![]() Saint John highly esteemed his spiritual brother, however. He cast out demons, healed the sick, delivered people from immanent death, brought the unbelieving to faith, and sinners to repentance.Īll these things he did under the guise of foolishness, and he never received praise or thanks from people. In spite of this, he accomplished many good deeds. Having come to the city of Emesa, he stayed there and passed himself off as a simpleton, behaving strangely, for which he was subjected to insults, abuse and beatings. Saint Simeon chose for himself the difficult task of foolishness for Christ. By his great humility the holy ascetic entreated the Lord to permit him to serve his neighbor in such a way that they should not acknowledge him. Simeon journeyed to Jerusalem, and there he venerated the Tomb of the Lord and all the holy places. Saint John, however, believing that he had not attained such a degree of dispassion as his companion, decided not to leave the wilderness. To do this, he must leave the desert solitude and go into the world. Saint Simeon, through the inspiration of God, considered that now it was proper for him to serve people. After this Simeon and John lived in the desert for twenty-nine years, and they attained complete dispassion (apathia) and a high degree of spirituality. ![]() The monks were told by God that Simeon’s mother and John’s wife had died, and that the Lord had vouchsafed them the blessings of Paradise. They spent their time in unceasing prayer and strict fasting, encouraging one another in their struggle against temptation.Īfter a while, with God’s help, the temptations stopped. The brothers Simeon and John remembered their monastic calling, and trusting in the prayers of their Elder Nikon, they continued upon their chosen path. ![]() They were tempted by grief over abandoning their families, and the demons tried to discourage the ascetics, subjecting them to weakness, despondency and idleness. When they began their life in the desert, the spiritual brothers at first experienced the strong assaults of the devil. He prayed with them, gave them his blessing and sent them into the wilderness. The Lord revealed the intentions of the companions to Igumen Nikon, and on that night when Saints Simeon and John intended to depart the monastery, he himself opened the gates for them. John did not wish to be left behind by his companion, and he decided to share with him the work of a desert-dweller. In a short while they received the monastic tonsure.Īfter remaining at the monastery for a certain time, Simeon desired to intensify his efforts, and to go into the desert to pursue asceticism in complete solitude. In great joy the comrades came through the open gates of the monastery, where they were warmly welcomed by the igumen, and they remained at the monastery. At this time the Lord informed Igumen Nikon in a dream to open the monastery gates, so that the sheep of Christ could enter in. ![]() They besought the Lord to indicate which monastery they should choose, and they decided to enter whichever monastery had its gates open. They turned off from the road, which their servants followed to Syria, and they prayed zealously that God would guide them to the monasteries on the opposite side. Both of them were filled with an irrepressible desire to leave the world and spend their remaining life in monastic struggles. Passing through Jordan, they saw monasteries on the edge of the desert. Dismounting their horses, they sent the servants on ahead with the horses, while they continued on foot. On the journey home the friends spoke of the soul’s path to salvation. When Simeon was thirty years old, and John twenty-four, they made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Venerable and Life-Creating Cross of the Lord. Both friends belonged to wealthy families. John, however, although he was married, lived with his father (his mother was dead) and with his young wife. The older of them, Simeon, was unmarried and lived with his aged mother. From childhood they were bound by close ties of friendship. The Monks Simeon, Fool-for-Christ, and his Fellow-Ascetic John were Syrians, and they lived in the sixth century at the city of Edessa. Lives of the Saints / Venerable Simeon of Emessa the Fool-For-Christ, and his fellow ascetic Venerable John
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |