The Holy Martyr Constantine was born on the island of Mytilene into a Mohammedan family. In his youth, he fell ill with smallpox, from which he completely lost his sight and expected to die.
One pious Christian woman, who lived not far from the house of the patient’s mother, came to visit him. Comforting the sick man and his grieving mother, she, by inspiration from above, being moved by a feeling of compassion, began to ask permission to carry the sick man to a Christian church and there immerse him in holy water, and this pious wife said that she was sure that our God, who created heaven and earth, would heal him. The mother, being stricken with grief, agreed to her proposal; the same one, immediately taking the boy, carried him to the church, where she washed him with holy water, after which the sick man completely recovered and regained his sight in one eye, but the other remained somewhat closed, according to the inscrutable destinies of God, who arranges all things with His wisdom. After this miracle, the former patient, who was carried into the church in his arms, now came home himself, where his surprised mother met him and, glorifying Christ God, changed her sorrow to joy.
One day, Constantine, while in Smyrna in the metropolitan house, met there with a confessor, whom he asked to read something to him from Christian books. The confessor fulfilled the young man’s desire, read to him something from the Holy Scriptures, which, like a spark, fell into the young heart and ignited in him the fire of Divine love, so that from its sweetness he made a firm intention to abandon the Muslim faith and join the Church of Christ.
At this very time, a severe plague was raging in Smyrna. Fearing infection, he and his two Christian comrades, for whom he had brotherly love, went to the church of the Holy Great Martyr George; here they thought they would be saved both from infection and from death. Their faith, indeed, saved them from death, but, unfortunately, the crafty enemy caught poor Constantine, and he fell into fornication. As a result of the fall, he no longer began to feel the former warmth in his heart, but instead coldness and emptiness appeared, which, however, did not last long, since the philanthropic God did not abandon His chosen one - he gave him a helping hand, and the unfortunate young man soon came to his senses and, feeling the emptiness of his heart, began to repent and bitterly mourn the loss of heartfelt consolation and virgin purity. And so as not to get carried away another time and fall into lust, he, without telling anyone, left for the holy Mount Athos. Here he stopped at a new monastery, where, after living for fifteen days, he revealed to one monk that he was a Mohammedan and wanted to accept the Christian faith.
The monk immediately went to the monastery of St. Paul, told the elders there about Constantine and his desire to join the Church of Christ. For some reason, the elders rejected this matter and advised him to contact the Lavra of St. Athanasius. It was bitter for the poor young man to hear the elders’ refusal; However, submitting to necessity, he went to the Lavra. After walking for several hours, he felt tired and, being guided by the Providence of God, instead of the Lavra he came to the Kavsokalivsky monastery, where he was received with fatherly love by the priest Gabriel. Constantine, seeing the kindness and kindness of the pious elder, revealed to him his intention - to be baptized.
“Be brave, child,” said the elder, “God has fulfilled your desire, just have patience.”
And, immediately calling the skete elders, he revealed to them the young man’s intentions, demanding their advice. But the elders decided that since their monastery and they depended on the Lavra, it was necessary to send him there on such an important matter, and thus they sent him to the Lavra. But even in the monastery, as soon as they found out that he was a Turk, they also did not dare to baptize him, fearing to be in danger from the Turkish authorities, and therefore, having rejected this matter, like the Kassokaliv elders, they sent him to the Iveron Monastery, to the exiled Most Holy Patriarch Gregory V, who remained there in silence.
Seeing failures everywhere, the young man cried bitterly and spent the whole night in tears and without sleep, and only calmed down a little in the morning. At this time, he sees in a dream the Most Holy Virgin Mother of God approaching him, shining with an indescribable light, who said to him in a quiet voice:
- Do not be sad, but go again to the Kavsokalivsky monastery, and God Himself, My Son, to Whom you want to come, will take care of you and arrange everything for good.
From these words the young man woke up, but there was no one in front of him. Without hesitating at all, he went to the monastery and there he told the wild man Gabriel about his former vision. Surprised by the young man’s story and touched by his tears, the elder sent him to the patriarch with one of the monastery brethren.
When the young man came to the Iveron monastery and appeared to Saint Gregory, he fell at his feet and began with tears to ask the patriarch to baptize him into the Christian faith. The Patriarch wanted to test him and told him:
- Why did you, young man, come to us - the oppressed? What are you looking for from us poor people, as you yourself see? Are we not more humiliated than all nations? Isn’t power, glory and all earthly blessings in your hands? How are you the only one who is dissatisfied and despises those temporary earthly pleasures that others are so looking for? So, better come to your senses, be careful not to regret and repent later about what has not yet been done.
Without answering the saint, the young man with his head bowed down bitterly burst into tears...
- Why don’t you answer? - asked the patriarch, wanting to test him even more.
Instead of answering, the young man already began to sob; This sob touched the saint, who affectionately said to him:
“Calm down, child, and go back to the Kavsokalivsky monastery, and so get ready for baptism, which I myself will perform on you, just don’t tell anyone who you are until then.”
After this, the patriarch announced him with the name of Michael.
Upon returning to the Kavsokalivsky monastery, Michael prepared himself for the great Sacrament of baptism for six months. At this time, the devil did not give him peace for a short time, confusing his thoughts and instilling fear in them, so that he would flee from Mount Athos, and sometimes induce dreams. But Michael, being strengthened by the grace of God and through the prayers of the elders, stood firm in his conviction. Enemy temptations did not harm Mikhail also because the brethren often came to him for the sake of consolation, and thus strengthened him against enemy arrows. The devil did not like these kinds of visits, for he saw that the brethren were strengthening Michael and this was destroying all his machinations, and therefore, in order to divert them from visits, the demon appeared in a sensual image. So, one evening, one brother, named Gerasim, came to visit Mikhail, and after a long conversation, Mikhail began to ask Gerasim to stay overnight with him. The brother agreed, and when Gerasim began to read the Holy Scriptures to console Michael, at that time the demon knocked on the door, asking to be let in.
Believing that it was one of the brethren, they went out, but, not seeing anyone, they were confused, however, they entered the cell again, and Gerasim continued the interrupted reading, but, after a little time, the devil came again and was already trying to open the door himself, which involuntarily led them to fear, and when they went out the door of the cell again, there was no one there again. Then they, having recognized the machinations of the evil devil, who wanted to instill fear in them, fell before the icon of the Mother of God and began to pray before her, and then went to bed and, being protected by the cover of the Most Blessed One, peacefully spent the night.
Meanwhile, the appointed time approached when Michael was to be baptized, and when this was announced to him, his young heart was filled with great joy. During the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, when Michael was immersed in the font and the words of prayer were said: “The servant of God Constantine is baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” at that time his face became so illuminated that it was impossible to look at him, and at the same time his eye, with which he had not seen anything before, was completely healed. Seeing this, the brethren gave thanks and glorified God, who works wondrous miracles!