July 19th - St. Arsenius the Great, Hermit
(also known as Arsenius the Roman or Arsenius the Deacon)
Born probably in Rome c. 354; d. near Memphis, Egypt, c. 450.
"I know a great deal of Greek and Latin learning. I have still to learn
even the
alphabet of how to be a saint."
-Saint Arsenius
Legend has it that, c. 383, Pope Saint Damasus recommended the erudite
Arsenius
to Emperor Theodosius the Great, who summoned the Roman deacon of
senatorial
rank to Constantinople and appointed him tutor of his sons, Arcadius and
Honorius. He was rewarded with money and servants, honor and possessions.
Supposedly after a decade of luxury and influence, he kept hearing the
voice of
God telling him that only by abandoning it all could he be saved.
Nevertheless,
modern hagiographers doubt that Arsenius was a deacon or had served as a
tutor
in Constantinople.
It is verified that about 395 he abandoned the court and joined the monks
in
Alexandria, Egypt. On the death of Theodosius (c. 400), saddened and
sickened by
his pupils' weakness of character and quarrels-for which he felt some
responsibility as their former teacher, he became a desert monk in the
Wadi
Natrun (Skete). There he was tutored in the eremitical customs by Saint
John the
Dwarf. Initially suspicious of his dedication, Saint John tested
Arsenius's
humility by throwing his bread upon the floor. When Arsenius ate it,
undismayed,
Saint John became convinced of his devotion.
He lived in the greatest austerity, refusing the legacy left him by a
relative
who was a senator, preferring the solitary life to a life of luxury. He
said, "I
died before he did" and tore the will in two.
Forced to leave Skete about 434 because of the barbarian raids, he spent
the
next 10 years on the rock (Petra) of Troë in Memphis and some time on the
island
of Canopus near Alexandria, before dying at Troë.
He became known for his sanctity, and he shunned the company of others.
His
disciples included Alexander, Zoilus, and Daniel. He felt learning was
unim****tant and could even be a hindrance in a relation****p with God. To
an
educated Roman who expressed puzzlement at the high degree of
contemplation
achieved by uneducated Egyptians, he responded, "We make no progress
because we
dwell in the exterior learning which puffs up the mind; but these
illiterate
Egyptians have a true sense of their own weakness, blindness, and
insufficiency."
The simple maxims for which he was known and the doings recorded of him
are
characteristic of the desert fathers, marked by strict self-discipline and
shrewdness about human nature. He constantly repeated: "I have always
something
to repent having spoken, but never for having held my tongue." Arsenius
feared
damnation because of his former self-centered ways. He had learned in a
hard
school, and expected others to do the same, and he seems to have been more
than
usually averse to the company of his fellow men. But he was not wanting in
compassion, and sometimes modified his brusqueness.
Ancient writers emphasize the Arsenius had the 'gift of tears' in a
surprising
degree-his handkerchief (sudarium) was always handy-and his
self-depreciation
sometimes seems excessive. He continually shed tears for his feebleness
and the
shortcomings of others, especially Honorius-so many tears that he was said
to
have worn away his eyelashes. He felt a lifelong guilt for the weakness of
Arcadius and Honorius.
He died at Troë and left a fellow monk all his earthly possessions: a skin
coat,
palm leaves woven into sandals, and a goat-skin ****rt. The life of
Arsenius was
written by Saint Theodore the Studite, but this was too long after to be
very
reliable. Forty-four written maxims and moral anecdotes are attributed to
Saint
Arsenius (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, White)
This Version taken from:
http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/ss-index.htm
Saint Quote:
Can you expect to go to heaven for nothing? Did not our Savior track the
whole
way to it with His tears and blood? And yet you start at every little
pain.
-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Bible Quote:
And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? and who shall
stand to
see him? for he is like a refining fire, and like the fuller's herb:
(Malachias
3:2)
<><><><>
YOUR CROSS
The everlasting God has in His
Wisdom foreseen from eternity,
the cross He now presents to
you as a gift from His
innermost heart. This cross He
now sends you He has
considered with his all-knowing
eyes, understood with His
divine mind, tested with His
wise justice, warmed with
loving arms and weighted with
His own hands to see that it
not be one ounce too heavy for
you. He has blessed it with His
Holy Name, anointed it with His
grace, perfumed it with his
consolation, and taken one last
glance at you and your courage
- has sent it to you from
heaven, a special greeting
from God to you, an alms of
the all merciful love of God.
-St. Frances de Sales
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