Память преподобного Еразма Печерского

“The crown of the wise,” says Solomon, “is their wealth” (Proverbs 14:24), but it is especially fitting to use your wealth to decorate the churches of Christ, for through this it is possible to receive the Kingdom of Heaven. Such a beautifier of the churches of God was our venerable father Erasmus, the monk of Pechersk. For this he was honored to receive the crown of the Kingdom of Heaven. Having great wealth, he decided that it was not appropriate for a monk to own earthly treasures; Having loved the splendor of the church, he spent all his property on church decoration - he bound many icons in gold and silver in the Pechersk Church. Praying before them and looking at them with faith, he decorated his soul - this church of the Living God, not with material silver and gold, but with purity, love and other virtues befitting a monk. Together with the prophet, he could cry out about his splendor: “The law of Your mouth is better for me than thousands of gold and silver” (Ps. 119:72). Such a temptation happened to the Monk Erasmus. When he spent his property and became a poor man, everyone began to pay little attention to him. The crafty demon then began to instill in his heart the evil thought that he, having spent all his property on church decoration, had not received any retribution or reward for it. “It would be better,” the demon told him, “to distribute all the property to the poor.” Not realizing that the devil was instilling these thoughts in him, Erasmus even fell into despair, began to live carelessly and stopped caring about the salvation of his soul. But the generous and righteous Lord, remembering Erasmus’s previous virtues, saved him. He brought upon him a severe illness; Erasmus was already thinking about his imminent death and lay in his illness, saying nothing, with his eyes closed, for seven days; Only by his breathing could one see that he was still alive. On the eighth day, all the monks gathered to see him and, seeing him, they were horrified and said: “Woe, woe to the soul of this brother; he lived in sins and laziness; now his soul sees a certain vision and is troubled, not being able to leave the body.” Suddenly blessed Erasmus, as if he had never been sick, got up, sat down and said to the monks: “Fathers and brothers! Your word is true. I am a sinner and have not repented. But now our venerable fathers Anthony and Theodosius appeared to me and said: “We prayed to the Lord for you, and the Lord gave you time to repent.” After this, I saw the Most Pure Lady Theotokos - as She is depicted on icons - in Her venerable hands was the Eternal Child, with Her were many saints. And She said to me: “Erasmus! Just as you decorated My church and enriched it with icons, so I will decorate and exalt you in the Kingdom of My Son. The poor are with you everywhere, but My Church is not with you everywhere. Arise, repent, take on the great angelic image; and on the third day I will take you to Myself, after your repentance, because you have so loved the splendor of My house." Having said this, Erasmus began to confess his sins before all the brethren, without hiding anything or being ashamed. Then, getting up, he went to church, was tonsured into the schema, and on the third day he joyfully gave up his soul to the Lord and His Most Holy Mother, as She Herself had prophesied. From this it is clear how God pleases to decorate churches with icons and that the Lord infuses them into the face of His saints. Through the prayers of Saint Erasmus, may the Lord help all who adorn the holy churches to receive eternal bliss in the future life with Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen 1597. The death of the Monk Erasmus followed around 1160. His relics rest in Anthony's Cave. You might be interested in: