Day 15 – Saint Maximus the Confessor (c. 580–662, martyred)

Saint Maximus was born into a prominent family in Constantinople and began his career as a court official. Yet his heart was restless for God, and he left public life to become a monk. He devoted himself to prayer, study, and teaching, quickly gaining a reputation as a profound theologian. His life unfolded at a time when the church was torn over how to understand Christ’s nature and will.

The controversy of his day centered on whether Christ had only one will (the divine) or two wills (human and divine in perfect harmony). Many political leaders pressed for compromise, but Maximus stood firm: to deny Christ’s human will was to deny His true humanity, and therefore to imperil salvation itself. For this defense of orthodoxy, Maximus endured exile, imprisonment, and brutal torture. His tongue was cut out and his right hand was severed so he could no longer teach or write. Yet his confession could not be silenced, and the church later affirmed his teaching at the Third Council of Constantinople (680–681).

Maximus wrote with deep spiritual insight, weaving together theology and prayer. He spoke of the Christian life as a journey of the soul into union with God, where love is both the path and the goal. For this reason, he is remembered not only as a defender of doctrine but also as a master of the spiritual life.

For us today, Saint Maximus the Confessor shows that faithfulness may come at great cost, but truth is worth suffering for. His life calls us to hold fast to Christ as fully God and fully man, and to remember that the goal of all theology is not argument, but love — the love of God drawing us into Himself.