St. Simon the Tanner: Faith to Move a Mountain

A quite faith. A humble faith. But the faith to move a mountain. A faith in the heart of a man who worked in the heart of Christ.

To be exact...Muqattam Mountain (there are a few different spellings).

The story:

During the reign of Al-Muizz - who was the firat Fatimid ruler of Egypt - the Islamic government was ambivalent in its treatment of the Copts, alternating sympathy and tolerance with atrocity and brutallty. At that time, St. Mark's Seat had been vacant for about two years. Finally the bishops and Coptic community leaders assembled in the Church of St. Serguis in order to choose possible candidates. While they were convening, Abraam the Syrian, a man devoted to religion and piety, entered the church and they unanimously decided to elect him.

They took him to Alexandria where he was consecrated as the 62nd Patriarch. Abraam was Syrian by birth. He was a wealthy merchant who visited Egypt several times, and finally stayed there. He was known for his goodness, devoutness and love of the poor.

After his ordinatlon, he distributed half of his wealth to the needy and used the other half for building churches throughout Egypt. As for Al-Muizz, he was known for tolerance and interest in debates on religious matters. He had a Jewiah minister called Ibn-Killis who informed him that it is written in the book of the Nazarines (the New Testament of course) that "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to the mountain move from here to there, and it will move." (Matt. 17:20 & Mark 11:23) He showed this verse to the Caliph and persuaded him to challenge the Pope to order the Muqattam Mountain, east of Cairo, to move if he had as little faith as the small mustard seed.

The Caliph sent for the Pope and asked him if such a verse really existed. When Abba Abraam affirmed that it was true, Al-Muizz challenged him to prove it or else the Copts would be subjected to the sword. The Pope asked for a three-day respite.

The situation was dire. The lives of his people hung in the balance.

He went directly to St Mary's Church (A1 Muallaqa), sent for bishops and priests and exhorted them to fast and pray for the duration of those three days. Before the dawn of the third day, the Pope, exhausted by grief and the long vigil he had kept, dozed off.

The Virgin Mary came to him in his sleep and inquired: "What is with you?." "My lady, you surely know what is happening," he replied. Thereupon, she comforted him and told him that if he went through the iron gate leading to the market, he would meet a one-eyed man carrying a sack of water. This is the man who would move the mountain, she said.
With his own faith he went out and it was as Mary had said:

The Pope hurried out in the early morning to do as she said and he met Simon the Tanner. He asked Simon what he was doing at this early hour. To which Simon replied that he was carrying water to the sick and the old who could not fetch water for themselves. He said this was his practice every morning -- to carry on his back a sack of water for the needy -- before going to work at a hide tannery. When the Pope explained his purpose, Simon was reluctant at first but when he was told of the Pope's vision, he placed himself at his disposal.


A simple man. No great robes. No flashy gold or the glory of man, just the glory of God...taking water to the needy. Serving his fellow brothers and sisters. He was a man with whom Abraam shared the love of service to the poor. They shared a heart, these two. The heart of Christ.


The two led a large gathering of the faithful and marched to the Muqattam Mountain. Beside them were the Caliph and his minister who had already incited many people against the Copts. Abraam celebrated mass and the multitude chanted after him Kyrie Layson, pleading for God's mercy. They knelt down three times as the Pope made the sign of the cross with a sweeping gesture extending from one end of the mountain to the other. T

he mountain shook violently as if a strong earthquake had hit the land. Then it began moving upwards. Every time the worshippers rose from their prayers, the mountain lifted itself upwards. When they knelt down, it also came down with a big bang. This happened three times and every time the mountain moved upwards, the rays of the sun, which was behind it, swept through the space separating the earth from the mountain and became clearly visible to the assembled crowd.

At this awesome sight, Al Muizz proclalmed, "God is Great!" Turning to Abba Abraam, he said, "This is enough to prove that your falth is true." Naturally, this miraculous event caused a tumult among the crowd. When order was re-established, Abba Abraam looked for Simon, who had kept himself hidden behind the Pope throughout the prayers, but he was nowhere to be found.


Humble. Simple. I like to think that Simon thought to himself, "People need water." and continued his rounds to the suffering. Somehow, in my heart that fits.

After the moving of the mountain:

The Caliph, who was still shaking with fear, embraced the Pope warmly and this marked the beginning of a long friendship between the two. The Caliph asked the Pope to name his reward. After some hesitation, the Pope asked for permission to rebuild or renovate some churches, particularly that of St. Mercurius in Babylon in what is now old Cairo. That Church, which was partly destroyed, was being used as a sugar warehouse.

The Caliph offered funds from the state treasury for the reconstruction of the Church but Abraam turned him down. "He whose Church we are building does not need the money of this world and is capable of helping us until we finish the job," Abraam said. The Pope also decreed that the three-day grace period which he had requested from the Callph, and which he and the bishops and priests spent in prayer and fasting, be a regular period of fasting to be observed by all Copts every year.

Those three days were added to the forty days of fasting before Christmas. Thus, the Advent fasting became forty-three days starting on November 25. Shortly after the miracle took place, Al Muizz decided to convert to Christianity. A baptismal font, big enough for the immersion of a grown-up man, was built for him in St. Mercurius Church. This font continues to exist until the present day and is known as "Maamoudiat Al-Sultan" which means the baptistry of the Sultan.

Today the Copts can not build their own churches or fix the ones falling away. But those words ring out:

"He whose Church we are building does not need the money of this world and is capable of helping us until we finish the job"

He will help, if we have faith the size of a mustard seed. Faith, like Simon the Tanner. If we share the heart of love and service to each other like Abraam and Simon, our faith will be strong. Strong in the sacred and compassionate heart of Christ.

The Story of St. Simon (link)

St. Mina (Menas): A Prayer Answered, A Life Lived and The Healing of The Lord

In the West we know Lourdes. All of my life, the stories of Lourdes have had a special place in my heart. But how many of us know of the Lourdes of The Desert. Not many. And even fewer know of St. Mina (Menas).

A mother could not have children. Many stories begin this way. So many, that at times the pure pain of the words does not occur to us. A husband and a wife want a child, but they can not have one. There are few pains that echo the longing for life. A longing made all the more acute in our world today by the general disreguard that society bears for life.

But for a moment think on the longing for a child. This was the longing of Euphemia, the mother of Mina. So great was her desire that she breathed a devoute prayer:

On the feast of St. Mary, the mother who did not have any children was praying in front of the icon of the Virgin with tears that God may give her a blessed son. A sound came to her ears saying "Amen", and thus she called her son Menas.

Amen. So it is, so be it. I love that word. I love the trust in God it reveals. As we move along in the story, it becomes obvious that the story of St. Mina is simple and short. He dies around the age of 23:

His father, a ruler of one of the administrative divisions of Egypt, died when Menas was fourteen years old. At the age of fifteen Menas joined the army. He was given a high rank because of his father's reputation and was appointed in Algeria. Three years later he left the army longing to devote his whole life to Christ. He headed towards the desert to live a different kind of life.

After spending five years as a hermit, he saw in a revelation the angels coronating the martyrs with glamorous crowns, and longed to join those martyrs. While he was thinking about it, he heard a voice saying: "Blessed are you Abba Menas because you have been called for the pious life from your childhood. You shall be granted three immortal crowns; one because of your celibacy, the second because of your asceticism, and the third for your martyrdom."

Immediately he felt as if the earth under him was vanishing, and he was overwhelmed with great eagerness to be carried away to heavens. In a mood of valor he hurried to the ruler, declaring his Christian faith. His endless sufferings and the tortures that he went through, have attracted many of the pagans, not only to Christianity, but also to martyrdom.

But the story continus with his body, and what the Lord wished to bring from the death of this loving and devoted young man:

The saint's assassins tried to burn his relics but failed. The saint's body remained in the fire for three days and three nights, and was not harmed. His sister came and gave the soldiers a lot of money and they let her take the body. She embarked with her brother's body on one of the ships heading to Alexandria, where they placed the saint's body in the church there.

When the time of persecution ended, during the papacy of the Coptic Pope Athanasius of Alexandria, the believers loaded the saint's body on a camel and headed towards the western desert (after an angel appeared to the Patriarch informing him to do so). At the spot that the Lord had designated, the camel stopped and wouldn't move again. Right there, near a water well, they buried the saint's body (that place is the same as where the saint's present-day Coptic Orthodox monastery is located at the end of Lake Mariut, not far from Alexandria, Egypt).

Later on, the Berbers of Pentapolis rose against the cities around Alexandria. The people were getting ready to face the Berbers, and the governor decided to take the body of St. Menas with him to be his deliverer and his strong protector. He took the body secretly and through the saint's blessings, he overcame the Berbers and returned victorious.

The governor decided not to return St. Menas' body to its original place (in Mariut) and wanted to take it to Alexandria. On the way back, they passed by Lake Mariut, St. Menas' original place. The camel carrying the body knelt down and would not move in spite of frequent beatings. They moved the body over another camel, but again this second camel did not move from its place. The governor finally realized that this was the Lord's command. He made a coffin from decay-resistant wood and placed the silver coffin in it. He then returned it to its place and invoked St. Menas' blessings before returning to his city.

The Lord is planning something. The Lord of life and love is moving closer to His children. We have a feeling that great signs are about to be upon us:

When the Lord wanted to disclose the location of St. Menas' body, He did it in the following manner. It happened that while a shepherd was feeding his sheep in that area, a sick lamb fell on the ground. As it struggled to get on its feet again, its scab was cured. The story spread quickly and the sick who came to this spot recovered from whatever illnesses they had just by laying on the ground.

During that time, the daughter of Zinon, the Christ-lover Emperor at Constantinople, was leprous. His advisors suggested that she should try that place, and she did. At night St. Menas appeared to the girl and informed her that his body is buried in that place. The following morning, she bathed in the well and was healed. She related her vision about St. Menas to her servants and that he cured her.

The healings begin. A place of refuge and light. A place to be made whole is growing. Far beyond the short life of St. Mina, like a stone cast into a lake the ripples are growing. God is bringing great things through this young man:

Immediately, Zinon ordered the saint's body to be dug out, and a church to be built there. Not only that, but when Arcadius and Honorius reigned they also ordered that a large city to be built there and named after the saint. Sick people from all over the world, used to visit that city and were healed by the intercession of St. Menas, the Miracle-maker. That is evident from the numerous little clay bottles on which his name and picture are engraved. These were discovered by archeologists in diverse countries around the Mediterranean world, such as Heidelberg in Germany, Milan in Italy, Dalmatia in Croatia, Marceille in France, Dengela in Sudan, and Jerusalem. Visitors from these cities and others would buy these bottles, usually containing oil or water for blessing, and take them back to their relatives.

The Lourdes of the Desert. Or more correctly, Lorudes is (in a way) the Mariut of the West. Not for some, but for people coming from the four corners of the earth. Lourdes, Vailakanni and Mariut. However:

After the Arab conquest (seventh century), destruction started to take place in the city, and its inhabitants were degraded. During the time of Haroun-El-Rashid or after, they attacked the city, and burned a large section of it. When El-Mamoun was ruler of Egypt, he ordered to put the entire city down, and then used its numerous marble pillars to build his palace and mosques.

In the fourteenth century, some people in Mariut found a wooden box. They brought it to the governor, who opened it, only to find some bones wrapped in a piece of cloth. So he told his cook to throw the box in the fire. Then, at night when the cook went to prepare the food, he saw a column of light extending from the fire where the body of the saint was. He also noticed that neither the bones nor the cloth were burned. Pope Benjamin ordered the body to be transferred to the church of St. Mina in Fom-El-Khalig (Old Cairo).

But the Lord does not abandon His people. Though men may try to make it otherwise, the will of the Lord will be done. We will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living:

It was only in the twentieth century that international missions began to search for the ruins of the ancient city. In 1961, Peter Grossman of the German Archaeological Institute started excavating the old city -- earlier discovered by German archaeologist Carl Kaufmann -- and was able to establish conclusively that the ruins were the famed monastic centre of St. Menas, one of the greatest centres of pilgrimage during the fifth to the seventh centuries. Grossman pointed to the location of marble stairs leading down to a crypt, and the tomb of St Menas which lay 10m beneath the high altar of the original basilica, constructed in the time of Constantine, by Athanasius the Great. The site was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. The remainders of Abu Mena, no doubt, demonstrate the glory of the Coptic past and of the cult of St. Mina, which was revived again in the 20th century by the late Pope St. Kyrillos VI.

In 1959, Pope Kyrillos VI put the foundation of a great monastery, not far from the remains of the old city. No more than 1 Km from the site of Abu Mena, the new Monastery of St. Menas with its high surrounding wall and lofty twin towers can be seen. Dominating the enclosure is the cathedral in honour of the saint. Constructed of the finest materials: marble from Italy, black and rose granite from Aswan, stained-glass windows set in white plaster, and with the walls covered a plethora of crosses in filigree and mosaic, it is rapidly gaining a reputation as a major Christian pilgrimage site.

Like the healing water. Like a spring for those who thirst. The healing of the Lord rises from all attempts to displace it. A faithful God. A faithful People. The healing and love of the Lord.

a simple story. A story we should all know. A story we should all be.

Lord, You are my God.
We, who love You, are your people.
Heal me Lord. Heal my Heart. Heal my Soul. Heal my Body.
Make me totally yours.

The Story of St. Mina (link)
The Monastery of St. Mina in Mariut (link)

Saint Demiana

It is a story of love and courage. A story that shows the bond between a parent and a child. It takes place during the reign of Diocletian. I have already addressed the horror of Diocletian's rule in the post on the Theban Legion. It is at this dangerous time to be a Christian that the story of St. Demiana begins:

Saint Demiana was the daughter of Mark, Governor of El-Borollus, El-Zaafran, and Wadi Al-Saysaban in the Northern delta of the Nile Valley. She was the only daughter to her parents. When she was one year old, her father took her to the church of the monastery of Al-Maymah and offered alms, candles and oblations so that God may bless her and keep her in His care.

When she was fifteen years old, she vowed herself to live as virgin for the sake of Christ. She asked her father to build her a place where she could worship God in seclusion with her virgin friends. He fulfilled her wish and built her the house that she wanted. She lived in it with forty other virgins. They spent their time reading the holy scripture and in worship.

St. Demiana wanted nothing more than to worship her Lord. She vowed herself a virgin, giving God all that she was. Think for a moment of the parents. This is your only daughter, and we hear of no other children to the house of her father.

St. Demiana makes the choice of a religious life. There will be no grandchildren. There will be no weddings or dances. Are we told of here parents reaction to this? We are told that her father:

He fulfilled her wish and built her the house that she wanted.

It is a difficult choice when a person wishes to vow virginity. Nuns, monks and Priests (depending on what church and if they are married before ordination) all make a very difficult choice. In this day and age the common thought is that such a vow is insane. I won't enter into that debate, but I will look at another view from today. The view that it is not the buisiness of the parents what the child chooses to do. The thought that nothing is shown of St. Demiana's father by the line:

He fulfilled her wish and built her the house that she wanted.

In another version it says:

Knowing her deep desire for a righteous life, her father reluctantly granted Demiana her wish.

But it is one of the most telling lines in the story. For a parent to support a child in what is god's will for them, is sometimes the most difficult thing to do. It is, and act of Love. An act of Faith. So the line tells us that Mark, the father of Demiana, loved his daughter and had faith in the Lord.

So knowing that, what happens next shocks us:

Shortly after, Emperor Diocletian sent for Mark, Saint Demiana's father, and ordered him to worship the idols. He refused at first, but after the Emperor appeased him, he obeyed his order and worshipped the idols.

At first he refuses. But in what seems to be a short time he obeys Diocletian. Why? It says:

after the Emperor appeased him.

Another version says:

by promising to give him a higher position in the Roman Empire.

Power. Greed. This sways the man. Is this the man we know? Is this the man who loves his daughter and God? Is this the man who supports his child in a very difficult decision? No. But he is human, and power can sway us. So can fear. He must have known what the next step should be, should he refuse Diocletian's "kind" offer. Greed and fear turned him from the Lord.

Next we are told of the reaction of St. Demiana:

When Mark returned to his official seat, and Saint Demiana knew what had transpired, she rushed to meet him. She did not greet him, but said, "What is it that I heard about you? I would have preferred to hear about your death rather than to hear that you have renounced your faith and forsaken the God Who created you from non-existence into being, to worship gods made by hands. Take note that if you do not return to your first faith and renounce the worship of stones, you are not my father and I am not your daughter," and she left him.


What did we know of the man? He loves his daughter and has faith in God. He has the promise of a high position and his life. But everything around him is shattered. His loving child has said:

You are not my father and I am not your daughter!

It is a hammer blow. Do I picture St. Demiana striding with confidence away from this meeting? Walking away unaffected? No, I imagine that there are tears. Tears from her. Tears from her father. But there is truth. St. Demiana has made another hard choice. It is becoming what we know of her. She will walk strongly the path of God, no matter what the sacrifice. No matter the pain.

What of her father? Is he a good man? Is the the man we know from the beginning or from later? Is he:


He fulfilled her wish and built her the house that she wanted.

or is he:

after the Emperor appeased him, he obeyed his order and worshipped the idols.

Each of us has a Gethsemane. Each of us has, at least once in our life, an agony in the garden...where we can commit the sin of Adam and lose our trust in God or follow the path of Christ. We are told:


Then he got up immediately and went to Diocletian. He crossed himself in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in front of everybody, and cried with a loud voice, "Let every one know that I worship the God of heaven and earth, my only God and Lord Jesus the Christ." Diocletian was troubled and tried his best to change Marcos' mind, but this time the Holy Spirit had filled his heart, and he testified even boldly that he was willing to die than to deny his Savior. Diocletian became infuriated, and ordered the soldiers to kill him.

And then Diocletian shows his evil and St. Demiana shows the strength of the Lord. She shows that the will of a petty and evil emperor can not overcome faith:

When the Emperor learned that it was Marcos' daughter Demiana who had changed her father's mind, he ordered one of his commanders to take one hundred soldiers and attack the palace. "First, try to convince her to worship our idols," said Diocletian. "But, if she refuses, threaten her, torture her, and even kill her so that she will be an example for the other Christians."

And indeed she will, but not in the way Diocletian would think:

When Demiana saw the soldiers approach the palace, she prayed to God to strengthen their faith until death. Then she told her friends, "If you are willing to die for Jesus' sake you can stay, but if you cannot stand the torturing of the soldiers, you would do better to hurry and escape right now." The forty virgins answered that they would not lose the eternal life just to enjoy a few moments in this evil world.

When the commander relayed Diocletian's message to Demiana, she answered, "How can I leave my Lord and God Jesus Christ and bow in front of blind, dumb, and deaf statues! You and your Emperor should be embarrassed of your shameful deeds, and I am telling you that even if you kill me, my faith will not be shaken."

The commander was very embarrassed, and he ordered the soldiers to torture Demiana in different cruel ways. As she felt the terrible pain through her body, she lifted her face up toward heaven, and prayed, "My Lord Jesus, the Son of the Most High who was crucified in order to save me, give me the strength to stand the pain." The forty virgins were watching and crying, but Demiana told them, "Do not cry, my sisters, our Lord Jesus Christ was tortured and killed because He loved us, even though He did not commit one sin. How much more should I welcome death in His name, especially if I am sure of the heavenly glory awaiting me!"

After the soldiers got tired of torturing Demiana, they threw her half-dead body in jail. But the Archangel Michael appeared to her, touched her with his heavenly wings, and healed her wounds. The next day, the commander thought that she had died, but when she stood in front of him in perfect health he was very puzzled. When some people saw what had happened, they cried, "We are Christians. We believe in the God of Demiana. We have no other God but Jesus Christ." The commander was even more troubled, and killed all of them.

The torturing of Demiana continued in an even cruelerr way for many days, but again, and again the Archangel Michael appeared and healed her.

On the last day before her martyrdom, our Lord Jesus Himself came to her and told her, "Have courage, my chosen one. I have prepared for you the crown of your wedding in heaven. Your name will be remembered forever as it will be the cause for many miracles, and in this place a great church will be built to honor your blessed name."

It is said that at one point she said to her persecuters:

Me, I am the servant of my Master, King and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is my God together with His Father and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity, King Eternal, the Giver of life, Creator of heaven and earth, Him I confess! Him I rely on! And by His name I should live or die!"

It is a story of the love of a father for his daughter, the love of a daughter for her father, their love for God and God's love for them. It is a story of a child instructing a parent.

Faith, in it's home in our hearts, resists the will of the emperor and performs the will of the King of Heaven.

St. Demiana, pray for us in the difficult choices that we may encounter in life, And may the Lord give us the strength to do His will.

The Story of St. Demiana (link)
and (link) and (link)

St. Bishoy

St. Bishoy is virtually unknown in the west, and that is indeed a great pity. The example and devotion of this great man is a beacon to all. From the beginning of his life, we see that God has called him by name:

Anba Bishoy was born in the town of Shesna to a family of six children. One day, his mother saw an angel in a dream, asking her to give one of her children to the Lord. She was very pleased and left the choice to the Lord to pick one of her kids. So, the Lord picked Anba Bishoy. His mother was very worried because Anba Bishoy was physically very weak, and she asked the Lord to pick a stronger child to serve Him; but the angel insisted that Anba Bishoy was the one the Lord had chosen.

Human logic. He is frail Lord. He is physically weak. He is not worthy of You. But the Lord knows us better than anyone. We are weak, but He is our strength. We often cry out, "What is so special about that person? They are not worthy, not up to the task!" But the Lord's word, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." (Isaiah 43:1). For if we are weak and can still be the beloved of the Lord, what can we not do?

And St. Bishoy did much in the service of the Lord. What he did, he did simply. He was a good man. A good monk who served the Lord in others. This simple lifestyle was focused on hospitality to others. We are told:

One of Saint Bishoy's distinguished merits was his hospitality to the strangers. One day while he was sitting outside his cell, he saw a stranger weary from walking. He invited the stranger to his cell and brought some water to wash his exhausted feet. While washing his feet, he heard the Lord’s voice saying, “My chosen Pishoy! You are an honorable man.” Realizing that he was washing the Lord’s feet, he knelt down and worshiped Him. The Lord gave him peace and comforted him..

In washing the feet of a stranger, we wash the feet of the Lord. St. Bishoy was blessed by actually washing the feet of the Lord Himself. But so often, we could serve the Lord in others. St. Bishoy, as I learned about him, reminded me much of Mother Teresa. Do you wish to see our Lord? Look to your neighbor. Serve others with Love.

St. Bishoy Also defended the faith. We are told:

In his days, an old preacher appeared in the mountain of Ansina. He became so famous for his preaching that a lot of people gathered around him. It came to be that he lost his way and the devil misled him until the point when he denied the Holy Spirit. All this news reached Anba Bishoy who went to see him taking with him sacs each having three handles, something that amazed the old preacher, and he asked Anba Bishoy the reason for that and he answered "I have a trinity, and I do everything accordingly", and he started to explain to the people the words of the Bible until he convinced them all.

It was not by walking up an yelling at people, but by a simple everyday example that St. Bishoy opened the door to their hearts. St. Bishoy had seen Christ face to face. Did it make him arrogant? Did it make him feel better than others? It is an honest question, is it not? We are told:

The saint fulfilled his life of flesh and wished he could see Jesus, and in the middle of that, he got a promise from God that He will appear to him on the mountain of Shehet. So, he gathered the monks and told them the good news. Everyone was filled with joy and they were waiting for that big event to happen. On the appointed day, everybody was in a great hurry rushing to see Jesus. On their way, they passed by man who was trying to join them but had great difficulty because of his age; so he stretched out his hand asking for help, but nobody stopped or even paid him any attention. When Anba Bishoy passed by him, he stopped and carried him on his shoulders, gradually he started to feel that his load was becoming lighter and lighter, then he realized that the old man was Jesus the Lord, the one that everybody ignored. Finally, he died in peace giving his soul the freedom to go and live with the one he always wanted to be with, and that is Jesus Christ.

Put yourself in the place of St. Bishoy. You have seen our Lord. You are nearing the end of your life and He has told you that He will come to you again. You tell everyone that he is coming and they rejoice. Everyone rushes to see Him. Your hearts desire is only a little distance away. Everything in you burns with love to see Him.

On the way there is an old man, weak and frail. He is crippled and can not get there. He is in the way. always something in the way on our path to the Lord. The others have passed him by. They are running up the mountain and going to see the Lord. The men who have passed this man by are your brothers. They are good men. To you they deserve to see the Lord.

But the Lord is coming for you. If you stop for this inconvient man, the other will see Christ and you might not. Is it not your right? Is it not you that He is coming to see?

So easy to leave this cripple and run to the Lord. But St. Bishoy knew, leave the cripple...leave the Lord. Not that He knew that this was Christ in disguise, but he knew that Christ is in our brothers and sisters and the poorest of the poor. So this man, the weak one, carried this old man on his back to see Jesus. And this old man was our Lord.

There is always something in the way to Christ. Something blocking our path. Us. We are often in the way. Our weakness is in the way.

At the beginning of this post were the words of St. Bishoy's mother:

She asked the Lord to pick a stronger child to serve Him.

But the Lord knew who he had called. By name He calls us all. We are not the potter, but the potter's clay. He knows our name before we are born. He loves us by name before we are born.

Lord, let me serve you in others as St. Bishoy did. Let me see You in others so I may see You in my heart. I am weak. I am not the strongest in body and spirit, but it is not by my strength that I accomplish things...it is by Yours. Do not pick a stronger child to serve You, but make me stronger by Your love. Pick me to serve You Lord. Pick this weak child of Yours, and lend me Your strength. Like St. Bishoy, I would rather carry the weak and suffering with You as my strength, than carry the world and not have You in my heart.

St. Maurice and the Theban Legion

"Emperor, we are your soldiers but also the soldiers of the true God. We owe you military service and obedience, but we cannot renounce Him who is our Creator and Master, and also yours even though you reject Him. In all things which are not against His law, we most willingly obey you, as we have done hitherto. We readily oppose your enemies whoever they are, but we cannot stain our hands with the blood of innocent people (Christians). We have taken an oath to God before we took one to you, you cannot place any confidence in our second oath if we violate the other (the first).

You commanded us to execute Christians, behold we are such. We confess God the Father the creator of all things and His Son Jesus Christ, God. We have seen our comrades slain with the sword, we do not weep for them but rather rejoice at their honour. Neither this, nor any other provocation have tempted us to revolt. Behold, we have arms in our hands, but we do not resist, because we would rather die innocent than live by any sin.''

A testament of faith. These words set the stage for a massacre. It is said:


Thebian Legion was composed of 6600 men. This unit had been recruited from upper Egypt and consisted entirely of Christians. They were good men and soldiers who, even under arms, did not forget to render to God the things of God, and to Caesar the things of Caesar.


The legion balanced supporting the unity of the empire and their faith. Their faith did not prevent them being Christian and supporting their nation, but the emperor did:

Under "Maximian", who was an Emperor of the Roman Commonwealth (Empire) with Diocletian as his colleague, an uprising of the Gauls known as "Bagaude" forced Maximian to march against them with an army of which one unit was the Thebian Legion composed of 6600 men. This unit had been recruited from upper Egypt and consisted entirely of Christians. They were good men and soldiers who, even under arms, did not forget to render to God the things of God, and to Caesar the things of Caesar.

After the revolt was quelled, the Emperor Maximian issued an order that the whole army should join offering sacrifices for the Roman gods for the success of their mission. The order included killing Christians (probably as a sacrifice to the Roman gods). Only the Thebian Legion dared to refuse to comply with the orders. The legion withdrew itself, encamped near Aguanum and refused to take part in these rites.

Here a name rears it's ugly head. A name that is forgotten by too many Christians in the west: Diocletian. Maximian was vicious and a tyrant who, later in life, would try and kill his own son.

Diocletian was evil. Modern historical viewpoints want to paint Diocletian as a brilliant emperor whose persecution of Christians was at first at the urging of Galerius. Historians wish to sing the praises of this man who is one of the only people to resign from being emperor and made great administrative reforms.

They wish to paint him as a strong and powerful man with a singular will that held the empire together...and that he was. Possessed of a vicious will that was not prone to manipulation or falling to the urges of another.

Diocletian must be viewed as he was. And in that light he can not be repainted in history without being painted in the blood of the innocent. The blood of children. The blood of the Matryrs.

Popular history remembers Nero, but the second Nero who was more perverse and hateful than the first, is often forgotten. It is in a world tainted by this presence that the Theban Legion makes a stand more courageous than any military action.


Maximian was then resting in a near-by place called Octudurum. When these news came to him , he repeatedly commanded them to obey his rules and orders, and upon their constant and unanimous refusal, he ordered that the legion should be "decimated". Accordingly, every tenth man was put to death. A second "decimation" was ordered unless the men obeyed the order given but their was a great shout through the legion camp: they all declared that they would never allow themselves to carry out such a sacrilegious order. They had always the horror of idolatry, they had been brought up as christians and were instructed in the One Eternal God and were ready to suffer extreme penalties rather than do any thing contrary to their religion.

When Maximian heard these news, he got angrier than ever. Like a savage beast, he ordered the second decimation to be carried out, intending that the remainder should be compelled to do what they hitherto refused. Yet they still maintained their resolve. After the second decimation, Maximian warned the remainder of the Theban legion that it was of no use for them to trust in their number, for if they persisted in their disobedience, not a man among them would be able to escape death.

The Legion stood firm. Over 6000 men. They could have fought. They could have bathed in blood and escaped. When sword were raised against them they could have met them with swords. Did they? We are told they sent the message I have at the beginning of this post. And then:


When Maximian heard this, he realized that these men were obstinately determined to remain in their Christian faith, and he despaired of being able to turn them from their constancy. He therefore decreed, in a final sentence, that they should be rounded up, and the slaughter completed. The troops sent to execute this order came to the blessed legion and drew their swords upon those holy men who, for love of life, did not refuse to die. They were all slain with the sword. They never resisted in any way. Putting aside their weapons, they offered their necks to the executioners. Neither their numbers nor the strength of arms tempted them to uphold the justice of their cause by force.

They kept just one thing in their minds, that they were bearing witness to him who was lead to death without protest, and who, like a lamb, opened not his mouth; but that now,they them selves, sheep in the Lord's flock, were to be massacred as it by ravaging wolves. Thus, by the savage cruelty of this tyrant, that fellowship of the saints was perfected. For they despised things present in hope of things to come. So was slain that truly angelic legion of men who, we trust, now praise the Lord God of Hosts, together with the legions of Angels, in heaven forever.

Not all of the legion was camped at Aguanum. Some were posted in other places. They were hunted and killed. Spread across the empire, the blood of Martyrs watered the ground. What grew in it's place? We are told and know that:

Saint Eucher mentions that in his time (he died 494 AD), many came diverse provinces of the empire devoutly to honour these Saints, and to offer presents of gold, silver and other things. He mentions that many miracles were performed at their shrine such as casting out of devils and other kinds of healing "which the might of the lord works there everyday through the intercession of His saints."

In the middle ages Saint Maurice was the patron saint of several of the roman dynasties of Europe, and later on of the Holy Roman emperors. In 926, Henry I (919-936 AD), even ceded the present Swiss Canton (province) of Aargua in return of the lance of the saints. Some emperors were also anointed before the Altar of saint Maurice in saint Peter's Cathedral in Rome. The sword of Saint Maurice, was last used in the coronation of the Austrian Emperor Charles as King of Hungary in 1916.

Kings, noblemen, and church leaders vied to obtain small portions of the relics of the saints in order to build churches in their honour. The famous King Charlemangne offered the monastery one of the treasured thorns that came from the crown of thorns of our Savior in return for a small portion of the sacred relics. He later built a church in honour of the martyrs inside the court of his palace.

Saint Maurice has always been one of the most popular saints in Western Europe, with over 650 foundations in his name in France alone. Five cathedrals, innumerable churches, chapels and alters are consecrated in his name all over Europe. Aguanum (Saint Maurice en Valais) has always remained the main focus of veneration of the Thebans and a significant pilgrimage resort. In the monastery that bears his name there, the monks perform a special devotion to the saints every day, and celebrate their feast on September 22 of each year. An all night vigil, on the night before the feast is attended by nearly 1000 people. On the feast day, they carry in procession the relics of the martyrs in the ancient silver caskets. Over seventy towns bear the name of Saint Maurice.

In the Monastery carrying his name in Switzerland, the vigil "Tasbeha" has been chanted continuously (24 hours a day) without stopping for more than 500 years now.

What grew?

Love
Mercy
Devotion to the Lord
Respect
Courage
Fortitude...

Christianity

The blood of the Theban Legion, Egyptian blood, helped spread the Church west. Diocletian gave up being emperor to be a gardener. But there is the true Gardener. He who grows the greatest flowers and produces the sweetest fruit through His Holy Spirit. This Gardener turned the evil of Diocletian to good. This Gardener grew a lasting garden.

The Theban Legion proved that the unity of a nation is not split by those who love Christ. True Christians follow justice, peace and love. Unity is only threatened when those in power make unjust demands or treat a part of the population as lesser than the rest.

If ever there are patrons of giving to Caeser what is Caeser's and to God what is God's...it is the Theban Legion and their leader St. Maurice.

The Story of St. Maurice and the Legion (link)

St. Moses the Black

I struggled a bit this morning trying to decide what to do. Should I do a saint story today or wait until tomorrow? Really, can any story compare with the events that act themselves out in our hearts and minds today for my brothers and sisters in the Orthodox faiths around the world? Christ is Risen, Truly He is Risen!

But isn't every story worth telling, especially the story of a saint, the story of a Resurrection? Maybe not of the body, but the resurrection and redemption of the way of life we are called to and of our soul. With that thought, Moses the Black seems and obvious choice.

He is a Saint for Catholics and Copts, and I believe the Eastern Orthodox as well. Many Catholics know how St. Augustine turned from a life of vice and sin to our Lord. I have to imagine that when Augustine looks at the early life of St. Moses he blinks and says, "Wow....that's...wow.

St. Moses was, in his early life, was not (and this is putting it mildly) a nice man. He was a thief, murderer, part of a bandit pack and all around a scary individual. Just from the stories we know it is hard to imagine a crime he would not have hesitated to commit, if not enjoyed.

From his story we know:

He had been a slave of a government official in Egypt who discharged him for theft and suspected murder. He became the leader of a gang of bandits who roamed the Nile Valley and had the reputation for being associated with terror and violence.

Sometimes we think when we hear that someone was "Suspected" of murder in these types of stories that the accusation is false, or that there are circumstances that might justify the act. With St. Moses, I'd err on the side of caution and say that it is very likely that he killed someone.

Moses was a large and imposing figure; he became rather notorious for his escapades. On one occasion, a barking sheep dog prevented Moses from executing a planned robbery, so he swore vengeance on the owner. Carrying out his threat, he approached the hut of his victim from the opposite side of the Nile and, placing his weapons between his teeth, swam the river. The owner of the dog heard the approach, so he hid along the river bank, thus escaping disaster, Moses, not finding the shepherd, took four rams from the flock, towed them back across the river, flayed them, sold the skins for wine, cooked the best parts, and feasted before walking back 50 miles to his camp.

St. Moses did not only commit sin, he was dedicated to it. He was immersed in it. He was a hardened criminal. The kind the world says is irredeemable. So it is good that it is not the world that redeems.

When we hear of St. Moses again:

Attempting to hide from local authorities, he took shelter with some monks in a colony in the desert of Scete, near Alexandria. The dedication of their lives, as well as their peace and contentment, influenced Moses deeply. He soon gave up his old way of life, became a Christian, was baptized and joined the monastic community at Scete. (note: Some stories say he went there to rob them).

A series of amazing stories follow that move a man who bathes in violence toward being washed clean by Christ in humility and peace. But did it happen all at once? Was it difficult:

Moses was tortured by his past and for years was tempted to return to his old ways. One day, as he was confessing his sins to St. Macarius, an angel appeared with a tablet full of his sins. As he confessed, the angel began wiping the tablet clean. The more he confessed, the more the angel wiped, until by the end it was completely clean. After meeting St. Macarius and St. Isidore, he completely left his old ways behind him and became a monk.

In stark opposition we see how much he changed when:

The conversion of Moses was not instantaneous, he had a rather difficult time adjusting to regular monastic discipline. His flair for adventure remained with him. Once, while living in a small cell, he was attacked by four robbers. Much to their surprise, Moses fought and overpowered them, tied them together and carried them on his back to the chapel where the other monks were praying. He dumped the crew in front of the other monks and exclaimed that he did not think it "Christian" to hurt the intruders. He asked what he should do with them. According to tradition, the overwhelmed robbers repented, were converted, and themselves became monks under the influence of Moses.

In his life, the harshest critic of St. Moses the Black was St. Moses himself:

He was zealous of everything he undertook, but became discouraged when he concluded he was not becoming a perfect monk advanced in all the degrees of spiritual perfection. Early one morning before dawn, St. Isadore, abbot of the monastery, took Brother Moses to the roof and together they watched the first rays of the dawn come over the horizon. They stayed there until the new day had begun. Then Isidore said, "Only slowly do the rays of the sun drive away the night and usher in a new day and, thus, only slowly does one become a perfect contemplative."

Moses became a saint. An instrument in the hand of God, who played music that never forget where he came from and the forgiveness the Lord had given him:

In another incident related in the sources, one of the brothers committed a fault. A council met and Moses was invited, but refused to attend. Someone came to him to let him know the others were waiting, at which Moses went to the meeting. He took a leaking jug filled with water and carried it on his shoulder (another version has him carrying a basket of sand with a hole in it). When he arrived, the others came out to meet him asking, "What is this?" Moses replied, "My sins run out behind me and I do not see them, but today I am coming to judge the errors of another." Hearing that, they said no more to the erring brother, but forgave him.

At the same time there is a simplistic beauty in how practical he was as a monk. No one denied his virtues, but to me the following story hints that common everyday people could talk to St. Moses. I feel that approachability:

The humble Moses also proved to be effective as a prophetic spiritual leader. One day the abbot ordered everyone to fast during a particular week. During that time, some brothers came to visit Moses, and he cooked a meal for them. Seeing the smoke, the neighboring monks told the abbot that Moses had broken the command. But knowing his remarkable way of life, these same monks, when they came to confront Moses, observed, "You did not keep the commandment of men, but it was so that you might keep the commandment of God." Some see in this account, by the way, one of the earliest allusions to the Paschal fast which developed in the fourth century and later became the Lenten fast.

He had a simple and honest hospitality, to welcome and feed others.

In the end, St. Moses performed the ultimate renunciation of his former life:

Moses became the spiritual leader of a colony of hermits in the desert near Skete. At some time, he had been ordained a priest -- an uncommon phenomenon at that period for desert monks. When he was 75 years old, about the year 407, word came that a group of renegades planned to attack the colony. The brothers wished to defend themselves, but Moses forbade such action. He told them to retreat rather than take up the sword. He and seven others stayed on to greet the invaders with open arms, but all were martyred by the bandits.


Today the life of St. Moses shows a commitment to not harming others, even in the face of death. Even if others cry for your blood, pray for their soul and that their hearts be opened. St. Moses accepted the peace of Christ. Not as something on the surface, but deep in his heart. Unto death, St. Moses the Black had his arms and heart open, restful in the peace of his Lord.

Today St. Moses the Black shows that no life is beyond the love and redemption of God. No life is beyond hope. That sometimes those who were great sinners are the greatest saints because they know what it takes to take Christ into their hearts to conquer the darkness inside. They know that to leave sin behind takes the work and desire of the sinner working in hand with the constant efforts of our loving God. They know that a fall is not the end if we grasp the hand of God, who lifts us from the death of sin.

Christos Anesti, Alithos Anesti!

He is Risen, Truly He is Risen!

Emmanuel...He is with us.

Links for St. Moses:

LinkSt. Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church
LinkLife of Saint Moses The Black
LinkSynaxarium
Link Patron Saint Index

Saint Mark, the Apostle ,The Evangelist of the Land of Egypt.

I was going to wait until after our Coptic brothers and sister celebrated Easter to begin doing posts on the saints of their faith, but I thought I would do St. Mark early.

St. Mark is considered a saint by all of the great Christian faiths. But for most Catholics their knowledge ends at the fact that he is a great evangelist who wrote a Gospel. This alone would be enough to make St. Mark one of the greatest of our examples, but there is much more.

Sacred tradition and the knowledge of the early church fathers tells us that St. Mark was one of the seventy apostles mentioned in Luke 10:1-20.

He is also mentioned in Acts of the Apostles: "He came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying" (Acts 12:12)

This is also the house where St. Peter seeks shelter after being set free from prison by an angel (Acts 12:7-12)

Sacred tradition also tells of something that is very special. It is the house of St. Mark's mother that Jesus is speaking of when He says:

"Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, The Teacher says, My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples" (Matthew 26:18)

It is in the house of St. Mark that the Lord celebrates His Last Supper. It is the first Christian church. It is the site of the appearance of the Risen Christ to His friends and of Pentecost.

We also know that:

His father's name was Aristopolus and his mother's name was Mary. They were Jewish in faith, rich and of great honor. They educated him with the Greek and Hebrew cultures. He was called Mark after they emigrated to Jerusalem, where St. Peter had become a disciple to the Lord Christ. St. Peter was married to the cousin of Aristopolus. Mark visited St. Peter's house often, and from him he learned the Christian teachings.

St. Peter and St. Mark are family. We are all One Body in Christ, but there is also an ancient family connection, despite our differences, between the Catholic and Coptic believers.

St. Mark was active in spreading the Gospel of Christ. The story of Mark is told from the Coptic Synaxarium (Lives of The Saints)(link):


Once Aristopolus and his son Mark were walking near the Jordan river, close by the desert, they encountered a raving lion and a lioness. It was evident to Aristopolus that it would be his end and the end of his Son, Mark. His compassion for his son compelled him to order him to escape to save himself. Mark answered, "Christ, in whose hands our lives are committed, will not let them prey on us." Saying this, he prayed, "O, Christ, Son of God protect us from the evil of these two beasts and terminate their offspring from this wilderness." Immediately, God granted this prayer, and the two beasts fell dead. His father marvelled and asked his son to tell him about the Lord Christ. He believed in the Lord Christ at the hands of his son who baptized him.

After the ascension of the Lord Christ, he accompanied Paul and Barnabas to preach the Gospel in Antioch, Seleucia, Cyprus, Salamis, and Perga Pamphylia where he left them and returned to Jerusalem. After the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem, he went with Barnabas to Cyprus.

After the departure of Barnabas, with the order of the Lord Christ, St. Mark went to Afrikia, Berka, and the Five Western cities. He preached the Gospel in these parts, and believed on his hands most of its people. From there, he went to Alexandria in the 1st. of Bashans 61 A.D.

When he entered the city, his shoe was torn because of the much walking in preaching and evangelism. He went to a cobbler in the city, called Anianus, to repair it. While he was repairing it the awl pierced his finger. Anianus shouted in Greek saying "EIS THEOS" which means "O, ONE GOD". When St. Mark heard these words his heart rejoiced exceedingly. He found it suitable to talk to him about the One God. The Apostle took some clay, spat on it and applied it to Anianus' finger, saying in the Name of Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the wound healed immediately, as if nothing happened to it.Moses, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, and gave them the Law, the captivity of the children of Israel to Babylon, and the prophecies that foretold the coming of Christ.

Anianus invited him to go to his house and brought to him his children. The Saint preached and baptized them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

When the believers in the Name of Christ increased and the pagan people of the city heard that, they were raged with anger and thought of slaying St. Mark. The faithful advised him to get away for a short while for the sake of the safety of the church and its care. St. Mark ordained St. Anianus a Bishop for Alexandria, three priests and seven deacons. He went to the Five Western Cities, remained there for two years preaching, and ordained bishops, priests, and deacons.

He returned to Alexandria where he found the believers had increased in number, and built a church for them in the place known as Bokalia (The place of cows), east of Alexandria on the sea shore.

It came to pass, when he was celebrating the feast of the Resurrection on the 29th day of Baramudah, year 68 A.D., the same day coincided with the great pagan Celebration for the feast of the god Syrabis, a multitude of them assembled and attacked the church at Bokalia and forced their way in. They seized St. Mark, bound him with a thick rope and dragged him in the roads and streets crying, "Drag the dragon to the place of Cows." They continued dragging him with severe cruelty. His flesh was torn and scattered everywhere, and the ground of the city was covered with his blood. They cast him that night into a dark prison.

The angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him: "O Mark, the good servant, rejoice for your name has been written in the book of life, and you have been counted among the congregation of the saints." The angel disappeared, then the Lord Christ appeared to him, and gave him peace. His soul rejoiced and was glad.

The next morning (30th of Baramudah), the pagans took St. Mark from the prison. They tied his neck with a thick rope and did the same as the day before, dragging him over the rocks and stones. Finally, St. Mark delivered up his pure soul in the hand of God, and received the crown of martyrdom, the apostolic crown, the crown of evangelism, and the crown of virginity.

Nevertheless, St. Mark's death did not satisfy the rage of the pagans and their hatred. They gathered much firewood and prepared an inferno to burn him. A severe storm blew and heavy rains fell. The pagans became frightened, and they fled away in fear.

The believers came and took the holy body, carried it to the church they built at Bokalia, wrapped it up, prayed over him and place it in a coffin.

Lord, let us remember Your friend and servant the great St. Mark. May his example guide Your children in Egypt as they suffer for the Love of You. Let us remember that He and St. Peter were family. May our two faiths, despite where we disagree, be as a family and love and defend each other. As the house of St. Mark sheltered St. Peter and the land of Egypt sheltered You, may all Catholics open their eyes and raise their voices to let the world know of the suffering of Your faithful children in Egypt. Even more, may we remember that we are One Body in Christ the Lord, and that You will always lead us to do Your will.

St. Mark from the Coptic Synaxarium (link)
St. Mark from the Catholic Encyclopedia (link)
St. Mark (link)

St. Anthony of Egypt

St. Anthony (Of Egypt, The Great, The Abbot) is one of the people held to be a saint by the Orthodox, Coptic and Roman Catholic Churches. Born into wealth, St. Anthony made sure his sister finished her education and then gave all of his money to the poor. His life is the prototype for the image of the Holy Hermit.

One of his symbols is the Tau cross. This links us even deeper into the Old Testament. It was a tau cross that Moses used, at God's command, with the snake upon it in the desert. This is often seen as a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ as it was by Christ Himself (Numbers 21: 8-9 and John 3:14).

Anthony's feast day is today. He is a saint with deep ecumenical meaning. Embraced by Orthodox, Coptic and Roman Catholics he speaks to us of what we all hold holy. He is linked by the Tau to the Old Testament (Ezekiel 9:4 and Numbers 21:8-9) and the deep history of salvation, where he speaks to us of our common heritage.

And his example of self denial can be imitated by each of us in smaller ways as we work toward an interior life focused on God.

(link) Patron Saints Index on St. Anthony
(link) Anthony on Wikipedia
(link) Anthony on Orthodoxwiki