St. John Chrysostom and His Message of Social Justice Today

Since its beginning, Christianity has challenged its members to stand up for the rights of the poor and to serve them. As early Christians faced issues of poverty, so do Christians today. Then, as now, Christians were called upon to change the very structures that took advantage of the poor or kept them in poverty. St. John Chrysostom firmly believed that in order to call oneself Christian, one must be mindful of one’s neighbor, and care for him and his needs. This paper will take a closer look at some of Chrysostom’s sermons in order to explore Chrysostom’s perspective on social justice issues, and see how his call to action is applicable for Christians today