Today we celebrate one of the great Fathers of the Eastern Church: St Maximus (579-662), whose fearless courage in “confessing” —even while suffering (the cruel mutilation of his tongue and his right hand)— the integrity of his faith in Jesus Christ, true God and true man, earned him Christian Tradition's title of “Confessor”. Maximus was born in Palestine. As a boy he was initiated to the monastic life and the study of the Scriptures. Maximus moved from Jerusalem to Constantinople and from there, because of the barbarian invasions, sought refuge in Africa. Here he was distinguished by his extreme courage in the defense of orthodoxy. A theory had come into being which held that there was only one will in Christ, the divine will. But St Maximus immediately realized that this would destroy the mystery of salvation, for a man without a will, is not a real man. —God, in Jesus Christ, really assumed the totality of being human (with the exception of sin) hence also a human will.