And lo, the
star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over
where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding
great joy. [Mt 2:9-10]
On December
28th, shortly after the Feast of the Nativity, our Holy Orthodox Church
celebrates the memory of St. Simon the Myrrh-gusher through whom the Lord
wrought great wonders. A star, like that which led the Magi to Bethlehem,
miraculously revealed to the saint the site upon which, by divine command, he
was to found a monastery. The monastery was appropriately dedicated to the
Feast of the Nativity and was initially named New Bethlehem (later
Simonopetra). Today, nearly eight centuries later, it is still one of the
flourishing monasteries on Mt. Athos.
The life of
the venerable Simon was arrayed with mighty ascetic feats and miracles not only
during his lifetime but even after his repose, when there gushed forth from his
relics an abundant fount of myrrh in a manner similar to that of the Great
Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki. Where he came from, who his parents were, and
where he began his monastic labors, no one knows. Sometime in the 13th century,
he arrived on the Holy Mountain. Recalling the saying of the Fathers that
without obedience one cannot be saved, the venerable Simon sought before all
else to find a spiritual elder, one to whom he could entrust his soul without
reserve, an elder who would be not only a faithful guide unto salvation and a
radiant model of ascetic perfection, but also strict in bodily discipline.
After looking
all over the Holy Mountain, he finally chose out of the multitude of monks
leading virtuous lives, an unknown elder, perfect in all respects in the
ascetic life. He labored in complete submission to his elder, fulfilling all
his obediences with love and zeal and soon attained to such great spiritual
heights that he became known all over the Holy Mountain for his irreproachable
life. Finally, the time came when the elder was convinced that his period of
trial was over. Casting aside his paternal kindness towards the venerable
Simon, he decided to dwell with him as with a brother and on several occasions
he even asked for his advice and counsel.
But instead
of rejoicing over the benevolence and honor bestowed upon him by his elder,
Simon was utterly grieved. He decided to leave, seeking for himself total
reclusion. Expressing his intention to his elder, he asked his blessing amidst
a shower of tears, desiring with heartfelt sorrow that the elder would grant
his consent. In this way, he took leave of his dear elder for whom he had
already become not so much a disciple as another mighty co-struggler in the
angelic life.
For a long
time St. Simon searched all over the Holy Mountain for a secluded hermitage
where no one would know of his existence and no one would find him. Finally,
with God's help, he found a deserted mountainside with caves on the southern part
of the Holy Mountain. Knowing that before him lay the relentless struggle of
unseen warfare, the saint clothed himself with spiritual armor with the help of
the Holy Spirit, taking the cross, prayer, faith, patience, fasting, and
everything that could crush the wily schemes of the demons and raise a man to
angelic purity and childlike simplicity.
It is difficult to recount the fierce
schemes and hidden traps with which Satan tormented and tried to catch unaware
Saint Simon. The holy ascetic, however, boldly trampled upon the brazen
arrogance of his adversary and crushed all his plans. For many years St. Simon
remained secluded within his cave where he manfully endured the constant battle
with the unseen enemies of his soul.
He lived in sorrows and utter deprivation,
lacking even the assurance of his own salvation.
Meanwhile,
hearing of the severity of his life and in particular of his spiritual
discernment and insight, many monks on the Holy Mountain began to come to him
and to receive great spiritual benefit from his soul-profiting counsel, thus
fulfilling the word of God: A city that is set on a hill cannot he hid. (Mt
5:14). Together with those who came to him, Simon was accounted worthy to
receive from the Lord the gift of foreknowledge. However, through his humility
he grew weary of such earthly honor, and he sought refuge from the disturbance
created by all those who came to him. He was burdened by the stream of visitors
which, it seemed to him, only served as a hindrance to his desire for a life of
seclusion. He yearned, therefore, to abandon his dwelling for a yet more
isolated one. But God, desiring the well-being and salvation of each and
everyone, prevented the realization of his desire in the following way.
One night,
while persevering in prayer, the righteous one saw outside his cave, as if
before his very eyes, the effulgence of a divine light; an ineffable fragrance
spread all around him and he heard a loud voice: Simon, Simon, thou faithful
friend and servant of my Son! Do not go away from here. I shall glorify this
place; you shall be its guiding light, and your name shall be glorified. Out of
caution, Simon chose at first not to believe this vision, not desiring to fall
into the nets of the evil one; for he knew, according to the word of the
Apostle, that Satan could transform himself into an angel of light.
Nevertheless, he continued to ponder upon the actual source of the voice. This
took place shortly before the Feast of the Nativity of Christ.
Then, one night,
walking outside his cave, he saw a strange apparition: a star descended from
the heavens and came to rest just above the rocky cliffs where later the holy
monastery was to be situated. This same vision repeated itself on the following
evenings; but the venerable Simon was still fearful. Was it possible that this
was solely one of the consequences of 1 his intense spiritual warfare? And he
continued to distrust the vision.
When the Eve
of the Nativity of Christ arrived, he saw in a dream a brilliant star and heard
a divine voice: Simon! You must build a monastic dwelling here. I myself shall
help you. Cast aside your doubts, or you shall be punished for your unbelief.
The same voice spoke to him three times. At that time (as he later related to his
disciples) it seemed to him that he was in Bethlehem of Judea, in the very
place where the shepherds were tending their flocks, and he heard the sweet
sound of angelic singing: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good
will toward men: fear not, for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people. (Lk 2:14, 2:10). After this, said the saint, all fear
and uneasiness were dispelled from my soul and I rejoiced in spirit, and
secretly beheld the scene in Bethlehem; there, before the manger, the Sovereign
Lady stood before the Divine Child, lying in swaddling clothes.
Several days
after the Feast of the Nativity, three rich men, brothers after the flesh, came
to the venerable one. They confessed all their sins and began persuasively to
entreat him to permit them to live in obedience under his direction. After a
brief period of trial and testing, St. Simon revealed unto them, as to his own
sons according to the spirit, the divine vision. More than once he related to
them the vision concerning the building of a monastery on the neighboring
cliffs, asking them not to speak of this to anyone while he was still alive
until the proper time. Hearing all this, the brothers with love offered to the
saintly elder all of their earthly wealth for the construction of the
monastery, and in accordance with the saint's wish and blessing, they offered
immediately to prepare everything necessary for such an important and
God-pleasing labor.
All necessary
preparations were made. They had yet to learn, however, of the exact site for
the foundation upon which the monastery was to be built. When St. Simon directed
the brothers to the location where the church and other buildings were to be
constructed they were horrified, seeing the sheer cliffs which, according to
his orders, were to serve as the monastery's foundation. "Are you trying
to fool us, Abba?" they asked the saint, "or are you speaking the
truth? How can this be the site, when that cliff might be quite dangerous for
the workers and even more so for those that will dwell here. If this is your
desire, we shall surely oppose you!"
The matter
was left undecided. In the meantime, seeing that he could not convince them to
proceed with the work, St. Simon ordered the trapeza meal to be served. While
they were eating, one of the saint's disciples who was bringing wine to the
table, lost his balance, through the prompting of a demon, and fell off the
cliff into a great abyss; still holding in one hand a pitcher and in the other
several glasses of wine. Stricken with horror at this sudden tragedy, the
spokesman of the brothers strongly rebuked the venerable one: "Behold,
Abba, what has already been wrought by these deadly crags before you have even
begun your undertaking. How many similar incidents of such a frightful death
will occur if we should agree to build the monastery here."
The saint did
not answer but secretly prayed to the Sovereign Lady Theotokos that he would
not be put to shame in placing his trust in her intercession. "Who can
tell of all thy miracles, O Sovereign Lady, and who can praise thy
majesty?" What happened next was entirely unexpected: the brother who had
fallen over the precipice suddenly appeared before them. Through the
intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos he was not only perfectly whole and
unscathed, but he even held the glasses and pitcher from which not a drop of
wine had spilled!
Such a
miracle brought fear and trembling upon the laborers. They fell to their knees
before the saint and beseeching forgiveness said: "Now we know, O father,
that you are truly a man of God." With heartfelt sincerity they were all grateful
to be numbered among the saint's disciples and were soon accounted worthy of
the angelic habit. Then, under the immediate supervision of the venerable Simon
himself, his disciples, formerly simple laborers, proceeded with the
construction of the Monastery.
The
situation, however, was such that before anything else it was necessary to lay
the foundation. According to the instruction of the saint, they were to use a
nearby stone of enormous size. The elder ordered them to move it, but they,
forgetting about the miracle of the unspilled wine, were of the firm opinion
that not only was it impossible for them with their combined efforts to move
that massive weight, but that it could not even be budged. They stood there
bewildered, not having the slightest idea what to do.
Seeing this,
the saint approached them and, making the sign of the life-giving Cross on the
stone, he single-handedly lifted it upon his shoulder and carried it to the
designated site. In this way he demonstrated in actual fact the truth of the
word which the Lord spoke unto the Apostles: Verily I say unto you, if ye have
faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence
to yonder place; and it shall remove. (Mt 17:20). That such a man, whose body
was weakened by fasting and ascetic labor, should lift such a weight far
exceeding human strength, can only serve as a testimony of God's almighty power
and His readiness to help those who turn to Him with faith.
Having
established the monastery which he named New Bethlehem, and having spent his
life in God-pleasing labors, St. Simon reposed on the 28lh of December, 1287.
On the morning of the next day, in the presence of the entire brotherhood, the
face of the righteous one shone with a wondrous light. After his soul had
ascended unto the choirs of the righteous, a fragrant myrrh issued forth from
his holy relics through which St. Simon worked many miracles to the glory of
God, for kings, monks, and laymen.
Many years
after the saint's earthly departure, a pious Serbian king helped to greatly
enlarge and rebuild the monastery in honor of its founder. Since that time it
has been known as Simonopetra, or the "Rock of Simon." Today it is
perhaps one of the most awe-inspiring architectural monuments in the world, a
standing testimony to the power of faith and God's good will toward men.
Vol. 10,
Issue 11-18
Page 9
Orthodox Heritage
