A person, completely withered from fasting labors and ascetic life, lifts a weight that exceeds human strength. Is it not clear from this that the monk in this case became an obvious instrument of the almighty right hand of the Most High? This is confirmed by the following miracle. When the monastery, to which the monk, according to the star that appeared above it, gave the name of New Bethlehem, was built and its brotherhood increased, one day predatory Saracens appeared at the monastery pier with the aim of plundering the monastery. Noticing their hostile actions, the saint, accompanied by some of his disciples, went down to the pier and offered them bread and fruits. The Saracens accepted the offering, but, wanting to plunder the monastery treasures, they approached the monk and demanded that he show them the head of the monastery. The saint meekly answered them that its humble abbot was himself and that apart from the gifts brought to them they had nothing.
Dissatisfied with this answer, the robbers rushed at the saint like wild animals with fury, and one even drew a sword to kill him, but God did not allow this to happen: the hand of the daring killer suddenly withered, and the other Saracens were struck with blindness. Encouraged by such heavenly anger, the villains shouted in one voice: “Allah, Allah,” and bursting into tears, humbly began to ask the saint for healing.
“Have mercy on us, Abba,” they cried, “and heal us; we give our word to be Christians!
The kindly old man, an imitator of the kindly Teacher Christ, was moved by the misfortune of his enemies and, sending one of his disciples to fetch oil from the Savior’s lamp, prayed for them, then anointed the eyes of the Saracens with a cross, as well as the withered hand of their comrade, and all of them, shocked by the miracle of healing, not only, as promised, received baptism, but remained in this monastery among the brotherhood. Finally, the wondrous Simon reached a ripe old age and, learning that the time and hour of his departure to the Lord had already approached, he called all his disciples and gave them a farewell covenant:
“Behold, my brothers and children beloved in the Lord,” he said, “I am leaving you, but do not grieve about this, because we will all see each other again soon.” If I receive boldness before God, then I will always visit you and protect you from every temptation, visible and invisible, provided that you also preserve the rules of the community, church deanery and everything that I taught you in word and deed. This is the only condition on my part and on your part! Do not love temporary wealth, flee from vanity, do not be deceived, do not accept children into the monastery; you know what the great Euthymius did with Saint Sava in his childhood: although he knew that Saint Sava was sanctified from his mother’s womb, he did not accept him into the monastery. And in the eldership it was noticed that in ancient times four laurels were empty - precisely because children were accepted there. And our God-bearing father Athanasius, the founder of the local monastery, swore to his disciples not to accept children, even if they were of royal blood. Be peace-loving, hospitable, celebrate holidays spiritually, and not according to the world, i.e.
Do not engage in idle talk, jokes and laughter on such days: the holiday is the sanctification and enlightenment of the soul, which should come from silence, prayer and reading sacred books; at church services, sing with reverence, and not with an unruly cry, and, finally, love the abbot from your heart. If you observe this after my death, as you did during life, then I will always be with you in spirit. Otherwise, we will have to go to trial at the Last and World Judgment!
When the saint taught this way, the brethren and disciples, surrounding him, wept inconsolably over their separation from him. Finally, having prayed for them to the one and only glorified God in the Most Holy Trinity, that He would keep them even after his death, under the protection of the Mother of God and all the saints, he fell silent and the night after that he gave up his holy soul to God. It was December 28, 1287. The next day, in the morning, the face of the deceased righteous man was illuminated with a wondrous light in the presence of the entire brotherhood. Having performed a funeral chant over him, they lowered him into the grave with reverence and tears. Soon, through the prayers of the saint, miracles and healings began to occur.
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Prmch. Gideon of Caracalla, Athos († 1818)
Saint Gideon was born in the second half of the 18th century in the village of Kapurna, Dimitrias diocese. He came from a poor family. When Gideon was twelve years old, his parents sent their son into the service of his uncle, who traded at the market in the town of Velestinon. Noticing the boy’s ingenuity and hard work, one of the local Muslims forcibly brought him to serve in his harem and a year later ensured that the boy converted to Islam with the name Ibrahim. Less than two months had passed before the unfortunate youth, tormented by pangs of conscience, secretly fled from his owner to his father’s house. In desperation, the parents sent their son to Crete to protect him from punishment.
There he worked for some time as an apprentice for harsh and cruel masons, fled again and found shelter with a priest who lived on the island. Having accepted the boy’s confession of apostasy, the presbyter showed him the path of repentance and left him in his house as an adopted son. Three years later, the good priest died, and the young man went by sea to Holy Mount Athos, wanting to devote his whole life to tearful repentance and the salvation of his lost soul, seeking reconciliation with the Lord.
There he became a monk at the Caracal monastery and was appointed sexton. The young monk soon discovered perfect obedience and self-denial and very quickly succeeded in the feats of fasting, vigil, prostrations and incessant tears. For 35 years, Gideon exemplified monastic service.
In 1797, he received the position of housekeeper in one of the subsidiary monasteries of his monastery, located in Crete, where he was to remain for six years. One of his favorite pastimes was reading the martyrdoms of the holy confessors, in which he saw an example of perfect self-denial for the sake of Christ and the path to revival and salvation for those who had departed from Him. Burning with the desire to follow the paths of the glorious soldiers of Christ, he received a blessing from the monastery fathers to accept voluntary martyrdom and went to Zagora. At first, he began to feign madness, wanting to be subjected to contempt and ridicule, following the example of Saints Simeon and Saint Andrew.
Arriving at Velestinon on Maundy Thursday, Saint Gideon went to the house of his former Muslim master, decorating his head and whole body with many different flowers. He reminded the Turk who did not recognize him that he was the same Christian youth who had once betrayed his faith. Immediately captured, he appeared before the judge the next day, Good Friday, still dressed in his strange outfit. Handing the judge two Easter eggs, the saint said in a firm voice: “Christ is risen!” When they brought him coffee, he splashed it in the judge’s face, denouncing with contempt the false image of the Mohammedan doctrine.
Gideon sought in every possible way to arouse the indignation and anger of the Turks in order to incur the most cruel execution on himself. However, they considered him insane and only punished him with sticks, after which he was carried out half-dead into the street, where he was picked up by local Christians.
Saint Gideon still wished to accept martyrdom. His desire was as uncontrollable as the running of a deer striving for streams of water (see: Ps. 42:2). A short time later, when Turkish soldiers passed through this village, Gideon boldly challenged them and clutched a flaming brand in his hand in order to show that his faith burned stronger than the most cruel flame. He then secluded himself in a cave for a while, spending time in concentrated prayer, and then returned to his Athos monastery.
A year has passed. Once, during the all-night vigil, Saint Gideon heard a voice coming from the image of Christ the Pantocrator under the dome of the church: “Everyone who confesses Me before people, him I will also confess before My Heavenly Father; But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32–33). Heeding the call of God, the saint immediately went again to Velestinon, where he openly announced his return to Christianity.