This St. Moses has a lot of names. St. Moses of Ethiopia, St. Moses the Ethiopian, St. Moses Murin (meaning ‘like an Ethiopian), St. Moses the Black, St. Moses the Abyssinian, St. Moses the Robber and St. Moses the Strong. He was such a sinner that he probably had different ID cards with different epithets in order to avoid the authorities chasing him.
St. Moses lived in the 4th century. So, who was this Moses before he became St. Moses? Well, he was a real piece of work, and good thing that our Lord likes a good challenge. Moses was a slave to an important Egyptian official; his master banished him after he was, er, suspected of killing a man.
Moses fled and soon he became a ringleader of a group of bandits that was notorious for its murders and robberies, because that is what you do when you want to clear your name. He really had a temper problem - once he swam to a hut, sword in teeth, in order to kill a dog and his owner because the dog’s barking prevented his robbery. The owner and the dog managed to flee in time, so in retribution Moses took some of the owner’s sheep.
As Providence would have it, St. Moses once hid in a monastery of Scetes, close to Alexandria. There he witnessed the monastic life and he heard the call of repentance. He wanted to become a monk, but the monks were all like: “Yeah, you’re a known criminal, you just want the authorities off your back.” However, he persisted, going as far as to live in a single monastic cell where he subjected himself to the strictest regimen of prayer and fasting. Finally, he was admitted as one of the brethren, living in perfect obedience ot the abbot.
Once, four robbers stumbled upon Moses’ solitary cell, but he, being a former ringleader and strong as an ox, quickly subdued them and took them to church in order for the monks to decide what to do with them. The robbers repented, much like Moses before, and all four became monks.
Now, note that, for all his repentance, it was difficult for Moses the Robber and Moses the Strong to become the Desert Father Moses. He had extremely hard time adjusting himself to the monastery life, and he often discuss this with St. Isidore, the abbot of the monastery.
Once, St. Isidore took St. Moses to a roof at the break of dawn, and showed him the rising sun. He said that, just like the Sun does not banish the darkness instantly, so does Christ banish our sins and passions slowly, until He finally fills up our being with light.
Later on, St. Moses had a vision of a legion of demons in the west and a host of angels in the east. The angels were more numerous, and the two bands were preparing to do battle. St. Isidore later explained to St. Moses that, in the end, his work towards salvation will overpower his vices.
St. Moses had the obedience of taking water to the other monks, especially the elders. Once, as he was reaching for the bucket, a demon struck a powerful blow to his side. St. Isidore took this instance as an indication that St. Moses was completely cured of his passions, and ever since, St. Moses had power over demons. No wonder. I mean, assaulting a man physically, that’s really petty of the devil. That was probably the most he could do, knowing he couldn’t tempt St. Moses to sin.
Due to his virtue, St. Moses was ordained a deacon. Once, a bishop decided to test him, and as St. Moses was about to enter the altar, the bishop forbade him, telling him that he is unworthy to enter, being a lowly Ethiopian. St. Moses withdrew without saying a word. Upon seeing this, the bishop immediately ordained him a priest.
During the period of Lent, the abbot forbade everyone to eat. However, St. Moses received some visitors, and he set out to cook food for them. Some of the monks noticed, and probably not having anything better to do, they immediately set off to tell the abbot. "Abbot, abbot, that horrible Moses is doing that horrible sin, the most horrible sin of all - cooking!" Realizing that the food was intended for the visitors, the abbot commended St. Moses.
At a different time, St. Moses was invited to discuss the penance for one of the monks. Initially, St. Moses refused to attend, but when other monks finally convinced him, he came wearing a large basket filled with sand. The sand was leaking, and when the other monks asked him why is he doing that, he said the sand represents his sins - as it leaks behind him, he cannot see it, but he dares to attend the meeting where sins of another are being discussed. The monk in question was immediately forgiven by the assembly. They also probably had to sweep the room, a lot.
When he was 75, St. Moses had a vision that the monastery will be overrun by robbers. He warned the others but decided to remain within the monastery himself, saying that such a death is only fitting for a former robber. Seven monks remained with the saint, and all but one were killed, the last monk hiding himself and witnessing St. Moses’ death.
As he is glorified in the Kingdom by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, St. Moses remains to us a speedy helper and a great example of non-violence, repentance and humility, one 5th century Church historian going as far as to claim that, before St. Moses, there was never such an act of repentance.
What can we learn from him? Well, a lot. But the most important thing is - holiness is gradual. Would St. Moses be saved solely on the act of repentance? Sure he could! However, thing is, holiness is not static, it’s dynamic. We can never get too holy. We can always get more holy, and, as ironic as it sounds, our very sins, passions and faults can be an occasion to get more holy than we were before. St. Moses never stopped growing in holiness. He is growing in holiness as we speak. St. Cyril says that, in time, even the lowliest of angels will ascend to the glory of the blazing seraphim. He didn’t say what will happen to the seraphim, but we know that they will be far ahead, growing in the Lord even more, forever. Hell is static and hell is boring, but the Kingdom can never get boring.
St. Moses lived in the 4th century. So, who was this Moses before he became St. Moses? Well, he was a real piece of work, and good thing that our Lord likes a good challenge. Moses was a slave to an important Egyptian official; his master banished him after he was, er, suspected of killing a man.
Moses fled and soon he became a ringleader of a group of bandits that was notorious for its murders and robberies, because that is what you do when you want to clear your name. He really had a temper problem - once he swam to a hut, sword in teeth, in order to kill a dog and his owner because the dog’s barking prevented his robbery. The owner and the dog managed to flee in time, so in retribution Moses took some of the owner’s sheep.
As Providence would have it, St. Moses once hid in a monastery of Scetes, close to Alexandria. There he witnessed the monastic life and he heard the call of repentance. He wanted to become a monk, but the monks were all like: “Yeah, you’re a known criminal, you just want the authorities off your back.” However, he persisted, going as far as to live in a single monastic cell where he subjected himself to the strictest regimen of prayer and fasting. Finally, he was admitted as one of the brethren, living in perfect obedience ot the abbot.
Once, four robbers stumbled upon Moses’ solitary cell, but he, being a former ringleader and strong as an ox, quickly subdued them and took them to church in order for the monks to decide what to do with them. The robbers repented, much like Moses before, and all four became monks.
Now, note that, for all his repentance, it was difficult for Moses the Robber and Moses the Strong to become the Desert Father Moses. He had extremely hard time adjusting himself to the monastery life, and he often discuss this with St. Isidore, the abbot of the monastery.
Once, St. Isidore took St. Moses to a roof at the break of dawn, and showed him the rising sun. He said that, just like the Sun does not banish the darkness instantly, so does Christ banish our sins and passions slowly, until He finally fills up our being with light.
Later on, St. Moses had a vision of a legion of demons in the west and a host of angels in the east. The angels were more numerous, and the two bands were preparing to do battle. St. Isidore later explained to St. Moses that, in the end, his work towards salvation will overpower his vices.
St. Moses had the obedience of taking water to the other monks, especially the elders. Once, as he was reaching for the bucket, a demon struck a powerful blow to his side. St. Isidore took this instance as an indication that St. Moses was completely cured of his passions, and ever since, St. Moses had power over demons. No wonder. I mean, assaulting a man physically, that’s really petty of the devil. That was probably the most he could do, knowing he couldn’t tempt St. Moses to sin.
Due to his virtue, St. Moses was ordained a deacon. Once, a bishop decided to test him, and as St. Moses was about to enter the altar, the bishop forbade him, telling him that he is unworthy to enter, being a lowly Ethiopian. St. Moses withdrew without saying a word. Upon seeing this, the bishop immediately ordained him a priest.
During the period of Lent, the abbot forbade everyone to eat. However, St. Moses received some visitors, and he set out to cook food for them. Some of the monks noticed, and probably not having anything better to do, they immediately set off to tell the abbot. "Abbot, abbot, that horrible Moses is doing that horrible sin, the most horrible sin of all - cooking!" Realizing that the food was intended for the visitors, the abbot commended St. Moses.
At a different time, St. Moses was invited to discuss the penance for one of the monks. Initially, St. Moses refused to attend, but when other monks finally convinced him, he came wearing a large basket filled with sand. The sand was leaking, and when the other monks asked him why is he doing that, he said the sand represents his sins - as it leaks behind him, he cannot see it, but he dares to attend the meeting where sins of another are being discussed. The monk in question was immediately forgiven by the assembly. They also probably had to sweep the room, a lot.
When he was 75, St. Moses had a vision that the monastery will be overrun by robbers. He warned the others but decided to remain within the monastery himself, saying that such a death is only fitting for a former robber. Seven monks remained with the saint, and all but one were killed, the last monk hiding himself and witnessing St. Moses’ death.
As he is glorified in the Kingdom by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, St. Moses remains to us a speedy helper and a great example of non-violence, repentance and humility, one 5th century Church historian going as far as to claim that, before St. Moses, there was never such an act of repentance.
What can we learn from him? Well, a lot. But the most important thing is - holiness is gradual. Would St. Moses be saved solely on the act of repentance? Sure he could! However, thing is, holiness is not static, it’s dynamic. We can never get too holy. We can always get more holy, and, as ironic as it sounds, our very sins, passions and faults can be an occasion to get more holy than we were before. St. Moses never stopped growing in holiness. He is growing in holiness as we speak. St. Cyril says that, in time, even the lowliest of angels will ascend to the glory of the blazing seraphim. He didn’t say what will happen to the seraphim, but we know that they will be far ahead, growing in the Lord even more, forever. Hell is static and hell is boring, but the Kingdom can never get boring.
No comments:
Post a Comment