This is Holy Family School of Faith.

Welcome to the Rosary.

Let's begin in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Let's call to mind all those we've promised to pray for.

Today is the feast of St. John Damascine.

Born of a Catholic family in Damascus Syria in the year 675, he spent the entirety of his life under Muslim

civil rule. Early in his professional career, he was made the chief revenue officer and counselor of Caliph

Abdul Malik of the Umead Muslim dynasty. In 726 a.D, the Byzantine Emperor Leo III issued a law that all sacred

images and icons of Jesus, Mary, and the Saints must be destroyed.

John worked tirelessly to prevent this unjust law

from being put into practice by writing and distributing

articles and pamphlets to explain in simple language to people

that sacred images and icons are good and should be venerated and protected because they

remind us of the presence of God and the help of Mary and the Saints.

In a world in which all the reminders of God are removed, we quickly forget about God. Well this aroused the bitter animosity of the Byzantine

Emperor but he could do nothing to stop John because John lived under Muslim civil rule.

So the Byzantine emperor had a letter forged, allegedly from John,

stating John's intention to undermine the Muslim dynasty and hand the capital

over to the Byzantine Emperor.

This letter was then delivered to the Muslim caliph who upon receiving it had John arrested and brought to the center of the public square.

He ordered that the hand that wrote the letter be cut off in public. The punishment was carried out and

John was released. And John took his severed hand, went to the Catholic Church where he lay prostrate in front of an icon of Mary holding the child Jesus,

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