The holy and blessed Nile, having shone forth in late times, surpassed even many ancient ascetics in his exploits. New proof that virtue, piety and love of God are not determined by times and years, but have their basis in our will and discretion.
The Monk Nile the Myrrh-Streaming was born in Greece, in a village named after Saint Peter, in the Diocese of Zonium. He was raised by his uncle, Hieromonk Macarius. Having reached the required age, the monk took monastic tonsure and was awarded ordination as a hierodeacon, and then as a hieromonk.
The desire for great feats in monastic work led the blessed uncle and venerable nephew to Athos, where Macarius and Nil labored in a place called the Holy Stones.
After the repose of Blessed Macarius, the monk, rising to higher spiritual achievements, settled in a place inaccessible to almost any living creature.
Those who truly love God and live according to God try in every possible way to hide their virtues, crying and tears, fearing the arrows of vanity and human praise, they want their minds not to be constrained by worries about the vain and worldly, but to be constantly directed towards God. Likewise, the divine Nile, wishing that his most companions would not hear his heartfelt sighs and prayers to God and would not see his deeds and tears, so that his mind and heart would be constantly occupied with God, so that he could always devote himself to God and so that no one could interrupt his heavenly exercises, found a place for his solitude, inaccessible to almost any living creature, he found it and, not paying attention to the inexpressible difficulties and even dangers of life, settled in it. And having settled, he courageously endured all kinds of cramped conditions and misfortunes until the end of his life, despising all bodily repose and human consolation.
He who mortifies his body all day painlessly repays the common debt of mortality and goes to the One for whom his soul desired from his youth, ascending to heaven in the chants and angels’ prayers. In his cramped cave, marked and sanctified by so many wondrous deeds, he peacefully surrendered his peaceful spirit into the hands of God. During her presence, the brethren of his cell reverently buried his many-victorious and long-suffering body. And the wonderfully gifted Rewarder in His saints, gloriously glorifying those who glorify Him, as a true and clear testimony of the pure and Divine life of this high ascetic, glorified him by the fact that fragrant myrrh with healing powers subsequently began to flow from his tomb.
This myrrh, as legend testifies, flowed in such abundance that it flowed down the rapids even to the sea. And when the fame of this spread everywhere, Christians began to flock here in large numbers from the most remote countries of the East, landing on their caiques (boats) below and directly opposite the cave, in order to receive this sacred world for the healing and sanctification of soul and body. From this very thing, they say, the place located below the Nilova cave is called karabosrasion (ship station). From that time on, the monk was named Myrrh-Streaming.
At the same time, they say that the disciple who remained after Saint Nile and was an eyewitness to the modesty and deep humility of his elder during his earthly life, unable to bear the rumors from the multitude of flocking laymen who disturbed the peace of the Holy Mountain, allegedly decided to complain to his illustrious elder about himself, that, contrary to his words, he would not seek and not have glory on earth, but desire it only in heaven, the whole world would soon fill the glory of his name and violate through that the tranquility of the Holy Mountain, when large numbers began to come to him for healing: and this had such an effect on the holy myrrh-streamer that then the myrrh dried up.
Recently, some of the Kavsokalivian fathers, who received healing from various diseases through reverent prayerful invocation of the saint to help them, out of a feeling of holy gratitude, decided to build a church next to his cave. On May 7, 1815, construction began. While digging a place for the foundation of the church, they opened a hitherto unnoticed vault, and suddenly an indescribable fragrance came out of it. It must be said that until that time, although everyone was sure that the saint’s coffin and his relics were located near his cave, no one knew for sure in what exact place. For an inquisitive faith, it was enough just to know that there was a shrine that she revered there. So, having dismantled this vault, they found under it a priceless treasure - the sacred relics of the saint, fragrant with an inexplicable heavenly aroma. They immediately reported this to the Lavra of St. Afanasia. The Lavra immediately sent priests there.
The priests, taking the holy relics from under the vault with the greatest reverence, transferred them to the Lavra, where at that time the Patriarch of Constantinople, Blessed Gregory V, was located and participated in the meeting of the holy relics. The Lavra, having properly decorated the skull and jaw of the holy head, kept the first one, placing it in the holy altar along with other holy relics, but sent the second one to the cell of St. Nile, for the consecration of those who stay there and come there for the sake of reverence for the saint and veneration of his memory. Meanwhile, the construction of the sacred church at the cave of St. Nile was also completed. Depending on the space available, it can accommodate no more than ten to fifteen people. Behind the altar of this church is the place where the saint’s tomb was.
His feat was so pleasing to God that after the death of the righteous man, abundant myrrh began to flow from the heights of the mountain where the saint’s relics were buried. The saint’s deep spiritual experience did not remain hidden either: many years after his departure to the Lord, the saint began to appear to the Athonite monk Theophan and conduct conversations with him about sin and its eradication, spiritual ailments generated by passions, and opposition to them.
Through the prayers and intercession of our reverend father Nile, may we also reach the measure of the age and fulfillment of Christ and may we be worthy to enjoy together with him a blessed and ageless life. Amen.
13
Prmch. Damascene of Athos, Constantinople († 1681, commemorated November 13)
He was born in the Constantinople quarter of Galata in the parish of the Church of Our Lady of Eleusa and was named by his parents, Kyriak and Kyriakia, Diamantis. Having been orphaned early, he learned the skill of a tailor. For some offense, Diamantis was captured by the Turks and, wanting to avoid trial, renounced the Christian faith. After some time, he repented and retired to the Holy Mountain, where he took monastic vows at the Great Lavra with the name Damascus.
For 12 years he labored under the guidance of the elder, mourning his apostasy and exhausting himself with strict asceticism. Damascene considered his sin so grave that he decided to atone for it by martyrdom. He told about this to the former living in the Great Lavra. Patriarch Dionysius III of Constantinople, and he blessed him for this feat.
Damascene arrived in Constantinople, received Holy Communion in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Galata. In order not to bring the wrath of the Ottoman authorities upon the Holy Mountain monks, as happened after the execution of the new martyrs Gabriel (1676) and Cyprian (1679), he changed into secular clothes. Arriving at the Church of St. Sophia, which had been converted into a mosque, Damascene began to pray, making the sign of the cross, but the Muslims considered him crazy. For several days Damascus confessed Christ on the streets of the capital, but the Turks only called him a madman. Only when Damascene began to blaspheme Islam in the palace of the Grand Vizier was he beaten and expelled. Finally, he came to the very mosque where he had once renounced Christ, and, denouncing the Muslims, was captured and taken to the judge, and then to the vizier, who sentenced Damascus to death. He was beheaded in front of the gates of the patriarchal residence in Phanar. Relics of the Venerable Martyr. buried in the Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the island of Halki.
14
St. Gregory Palamas, archbishop. Solunsky († c. 1360, commemorated November 14, 2nd Sunday of Lent)