St. John the Silent

From his disciple Cyrillus, the same vrho -wrote the Lives of S3. Euthymius and Sabaa.

JOHN, surnamecl Sttentiarius, or the Silent, from his great affection to silence, was born in the lesser Armenia, of illustrious and wealthy parents, anno 453, who being themselves good Christians, gave him a Christian education. At the age of eighteen he abandoned the world, and employed that part of the es tate which fell to him by the death of his father and mother, in building a church in honor of the blessed Virgin, together with a monastery into which he re tired with ten other persons, who like himself were desirous to think of nothing else but the salvation of their souls. Here he led a life of the most perfect purity of soul and body, joined with a most profound humility. The heavenly prudence with which he con ducted the religious committed to his charge recom mended him first to the priestly character, and shortly after, upon the death of the bishop of Colonia, determined the metropolitan, the archbishop of Sebaste, to consecrate no other than him to fill up this vacancy. In order thereto he sent for John, as if it were upon some other business, and when he came, in spite ot his remonstrances to the contrary, he ordained him bishop. Being then about thirty-eight years of age, he for ten years discharged himself in a most edifying manner, of all the duties of the episcopal ministry, continuing to practise the same religious exercises as he had been accustomed to in his monastery.

Towards the latter end of this time, finding his church and his clergy grievously oppressed by his brother-in-law, the governor of the province, and that all his remonstrances only served to make him still worse, he took a journey to Constantinople, to seek a remedy for these evils. Here having, with the assistance of the patriarch Euphymius, settled the affairs of his diocese in the best manner he could, and following a divine inspiration, having resolved totally to withdraw himself from, the world, without acquainting any one with his design, he privately got on board a ship, and went to Jerusalem, where he took up his lodgings in an hospital, to which was annexed a chapel of St. George the Martyr; and during the time he remained there, continued to pray with many tears, that God would direct him to a proper place where he might attend to nothing else but true working out his own salvation. Whilst he was praying one night to this effect, having lifted up his eyes to heaven, he perceiv ed a lis^ht in form of a cross coming towards him, and hear.i a \oice that said to him: "If thou desirest to save thy soul, follow this light." He immediately obeyed, anil following this heavenly light, he was con ducted to the great laura of St. Sabas, were he found one hundred and fifty solitaries, living in extreme want of all temporal things, but rich in the treasures >f divine grace.

The holy abbot having received this new comer without knowing who he was, recommended him to the procurator of the community, who employed him for some time in various offices for the service of the other religious, such as fetching them water, — pre« paring their victuals, — carrying stones for the building which they had at that time in hand, — dressing and carrying the workmen their dinners, at the distance of about a mile from his lodgings, — entertaining such strangers as came, — and, in a word, doing all Cat any of the monks desired, with such humility, readiness, and cheerfulness as made him both admired and loved by them all. After this St. Sabas appoint ed him a little cell, in which for the space of three years, he lived in silence, taking no manner of nourishment during five days of the week, and only coming out to the church on Saturdays and Sundays, where he was always the first and the last, and there sung the psalms of the divine office with such respectful awe, modest gravity, and fer.yent piety, as edified all who saw him; and assisted also at the unbloody sacrifice and sacrament of the altar, with such deep compunction and devotion, that he could not refrain from shedding floods of tears during the time of the celebrating those divine mysteries.

After these three years of silence, St. Sabas appointed him to the office of procurator of the laura, to the great advantage of the whole community, God giving his blessing to his servant, and assisting him in all things. The time of exercising this office being expired, and the holy abbot seeing him so accomplished in all virtue, took him to Jerusalem, and desired the patriarch St. Elias, the successor of Salustius, and formerly disciple of St Euthymius, to impose his hands upon him, and to ordain him priest. The servant of God, on this occasion, desired he might be first allowed to speak to the patriarch in private; and having obtained of him a promise of secrecy, told him, that he had been a bishop, but that the multitude of his sins had determined him to quit his see, and to fly into the desert in order to bewail his offences and obtain the divine mercy; and in the mean time, as long as he was strong and robust to labor, all he could to assist and comfort those good religious to whom God had associated him. The patriarch was astonished at the hearing of this, and calling for St. Sabas, said to him: " This monk has discovered to me in private some particulars, which will not allow me to ordain him priest. Take him therefore back with you, and let him live in silence, and suffer no one k disturb him." St. Sabas being thus not only disappoin':ed, but also very much concerned, through the apprehension lest some great evil might have been discovered by the patriarch which had prevented him from admitting his disciple to holy orders, betook him self to his prayers, and ceased not to importune our Lord to let him know whether John was indeed, as he had thought, a vessel of sanctification, and worthy of the priestly function or not. At length an angel, after he had spent the whole night in prayer appear ing to him, told him, that John was indeed a vessel of election, but being already a bishop could not be ordained priest. St. Sabas, who was often favored with such visions, went immediately to St. John's cell, and embracing him, said. "I find, father, that you have hidden from me the grace you have received from God, but he has been pleased to reveal it to me." "You mortify me exceedingly, said John, by speaking to me thus. I was in hopes this secret would not have been known to any one, but now I perceive T must quit this country." Sabas desired him to be at rest, and made him a solemn promise that he would keep his episcopal character a secret. Upon which he was content to continue with him; yet so as to remain close in his cell, where he spent four years more in perfect solitude and silence. When the insolence of the monks drove St. Sabas away from the lawa, John would remain there no longer, nor hold any communication with the rebels, but retired to the desert of

Ruban, where he found a cavern in which he passed nine years, conversing with God alone, and living upon what wild herbs or roots he could find in the wilderness.

Whilst he dwelt in this solitude one of the religious came to visit him, and staid a short time with him; but being quickly wearied with so austere a kind of life, and such close retirement, he proposed that they should return together to the laura, in order to celebrate the approaching feast of Easter with the brethren, and not to starve in that barren desert. — The Saint, who could not think of returning to the laura as long as Sabas was absent from thence, exhorted the brother to a confidence in divine providence, which, as it had heretofore fed six hundred thousand men for the space of forty years in the wilderness, could with as much ease abundantly provide for them both. But this ex hortation having made no impression on the mind of his companion, he presently took his leave of him and departed. He was scarcely gone when an unknown pei-son came to the cavern of the Saint, driving an ass laden with all sorts of provisions, which he bestowed upon the servant of God; whose faith his divine Majesty was pleased to reward in this wonderful manner: whilst the other, instead of going back to the laura, lost his way in the wilderness; but after wandering about for the space of three days, being now quite exhausted and famished, returned to the Saint, and see-

8T. JOHN THE SILENT. J23

Kg all the goo I things that God had sent him, acknowledged his own error, and asked pardon for it.

Whilst St. John dwelt in this desert, the Saracens made an inroad upon the borders of the empire on the side of Palestine, and committed great outrages. On this occasion the Saint was pressed by the monks of the laura to come and take shelter amongst them, where he would be more remote from the danger of the enemy's parties, and protected by the Roman sol diers; but he, who had found by experience how sweet it was to converse alone with his God, chose rather to remain where he was putting his whole trust in him, who has given his angels charge over his servants to guard them in all their ways; and his divine goodness was pleased to show his approbation of this entire confidence which his servant placed in him, by sending him as our author learnt from the Saint's own mouth, a great lion to be his visible guardian. At the first sight of the beast, the man of God was struck with some fear, but he quickly recovered himself, and found that the creature, instead of meaning him harm, care fully attended him by day and night, and suffered no enemy to approach near his cavern.

At the expiration of the nine years, St. Sabas visited him, and brought him back to the laura, where he Hved for many years shut up in his cell, no one, except the holy abbot, knowing all the while of his beino- a bishop, till God was pleased it should be made known

S24 ST. JOHN THE SILENT.

to the whole community, by the means of Atherius, an Asiatic prelate, who having made a pilgrimage of devotion to Jerusalem, was directed from heaven to go and visit our Saint in the laura of St. Sabas, and there acquainted the religious with the treasure they possessed, as well as with all the particulars of this former course of life. When John was now seventy years of age, it pleased God to take St. Sabas to himself. Our Saint was sensibly touched with the loss of his holy father, and the more because, being shut up in his cell, he had not been present at his death. But be hold St. Sabas appeared to him in a dream, desiring that he would not be afflicted at his death; for that though they were now separated in body, they were still united in spirit. John desired he would pray to God for him, that he would be pleased to take him also out of this miserable world; but Sabas told him that could not be as yet, because his longer stay in the world was necessary to support the brethren under the grievous conflicts and temptations to which they were like to be exposed from the enemies of the faith.

Twenty years afterwards, when the saint was now fourscore and ten years old, my author, who had been received whilst a child by St. Sabas into the number of his disciples, was directed by his pious mother to St. John, in order to be guided in all things by his counsels for the welfare of his soul. The Saint told him, if he desired to save his soul, he would advise him to enter into the monastery of St. Euthymius. But being then young and giddy, he neglected the advice, and chose rather to go towards the Jordan, to dwell in some of the religious houses in that part o\ the country. Having fixed on the latira called the Reedfield, he was there taken violently ill, being un accustomed to the yoke of religious discipline, and suf fered at the same time a great anguish of mind, as well as bodily pain, when behold the Saint appeared to him in a dream, saying: " Behold, how thou art now chastised, because thou wouldst not be advised by me. But rise up, and go to Jericho, and there thou shalt find in the hospital of the abbot Euthymius, u very ancient religious man, follow him into the monastery into which he shall conduct thee, and there thou shalt find the salvation of thy soul." Upon this he awoke, and found himself instantly cured; and presently after getting up, receiving the blessed, sacrament, and taking some nourishment, he walked the same day to Jericho^ From hence he went to the monastery of St. Euthymius, and from that time always applied to our Saint for his spiritual direction.

This afforded him an opportunity of being an eye witness of the wonders which God wrought by our Saint. As when in his presence one, whose name was George, brought his son who was grievously tormented by an evil spirit, and left him before the win dow of his cell, (as no one ever came, within the door)

who was immediately delivered, upon the Saint's praying for him, and anointing him with the oil of the cross. But the miracles wrought by him for the cure of souls were the most remarkable. The abbot Eustatius applied one day to the Saint upon occasion of n most violent and obstinate temptation of blasbphemous thoughts, desiring him to pray for him. The servant of God did so; and then turning to him he said: " God be praised, my son, you will never more be troubled with the like thoughts," as was actually the case: this our author learnt from Eustatius himself.

A lady, named Basilissa, who was deaconness of the great church of Constantinople, having taken a journey to the Holy Land, in the company of a kinsman, who though otherwise virtuous and religious, was nevertheless infected with the errors of Eutyches, hearing of the wonderful graces bestowed upon our Saint, conceived a great desire to see and speak to him. But being informed that no woman was allowed to come within the enclosure of the laura, she sent to Theodore his disciple, and begged of him to take her cousin along with him to the Saint, in hopes that by his blessing and prayers he might be converted and re claimed from his errors. Theodore took the young man with him, and knocked at the Saint's window, according to custom, which when he had opened, they both knelt down and craved his blessing. The man of God told his disciple, that as for his part he gave him his benediction, but that he could not do as much for his companion, because by schism and heresy ho was an alien from the Catholic Church. The younor man, astonished to hear him describe in this manner tLe state of his soul, which he could not know but by divine revelation, was by an evident miracle of divine grace, perfectly converted upon the spot, and renounc ing his heresy, after a competent preparation, was admitted by the Saint to the holy communion. The lady, overjoyed at his conversion, conceived a still greater desire of seeing the Saint, and of treating with him about the state of her soul, insomuch that she had formed a design of putting on man's clothes, that so she might have access to him; but the Saint, knowing by revelation her design, sent to her to lay aside so useless a scheme, for that he would not be seen by her in that manner; but if she would stay where she* was, she should see him in her sleep and then might put what questions she pleased to him. The following night, or shortly after, the Saint appeared to her in a dream, and said to her: " God hath sent me to you, you may now propose to me all that you want to know." She then declared to him all that she had in her mind, and received from him full satisfaction in every particular, for which she returned great thanks to God. All this, says our author, I can aver fo! truth, having heard it from her own m>uth.

And here our author concludes his account of ou

Saint, who was, at the time of his writing, actually living, doubting not, as he says, but that others would deliver in a more ample manner to posterity the great things that God had wrought by him, as well as his many labors and sufferings in defence cf the faith of the church. The Saint was at that time one hundred and four years old, and though weak in body, yet perfect in all the faculties of his soul, and by a cheerful countenance ever showed forth the joy of his heart, and the purity of his conscience. How long he lived afterwards, or in what year he departed to our Lord, we have not found; but. his name stands recorded among the Saints in the Roman Martyrology on the thirteenth of May.