Commemorated on June 12
St Paphnutius, who led an ascetical life in the Thebaid desert in
Egypt, has left us an account of St Onuphrius the Great and the Lives of
other fourth century hermits: Timothy the Desert Dweller, the abbas
Andrew, Charalampus, Theophilus, and others.
It occurred to St
Paphnutius to go to the inner desert in order to see if there were a
monk who labored for the Lord more than he did. He took a little bread
and water and went into the most remote part of the desert. After four
days he reached a cave and found in it the body of an Elder who had been
dead for several years. Having buried the hermit, St Paphnutius went on
farther. After several more days he found another cave, and from the
marks in the sand he realized that the cave was inhabited. At sundown he
saw a herd of buffalo and walking among them a man. This man was naked,
but was covered with long hair as if with clothing. This was Abba
Timothy the Desert-Dweller.
Seeing a fellow man, Abba Timothy
thought that he was seeing an apparition, and he began to pray. St
Paphnutius finally convinced the hermit that he was actually a living
man and a fellow Christian. Abba Timothy prepared food and water for
him. He related that he had been living in the desert for thirty years,
and that St Paphnutius was the first man he had seen. In his youth,
Timothy had lived in a cenobitic monastery, but he wanted to live alone.
Abba Timothy left his monastery and went to live near a city,
sustaining himself by the work of his own hands (he was a weaver). Once a
woman came to him with an order and he fell into sin with her. Having
come to his senses, the fallen monk went far into the desert, where he
patiently endured tribulation and sickness. When he was at the point of
dying from hunger, he received healing in a miraculous manner.
From
that time Abba Timothy had lived peacefully in complete solitude,
eating dates from the trees, and quenching his thirst with water from a
spring. St Paphnutius besought the Elder that he might remain with him
in the wilderness. But he was told that he would be unable to bear the
demonic temptations which beset desert-dwellers. Instead, he supplied
him with dates and water, and blessed him to go on his way.
Having
rested at a desert monastery, St Paphnutius undertook a second journey
into the innermost desert, hoping to find another holy ascetic who would
profit his soul. He went on for seventeen days, until his supply of
bread and water was exhausted. St Paphnutius collapsed twice from
weakness, and an angel strengthened him.
On the seventeenth day
St Paphnutius reached a hilly place and sat down to rest. Here he caught
sight of a man approaching him, who was covered from head to foot with
white hair and girded his loins with leaves of desert plants. The sight
of the Elder frightened Abba Paphnutius, and he jumped up and fled up
the hill. The Elder sat down at the foot of the hill. Lifting his head,
he saw St Paphnutius, and called him to come down. This was the great
desert-dweller, Abba Onuphrius. At the request of St Paphnutius, he told
him about himself.
St Onuphrius had lived in complete isolation
in the wilds of the wilderness for sixty years. In his youth he had been
raised at the Eratus monastery near the city of Hermopolis. Having
learned from the holy Fathers about the hardships and lofty life of the
desert-dwellers, to whom the Lord sent help through His angels, St
Onuphrius longed to imitate their exploits. He secretly left the
monastery one night and saw a brilliant ray of light before him. St
Onuphrius became frightened and decided to go back, but the voice of his
Guardian Angel told him to go into the desert to serve the Lord.
After
walking six or seven miles, he saw a cave. At that moment the ray of
light vanished. In the cave was an old man. St Onuphrius stayed with him
to learn of his manner of life and his struggle with demonic
temptations. When the Elder was convinced that St Onuphrius had been
enlightened somewhat, he then led him to another cave and left him there
alone to struggle for the Lord. The Elder visited him once a year,
until he fell asleep in the Lord.
At the request of St
Paphnutius, Abba Onuphrius told him of his labors and ascetic feats, and
of how the Lord had cared for him. Near the cave where he lived was a
date-palm tree and a spring of pure water issued forth. Twelve different
branches of the palm tree bore fruit each month in succession, and so
the monk endured neither hunger nor thirst. The shade of the palm tree
sheltered him from the noonday heat. An angel brought Holy Communion to
the saint each Saturday and Sunday, and to the other desert-dwellers as
well.
The monks conversed until evening, when Abba Paphnutius
noticed a loaf of white bread lying between them, and also a vessel of
water. After eating, he Elders spent the night in prayer. After the
singing of the morning hymns, St Paphnutius saw that the face of the
venerable Onuphrius had become transformed, and that frightened him. St
Onuphrius said, “God, Who is Merciful to all, has sent you to me so that
you might bury my body. Today I shall finish my earthly course and
depart to my Christ, to live forever in eternal rest.” St Onuphrius then
asked Abba Paphnutius to remember him to all the brethren, and to all
Christians.
St Paphnutius wanted to remain there after the death
of Abba Onuphrius. However, the holy ascetic told him that it was not
God’s will for him to stay there, he was to return to his own monastery
instead and tell everyone about the virtuous lives of the
desert-dwellers. Having then blessed Abba Paphnutius and bid him
farewell, St Onuphrius prayed with tears and sighs, and then he lay down
upon the earth, uttering his final words, “Into Thy hands, my God, I
commend my spirit,” and died.
St Paphnutius wept and tore off a
portion of his garment, and with it covered the body of the great
ascetic. He placed it in the crevice of a large rock, which was hollow
like a grave, and covered it over with a multitude of small stones. Then
he began to pray that the Lord would permit him to remain in that place
until the end of his life. Suddenly, the cave fell in, the palm tree
withered, and the spring of water dried up. Realising that he had not
been given a blessing to remain, St Paphnutius set out on his return
journey.
After four days Abba Paphnutius reached a cave, where he
met an ascetic, who had lived in the desert for more than 60 years.
Except for the two other Elders, with whom he labored, this monk had
seen no one in all that time. Each week these three had gone on their
solitary paths into the wilderness, and on Saturday and Sunday they
gathered for psalmody, and ate the bread which an angel brought them.
Since it was Saturday, they had gathered together. After eating the
bread provided by the angel, they spent the whole night at prayer. As he
was leaving, St Paphnutius asked the names of the Elders, but they
said, “God, Who knows everything, also knows our names. Remember us,
that we may see one another in God’s heavenly habitations.”
Continuing
on his way, St Paphnutius came upon an oasis which impressed him with
its beauty and abundance of fruit-bearing trees. Four youths inhabiting
this place came to him from out of the wilderness. The youths told Abba
Paphnutius that in their childhood they had lived in the city of
Oxyrhynchus (Upper Thebaid) and they had studied together. They had
burned with the desire to devote their lives to God. Making their plans
to go off into the desert, the young men left the city and after several
days’ journey, they reached this place.
A man radiant with
heavenly glory met them and led them to a desert Elder. “We have lived
here six years already,” said the youths. “Our Elder dwelt here one year
and then he died. Now we live here alone, we eat the fruit of the
trees, and we have water from a spring.” The youths gave him their
names, they were Sts John, Andrew, Heraklemon and Theophilus (Dec. 2).
The
youths struggled separately the whole week long, but on Saturday and
Sunday they gathered at the oasis and offered up common prayer. On these
days an angel would appear and commune them with the Holy Mysteries.
This time however, for Abba Paphnutius’ sake, they did not go off into
the desert, but spent the whole week together at prayer. On the
following Saturday and Sunday St Paphnutius together with the youths was
granted to receive the Holy Mysteries from the hands of the angel and
to hear these words, “Receive the Imperishable Food, unending bliss and
life eternal, the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God.”
St
Paphnutius made bold to ask the angel for permission to remain in the
desert to the end of his days. The angel replied that God had decreed
another path for him. He was to return to Egypt and tell the Christians
of the life of the desert-dwellers.
Having bid farewell to the
youths, St Paphnutius reached the edge of the wilderness after a three
day journey. Here he found a small skete, and the brethren received him
with love. Abba Paphnutius related everything that he had learned about
the holy Fathers whom he had encountered in the desert. The brethren
wrote a detailed account of what St Paphnutius said, and deposited it in
the church, where all who wished to do so could read it. St Paphnutius
gave thanks to God, Who had granted him to learn about the exalted lives
of the hermits of the Thebaid, and he returned to his own monastery.
SOURCE:
SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2012(with 2011's link here also and further, 2010, 2009 and even 2008!)
Commemorated on June 30 
