St. Arsenius

From the third and fifth book of the Remarkable Ao tions and Sayings of the Ancient Fathers, published by Ros-weidus.

ST. ARSENIUS was a nobleman in great favor with the emperor Theodosius, who committed to him the care of the education of his two sons, Arcadius and Honorius, in quality both of their godfather and of their governor. In this eminent station he lived at court the life of a courtier, in the midst of honors, riches, and pleasures, till he was about forty years of. age, when God was pleased to call him from a worldly life into the wilderness, there to seek, by flight, silence, and repose, the salvation of his soul. For, whilst he was one day at his prayers, earnestly beg ging of our Lord to teach him what he should do to secure his eternal salvation, he heard a voice that answered him, saying, " Arsenius, flee the company of men, and thou shalt be saved." Wherefore, in compliance with this heavenly call, he instantly abandoned his secular glory for the love of Christ: and quit ting all his worldly possessions, retired into the desert of Scete, in order to dedicate the remainder of his 4 ays to the love and service of his Maker, in solitude, grayer, labor, and penance. Whilst he repeated the same prayer, he heard again the same voice, saying. " Arsenius, flee, be silent, and quiet, (fuge, tace, quiesce) these are the principles of salvation, or the first things to be done in order to salvation. Hcec sunt vrincipia salutis"

To fulfil this repeated injunction of fleeing from the company of men, he chose a cell at a great distance from the other solitaries, and very rarely admitted of any visits from them. Even when he went to church, which was thirteen leagues distant from his habitation, he used to place himself behind one of the pillars, in order to conceal himself as much as possible, so as neither to see nor be seen by others. When Theophilus, the patriarch of Alexandria, went one day to visit him with some others in his company, and desired he would make some discourse to the company for their spiritual edification; the Saint asked them whether they were all disposed to observe and put in practice what he should say to them? Yes, replied they, very willingly. Why then, said he, I beg of you, that in what place soever you may hereafter hear Arsenius to dwell, be pleased to let him be alone, and never to come near him. Another time the same patriarch being desirous to see him, sent to know if he would admit of his visit. Arsenius answered, that if he came alone he should open the door k> him, but if he brought any others in his company he would seek out another place, and remain there no longer; so that

Theophilus, for fear of driving him away, refrained afterwards from visiting him. The abbot Mark having asked him one day, why he kept at such a distance from men, and shunned the conversation of all the other solitaries? He answered: " God knows how dearly I love them all; but I cannot be at the same time with his divine Majesty and with them. For whereas the angels, though their number be almost in finite, yet have all but one will; it is quite otherwise with men, whose dispositions and wills are different; therefore I cannot think of leaving God to converse with men."

As to the manner in which he spent his time in this solitude, it, was divided between working and prayer, or rather his whole life in the wilderness was one continual prayer; for even whilst he was sitting at work and making baskets, which was his daily employment, his soul was ever attentive to God in prayer, and for ever bewailing his sins; insomuch that he was obliged to have always a handkerchief in his bosom, to wipe oft' the flood of penitential tears which continually flowed from his eyes. As for the nights, he generally spent them, as we learn from b.is disciple Daniel, in watching and prayer; only towards flic rooming, when nature could hold out no longer Jhj tred to suffer sleep, which he called his nauglS/ jf vjr.i< to close his eyes; but after a very short repupj. Xnch he took sit ting, he rose up again to Ms &c;astorned exercise*

The same disciple relates, that on Saturday evenings the setting sun usually left him at his prayers, with his hands extended towards heaven, and that he continued praying in this same posture till the sunbeams, rising the next morning, came beating upon his eyes. In order to renew his fervor in his spiritual exercises he would frequently say to himself: Arsenius, Arsenius, to ivhat end didst thou leave the world and coiw hither? He used also often to say that whenever he had been talking, he had always found matter where of to repent, but had never regretted his having kept silence. He was also a great lover of holy poverty. The other solitaries said of him, that as no one was more richly clad than Arsenius whilst he lived at court, so none of the inhabitants of the desert wore a more mean or poor habit than he, after retiring from the world. His poverty was so great, that having occasion for a trifle of money to procure some little neces saries for him in sickness, he was obliged to receive it in alms, upon which he cried out: I give thee thanks, 0 my God, that thou hast made me worthy to be thus reduced to the necessity of asking an alms in thy name." After he had lived for many years in the wifderness, a kinsman 01 his, a senator, dying, left him by his last will a considerable estate. When this will *as brought to the Saint, by a proper officer, in his solitude, it displeased him so much that he would have torn it in pieces, had not the officer flang himself at hivi feet, declaring that it would cost him his life if the will were destroyed. Upon this Arsenius returned him back the will, saying, " How is it possible this man should by his will make me his heir, since he, as it appears, died but a little while ago, whilst I have been dead so many years."

As to his method of fasting, and other austerities of this kind, it is hard to describe them in particular on account of his keeping himself so much to himself, His disciple Daniel only informed us, that during the >vhole time he knew him, they laid him in but a very slender provision for his whole year's sustenance; and yet that he managed it so well, as not only to make it suffice for himself, but also to impart some of it to his disciples whenever they came to see him. The same disciple also took notice, that whilst he was sitting at his work, making baskets, according to his custom, of the leaves of palm-trees, when the water in which he was obliged to moisten and soften them began to corrupt, he would never change it, or fling it away, but if there were any need of fresh water, he would pour it in upon that which was already corrupted, that so it might always continue to yield a disagreeable smell. The brethren asked him one day, why he would not Buffer that corrupt water to be flung away, since it infected his whole cell with its stench? " Because," re plied he, " I was used when I lived in the world to gratify myself with the most agreeable perfumes, an4

ST. ARSENIUS. 25U therefore it is EG more than just that I should now, during the time that remains of my life, in punishment of my former sensuality, support this stench, in hopes that at the last day God will deliver me from the in supportable stench of hell, and not condemn my soul with that of the rich man who had passed his days in feasting and delights."

But nothing was more remarkable in this Saint than his extraordinary humility, which made him so industrious in keeping himself out of sight, and in conceal ing every thing that might procure him the applause or esteem of men. Although he was so learned in the human sciences before he quitted the world, as to be perfect master both of the Greek and Latin, and had, after his retiring into the wilderness, received such extraordinary lights from God for understanding spiritual matters, that no one had a more perfect knowledge, or could better explain the most difficult passages of the holy Scriptures than himself, yet he would never speak of these matters by his own choice, nor show at any time his knowledge of them, but rather chose to consult and hearken to the most illiterate of the brethren, provided he were truly humble. Being asked one day why he, being so learned a man, sought instruction and counsel from a certain solitary, who was quite destitute of all human literature, he replied: " It is true, whilst I was in the world I acquired some knowledge in the sciences of the world, and in the 22

Greek and Latin tongues, but since I have left th« world, I have not yet been able to learn even the A SB, C, of the true science of the Saints, of which this -ignorant rustic is master." Such were his humble sentiments of himself.

After he had spent forty years in the desert of Scete, the Mazices, a barbarous people of Lybia, made an irruption on that side, where they massacred St. Moses «nd other solitaries, and forced all the rest from their cells. Upon this occasion Arsenius was obliged to •change his earthly residence, but not the true dwelling place where his heart was fixed. He went therefore to a place.called Trohe, not far from the ancient Babylon of Egypt (now Cairo), and there he continued his-usual course of life for ten years, till fresh irruptions of the barbarians forced him thence. From Trohe he-went to Canopsas in the lower Egypt, which is not far distant from Alexandria, where, being too much disturbed with the importunity of visits from that great metropolis, he remained no longer than three years,, and then returned again to Trohe, where he spent the two last years of his mortal pilgrimage. When his end approached, he told his disciples that he desired they would 'bury him privately, no matter how, only taking care that he should be remembered in the offeriwg of the holy sacrifice. They thai were present at his death, seeing him, said to him: "Father, why do you weep? Are you, like the rest, afraid to, die?.**

ST. NILAMMON. 25C u Yes," said he, " very much; and this is no new feat, but a fear that has stuck close to me ever since I first came into the desert." He departed to our Lord in a good old age, being ninety -five years old, of which he had spent fifty-five in the desert in the exercises of a religious life. St. Pemen seeing him expire, cried out: " 0 happy Arsenius, for having wept and mourned for yourself so much in this world! since they who do not mourn in this life, shall mourn for all eternity in the next." It is also recorded of the patriarch Theophilus, that when he was at the point of death, he said: " 0 how happy wast thou, O Arsenius, who hadst this last hour continually before thine eyes! "

The name of St. Arsenius is recorded in the Roman Martyrology on the nineteenth of July.