Venerable Mary of Tarsus, Who Was Once a Harlot

Venerable Mary of Tarsus (Feast Day - September 14)

 

By St. John Moschos

Two elders were traveling from Aegaion to Tarsus in Cilicia when, by the Providence of God, they stopped for rest at a small inn, for the heat was intense. There they found three young men who had with them a harlot. The elders settled themselves down apart and one of them got out his holy Gospel and began to read aloud. When the harlot who was with the young men saw the elder begin to read, she came and sat down near him, forsaking the young men. The elder, however, drove her off, saying to her:

Saint Leo the Cappadocian

St. Leo the Cappadocian (Feast Day - February 29)

By John Moschos

(The Spiritual Meadow, Ch. 112)

The Life and Death of Leo, a Cappadocian Monk

When that man of faith, Tiberius Caesar, was emperor (Tiberius II Constantine, 578-582), we went up to Oasis, where we met a monk called Leo, a man of Cappadocia highly versed in divine matters. Many people had told us many admirable things about him. And certainly, after we had had some intimate conversation with him and experienced the holiness of this great man, we were wonderfully edified, especially by his humility and silence, the meagreness of his possessions and the charity which he showed towards everyone.

John the Baptist Reveals the Cave of Sapsa, Where He Was Visited by the Lord

By St. John Moschos

(The Spiritual Meadow, Ch. 1)

The Life of John the Elder and the Cave of Sapsa

There was an elder called John in the monastery of Abba Eustorgios whom the holy Elias, Archbishop of Jerusalem, wanted to put in charge of all the monasteries in Jerusalem. John objected, saying that he was wanting to travel to Mount Sinai in order to pray there. The Archbishop urged him to be made an abbot first before going off to wherever he wanted. The elder still would not agree, but at last the bishop let him go on the strength of a promise that John would accept this responsibility on his return. He thanked the Archbishop and began his journey to Mount Sinai, taking his disciple with him.

Saint Babylas the Mime of Tarsus

Venerable Babylas (Feast Day - December 28)

Verses

Casting aside the burden of all material things Babylas,
Immaterially you came to the place of immateriality.

By St. John Moschos

(The Spiritual Meadow, 32)

There was a certain mime in Cilician Tarsus called Babylas and with him were two concubines, one called Cometa, the other Nicosa. They lived in a very self-indulgent style, doing whatever the demons might put into their minds. One day, however, by divine providence they went into a church and heard the Gospel being read, where it says: "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). Conscience-stricken, he wept with horror, crying out against his miserable self for the sins he had done. He ran out of the church and called to his two companions.

The Writing Style of Saint Athanasius the Great

"I myself visited this same Abba Kosmas when he was in the Lavra of Pharan, and I stayed there for twelve years. He was talking to me once for my soul's health and mentioned something from the sayings of holy Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria.

'If you come across something from the works of Athanasius,' he said, 'and you haven't got any paper with you to write it down on, write it on your clothing.' This was typical of how great was the zeal which this old man had for our holy fathers and teachers."

The Drowning of Mary, A Woman Who Was a Sinner

By St. John Moschos

Palladius also told us that he had heard a certain sea captain once tell him about a voyage of his when he had several male and female passengers aboard. Out on the high seas other ships seemed to be sailing well under a favorable wind, some to Constantinople, some to Alexandria, some to other places, but he could make no progress at all.

"We stayed put for about fifteen days," he said, "unable to move from where we were. We became very depressed and desperate, not knowing whatever could be causing this. As captain responsible for the care of the ship and everyone in her I began to pray about it to God. And indeed on a certain day a voice came to me saying: 'Get rid of Mary and you will sail well.' 'What did that mean,' I thought, 'and who is Mary?' And as I turned this over in my mind the voice came again, saying: 'I tell you, get rid of Mary and you will be alright.'

The Conversion and Life of Mary the Harlot

By St. John Moschos

Two elders were traveling from Aegaion to Tarsus in Cilicia when, by the Providence of God, they stopped for rest at a small inn, for the heat was intense. There they found three young men who had with them a harlot. The elders settled themselves down apart and one of them got out his holy Gospel and began to read [aloud]. When the harlot who was with the young men saw the elder begin to read, she came and sat down near him, forsaking the young men. The elder, however, drove her off, saying to her:

The Life of a Holy Woman from the Holy City of Jerusalem

By St. John Moschos

We visited Abba John Rutilus, the anchorite, who told us a story he had heard from John the Moabite:

'There was a certain holy woman in the holy city, who was very devout, and who walked in the will of God. The devil was envious of this virgin, and instilled in the heart of a certain young man an impure and diabolical passion for her. This wonderful virgin discerned the devil's wickedness and was troubled lest the young man lose his soul, so she took a blanket, and a few loaves (hard loaves to be prepared by steeping in water) and went to the desert, hoping not only that her departure would free the young man from his temptation and be the salvation of him, but also that she would find security in solitude.

The Life of a Holy Woman, Who Died in the Desert

By St. John Moschos

From the Monastery of Sampson, about twenty miles from Jerusalem, two fathers once went on pilgrimage to Mount Sinai. This is what they told us when they came back:

'When we were on our way back from worshiping at the holy mountain it happened that we took a wrong path and wandered completely alone in the desert for several days. At last, however, we saw that we were walking towards a narrow cave in the distance. We could see a small pool of water, with grass growing around it, and signs of human habitation.

Saint Mastridia of Jerusalem (+ 580)

St. Mastridia of Jerusalem (Feast Day - February 7)

We learn about our Venerable Mother Mastridia of Jerusalem from the Leimonarion of Saint John Moschos, who writes:

Once we came to the hermit Abba John, surnamed the Fiery. He told us the following, as he had heard it from Abba John the Moabite:

“In the holy city there was a certain nun distinguished for her piety and great zeal in pleasing God. The devil, envying the virgin, inspired a young man with a satanic passion for her. But the wondrous maiden, perceiving the snares of the devil and having compassion on the young man, took a basket and, placing in it a small amount of soaked beans, withdrew into the desert. By removing herself, she delivered the young man from temptation, caring for the salvation of his soul, and for herself she sought safety in the desert.

A considerable time passed. By the providence of God it came about that her virtuous life did not remain hidden: in the desert of the holy Jordan a hermit once saw her.

‘Mother,’ the hermit asked her, ‘what are you doing in this desert?’

‘Forgive me,’ she replied, wishing to conceal her ascetic struggle, ‘I have lost my way. For the Lord’s sake, father, have mercy and show me the road.’

But the hermit, having learned from above about her ascetic feat, said to her: ‘Believe me, mother, you have not lost your way at all, nor are you seeking it. Knowing well that falsehood is from the devil, tell me the whole truth: why did you come here?’

‘Forgive me, father,’ the maiden replied. ‘A certain young man was tempted because of me, and for this reason I withdrew into this desert. I chose rather to die here than to become a cause of temptation for anyone, according to the word of the Apostle.’

‘How long have you lived here?’

‘By the grace of Christ, seventeen years.’

‘But how have you sustained yourself?’

The hermitess, pointing to the basket of soaked beans, replied: ‘This very basket which you see left the city with me. In it were only a few of these beans… But God showed me, though unworthy, such mercy that for all this time I have eaten from them, and they have not diminished. And know, father, that His goodness so covered me that during these seventeen years—until this very day—not a single person has seen me, while I have seen everyone.’

Having heard this, the hermit glorified God.”

 

The Monk Who Searched for the True Faith

By St. John Moschos

(The Spiritual Meadow, Chapt. 26)

The Life of brother Theophanes and his Marvellous Vision, and of Communicating with Heretics

There was an old man of great merit in God’s eyes called Kyriakos, who belonged to the Lavra of Calamon near the River Jordan. A pilgrim brother called Theophanes from the region of Dora came to him for counsel about his thoughts of fornication. The old man encouraged and instructed him with advice about modesty and chastity, which greatly edified the brother.

Saint Christopher the Roman (6th cent.)

St. Christopher the Roman (Feast Day - August 30)

By St. John Moschos

(The Spiritual Meadow, Ch. 105)

When we were in Alexandria we went to visit Abba Theodore, who was at Saint Sophia near the Lighthouse, who told us the following story:

"I first renounced the world when I was in the coenobium of our holy father Theodosios, in the desert near the Holy City of Christ our God. I met there a great old man called Christopher, who was a Roman, before whom one day I prostrated myself, saying:

Saint Kosmas the Eunuch

St. Kosmas the Eunuch (Feast Day - August 3)

By John Moschos

(Spiritual Meadow, Ch. 40)

This story was told to us by Abba Basil, a presbyter of the Monastery of the Byzantines:

When I was at Theoupolis with Patriarch Gregory, Abba Kosmas visited us from Jerusalem, a eunuch from the Lavra of Pharan. He was an outstandingly monk, extremely zealous in upholding the true faith and teachings, and well versed in the knowledge of the divine Scriptures. He had hardly been there for more than a few days when he died, and the patriarch ordered his honorable relics to be buried in his own monastery next to a certain bishop. I went there one day to pay my respects to the tomb of the old man, and found a poor man lying on the tomb asking alms of those going into the church. When he caught sight of me he prostrated himself three times as he prayed to the old man.

The Woman Who Remained Faithful to Her Husband in Debtors' Prison and How God Helped Them Both

By John Moschos

(The Spiritual Meadow, 189)

When we were in the guesthouse at Ascalon, Abba Eusebius, a presbyter, told us of a ship-owning businessman who lost all his goods and that of others he was carrying at sea, though he himself escaped from the shipwreck. When he came back to Ascalon his creditors seized him, threw him into prison and took possession of everything in his house, even his wife's clothing. She was greatly distressed, and worried that in her poverty she was unable to provide any food for her husband. She was sitting in tears in the prison one day when a rather important looking man came in giving alms to the prisoners. When he saw this free woman sitting with her husband he fell in love with her, for she was very beautiful, and told her to leave the prison and come with him. She thought that he was going to give her something, so she freely did as she was told.

The Marvelous Life of Patriarch Sophronius I: His Company of Saints, and the Fall of Byzantine Jerusalem

By Mother Nectaria McLees

Saint Sophronius of Jerusalem (c. 560-638, feast-day March 11) stands among the most intriguing and attractive of Byzantine hierarchs, his eight decades encompassing a wealth of life experience as a highly-trained sophist, traveling ascetic pilgrim, esteemed church writer, and eventually patriarch. The monastic spiritual son and friend of two of the 6th-century’s great Christian luminaries, John Moschus (author of The Spiritual Meadow) and St. John the Almsgiver, Patriarch of Alexandria, St. Sophronius’ own spiritual son, St. Maximus the Confessor, would continue his life-long combat with heresy. An author of church services and hagiography, St. Sophronius is best-known as the author of the Life of St. Mary of Egypt, the only saint’s life read aloud as part of an official service in the yearly liturgical cycle of the Orthodox Church. This great hierarch ended his days as Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, which, in the absence of higher political or military authority, he surrendered to Muslim conquerors in 638 to avert the destruction of the city and its population after a six-month siege.

Saint Gerasimos of Jordan and the Lion Jordanes

By St. John Moschos

(Leimonarion, Ch. 107)

About a mile from the holy River of Jordan there is a place which is known as the Lavra of the Holy Abba Gerasimos. When we were there, the residents told us that this Gerasimos was walking one day by the banks of the holy Jordan when he met a lion, roaring mightily with pain in its paw. The point of a reed was deeply embedded in it, causing inflammation and suppuration. When the lion saw the elder, it came to him and showed him the foot, wounded by the point embedded in it, whimpering and begging some healing of him. When the elder saw the lion in such distress, he sat down and, taking the paw, he lanced it. The point was removed, and also much puss. He cleansed the wound well, bound it up and dismissed the beast. But the healed lion would not leave the elder. It followed him like a noble disciple wherever he went. The elder was amazed at the gentle disposition of the beast and, from then on, he began feeding it, throwing it bread and boiled vegetables.

The Tale of Evagrios the Philosopher, Who Was Converted by Bishop Synesios of Cyrene, and the Three Gold Litra

Bishop Synesios of Cyrene (ca. 370-ca. 414)

On the twenty-seventh of this month [June], is read the Narration of Bishop Synesios of Cyrene Concerning Evagrios the Philosopher and the Three Golden Litra.

Verses

The rich man gave to the poor an abundance,

By this seizing a multiplication.

By St. John Moschos

While we were in Alexandria, Leontios of Apamea, a devout man who loved Christ, came from Pentapolis (where he had made his home for some years at Cyrene). In those days of Eulogios, the saintly Pope of Alexandria, the future bishop of the same town of Cyrene came too. And when we were all together, he told us this:

The Humility of Saint Gregory the Great

St. Gregory the Dialogos (Feast Day - March 12)

By St. John Moschos

We encountered Abba John the Persian at the Lavra of Monidia and he told us this about Gregory the Great, the most blessed Bishop of Rome:

"I went to Rome to pray at the tombs of the most blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul. One day as I was standing in the city-centre I saw that Pope Gregory was going to pass by. I had it in mind to prostrate myself before him. The attendants of the pope began saying to me, one by one, 'Abba, do not prostrate yourself', but I could not understand why they had said that to me; certainly it seemed improper for me not to prostrate myself. When the pope came near and perceived that I was about to prostrate myself - the Lord is my witness brethren - he prostrated himself down to the ground and refused to rise until I had got up. He embraced me with great humility, handed me three pieces of gold and ordered me to be given a monastic cloak, stipulating that all my needs were to be taken care of. So I glorified God Who had given him such humility towards everybody, such generosity with alms and such love."

From The Spiritual Meadow, Cistercian Publications, 1992, p. 124.

The Theological Error of a Simple Elder Who Saw Angels

By St. John Moschos

One of the fathers said that there was one of the elders who was pure and holy; who, when he was celebrating the Eucharist, use to see angels standing to his right hand and to his left. He had learned the eucharistic service from heretics but, as he was unlearned in theological matters, when he made the offering he spoke the prayer in all simplicity and innocense, unaware that he was at fault.

By the Providence of God, there came to him a brother who was skilled in theology and it happened that the elder offered the Eucharist in his presence. The brother (who was a deacon) said to him: "Father, these things which you say at the Eucharist are not in accordance with the Orthodox faith; they are heresy." Since the elder could see angels when he was celebrating, he paid no attention to what was said, and thought nothing of it. But the deacon went on saying: "You are at fault, good elder; the Church does not allow those things to be said."

When the elder realized that he was being accused and blamed by the deacon, the next time he saw the angels, he asked them: "When the deacon speaks to me like this, what am I to make of it?" They said to him: "Pay attention to him; he is giving good counsel." The elder said to them: "Then why did you not tell me so?" They said: "Because God has ordained that men should be corrected by men", and from that time forth he accepted correction, giving thanks to God and to the brother.

From The Spiritual Meadow, 199.