January: Day 15: Teaching 2: Venerable Paul of Thebes

 

January: Day 15: Teaching 2:
Venerable Paul of Thebes
 
(God's Providence For Man)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Anthony, who had labored for 70 years in the Egyptian desert, once thought that there was no other hermit in that desert and that he was the first hermit in the Thebaid; but the Lord revealed to him during a dream that there was another hermit in the inner desert who had begun to lead a hermit life before him and had pleased God with his labors. Having awakened, the Venerable Anthony took his staff and went to look for the one about whom the Lord had told him. The holy elder walked for three days in unbearable heat. In the sultry, rocky desert he saw nothing but the tracks of wild animals; finally he saw a hyena running quickly. Anthony followed it and came to a cave; but the entrance to the cave was closed. He began to beg the hermit who was in it to open it for him.

“Open to me, servant of Christ,” he said. “I know that I am not worthy to see you, but I will not leave until I see your face. Do not hide from me, for God has told me about you.”

Finally the hermit opened the door, and both elders, calling each other by name, embraced each other lovingly.

"Why did you undertake such a labor," said the Venerable Paul (that was the name of the hermit), "and visit a sinful and insignificant man? I beg you, tell me how the human race lives today? What is happening in the world? Are there really still idolaters? Do they still persecute Christians? I know nothing about this, for I have been living alone in the desert for 91 years."

The Venerable Anthony answered his questions; then he himself asked the elder why he had left the world. During the conversation, a raven flew in and placed bread near the hermits.

"The Lord is generous and merciful!" said Paul. "He has prepared a meal for us. Every day I receive from His mercy half a loaf; and now, for the sake of your coming, He has sent us a whole one." Having thanked God, the elders sat down by the spring, and Paul began to tell Anthony his life.

"I was born in the Thebaid," he said. "My parents were Christians, they gave me a good education and instilled in me the love of God. But I lost them early and was left the heir to a rich estate, which I shared with my sister. My sister was married to a greedy and evil man, who wanted to get all the estate. He decided to denounce me as a Christian; and at that time the emperors Decius and Valerian cruelly persecuted Christians. Having learned of my brother-in-law's intentions, I fled into the desert. After a long wandering, I found this cave, near which there was a spring of water and a date tree growing, covered with fruit. I fell in love with the desert life, and I no longer wanted to return to the world. I have been living here for 91 years now, spending my days in prayer, eating the food that the Lord sends me, and the fruits of the date palm; I dress myself in its leaves. I am now 113 years old, and since I left the world I have not seen anyone until your arrival."

The elders spent the whole night in conversation and prayer. Finally, Paul said: "The hour of my death is approaching and I thank God who sent you to commit my sinful body to the earth. I pray you, go to your monastery and bring the clothes that Bishop Athanasius gave you; you will bury me in them."

Anthony was surprised that Paul knew about the clothes, which had actually been given to him by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, and he hastened to fulfill the request of the holy hermit. Despite his old age, on a long, tiring journey, he went to his monastery, took the mantle given to him by Saint Athanasius, and hastened back to Paul to find him alive.

The next day, while on the road, a vision announced to him the death of Paul. He saw the faces of angels, prophets and apostles, and among them Paul, with a face shining with unearthly joy, ascending to heaven.

Saint Anthony continued on his way with haste, and when he reached the cave, he saw the Venerable Paul already deceased. Having dressed him in the mantle he had brought, Saint Anthony remembered that he had nothing with which to dig graves, and the sandy earth was as hard as stone. He was already thinking of going to his monastery for a spade, when he saw two lions coming towards him from the depths of the desert. They lay down near the body of the deceased and began to dig the earth with their claws. After having dug a fairly deep hole, they withdrew.

Saint Anthony buried Paul's body, spent the night at his grave, and then returned to his monastery, taking with him the holy hermit's palm robe. He kept this robe as a treasure and wore it on the most solemn feasts. He told his disciples about his meeting with Venerable Paul, who wrote down the story. Venerable Paul of Thebes is considered the first hermit.

II. Thus God's Providence watched over the Venerable Paul, not only during his life providing him with the necessary food, but also after his death, sending two lions to bury his honorable body.

a) Christian brethren! The same Providence is also watchful over each of us. Let us be attentive and see. When we were in our mother's womb, then as weak infants, when our life, like a weak reed, was in danger every minute, what protected us, what was watchful over us, what, if not Providence? When many of us were left orphans, when we had neither near nor dear ones, what found benefactors for them who brought them up, raised them, what, if not Providence, which cares for us all? When we were youths, when our thoughts and intentions wavered in us, when we saw so many temptations around us everywhere, tell me, what kept us from bad examples, what put into us the idea of fighting sin, of following the path of good, what, if not Providence, which protected us? But others did not remain on the good path, were carried away by worldly temptations, succumbed to the power of sin - what gives such people no rest, awakens their conscience, presents all the abomination of sin, excites the thirst to leave it, what, if not the same Providence, watchful over each of us? And in the midst of life's failures, in the midst of losses and deprivations, when heavy stones of sorrow lay on your heart, what even then supported you, did not allow you to fall into melancholy and despondency, instilled faith in a better future, what, if not Providence, watching over your paths? And how many special cases are there in our lives, where the hand of Providence especially manifested itself? Against all expectations, one rose from his sickbed, when he had already lost all hope of getting up, one got rid of his enemies who could have done so much harm to him, another was freed from a passion that could have destroyed him, tell me - is not the hand of Providence, caring for us, visible in all this? We cannot count all the cases where the hand of Providence manifests itself over us.

b) Countless, immeasurably great are the mercies of God shown to us! What should we do, showered with these mercies? What shall we render to You, O Lord, for all that You render to us? We must render to the Lord the same as we have received from Him. Let us turn to Him for everything that He sends us for the glory of His name and for the benefit of our souls, which in His eyes is more precious than anything else. Making use of the blessings sent from the Lord, constantly seeing His hand upon you, blessing, merciful, preserving you, make it a rule for yourself, in gratitude for all this, to cling more and more to Him, to seek Him, to be comforted first of all by Him. When accepting a gift, love first of all the Giver of this gift; when receiving success, joy, remember, praise above all the One who sends you this joy, this success. Let your love for the Lord, our Benefactor, be not only in words, but in the very deeds, in your whole way of life. There is someone to show our love for the Lord, it is our neighbor who needs our help, our love.

III. Thus, rejoicing in the Lord, who sends us an abundance of earthly blessings, let us try to share these blessings with our neighbors more often; to help in need, to console in sorrow, to give good advice from the heart in difficult matters. Amen. 

 

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.