Today May 18

Today is the feast of Pope St. John I. He really led with his life the prophecy to his forerunner Peter . . . "but I tell you you will stretch out your hands and another will tie you fast and carry you off where you would not go." (His feast previously was celebrated on May 27, but he actually died -- in prison, in Ravenna -- on this date in 526 and now is celebrated on May 18.) He is important historically -- and, I think ironically -- because he was sent by an Arian emperor (he, the Catholic and orthodox pope) as head of a commission to a Catholic emperor to convince him to stop persecuting the Arians! Now, this Arian of the Western Roman Empire, Theodoric, was friendly to and tolerant of the Catholics, it should be noted, and this Catholic emperor of the Eastern Empire, Justin I, was extremely severe towards the Arians. Still, John did not want to go, but go he did and, and . . . met with stunning success, only not in the way Theodoric expected. John I was feted by the people and himself brought about a closer relationship of the Latin and Greek churches than had obtained in a long time. Theodoric was jealous and when John I returned to Rome, he had him summarily dumped in prison, where he shortly died of ill treatment. This odious Theodoric had just killed the philosopher Boethius. Sigh. But there is a higher justice.