman Martyrology, his life is a living sermon on mercy, humility, justice, and unwavering trust in Divine Providence. Born into nobility and great wealth, St John renounced comfort after becoming a widower, dedicating his entire fortune to the poor. Upon his elevation to the patriarchal throne of Alexandria around AD 608, he ordered an exact census of his “masters” — the poor — numbering 7,500 souls, whom he placed under his personal protection. From distributing 80,000 pieces of gold to enforcing justice through honest weights and measures, St John governed not as a prince, but as a servant. He refused bribes, lived in radical austerity, and opened his doors weekly so that anyone could bring their grievances directly to him. When Jerusalem was devastated by the Persian invasion, St John sent enormous aid: grain, food, wine, iron, money, and even 1,000 Egyptian workers to rebuild churches — wishing he could labor alongside them with his own hands. Known as “The Almoner” for his endless generosity, he never doubted God’s provision. Even when accused of impoverishing the Church, he testified to a vision of Charity herself, promising to lead him to the King of Heaven. This reading comes from “The Lives of the Saints” by Fr. Alban Butler, recounting the holy death of St John in AD 619, his relics, and his lasting veneration in both the Eastern and Western Church. 🕯️ “Brother, I have not yet spilled my blood for you, as Jesus Christ commands me.” — St John the Almoner 00:00 – Introduction: St John the Almoner 00:19 – His noble birth, wealth, and conversion to charity 00:46 – Election as Patriarch of Alexandria (AD 608) 00:54 – “My Masters”: The census of the poor 01:21 – Justice, humility, and governance 01:57 – Distributing the Church’s treasury 02:36 – Vision of Charity, daughter of the King 03:03 – Aid to Jerusalem after Persian invasion 04:09 – The merchant and the ship of corn 04:36 – His extreme personal austerity 05:58 – Hatred of gossip and detraction 06:07 – Reminder of death and humility 06:49 – Forgiveness, meekness, and injuries 07:01 – Confronting unjust taxation 08:00 – Teaching forgiveness through the Lord’s Prayer 08:32 – Warning against rash judgment 09:12 – Pastoral care during the Divine Office 09:39 – Justice before prayer 10:09 – Final journey and holy death (AD 619) 10:31 – Translation and veneration of relics https://sensusfidelium.com/the-lives-of-the-fathers-martyrs-and-other-principal-saints/january/st-john-the-almoner-c-patriarch-of-alexandria/ Get Butler's Lives of the Saints here: https://loretopublications.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=102&url=1 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 ▶ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StJohnTheAlmoner #LivesOfTheSaints #CatholicSaints #January23 #ChristianCharity #CatholicHistory #TraditionalCatholic #SaintOfTheDay #Wor