The Monk Pachomios the Great
Commemorated on May 15
The Monk Pachomios
the Great, together with Anthony the Great (Comm. 17 January),
Makarios the Great (Comm. 19 January), and Euthymios the Great (Comm. 20
January), was both an exemplar of wilderness dwelling, and a founder of the
monastic "life-in-common" coenobitism in Egypt. The Monk Pacholios
was born in the III Century in the Thebaid (Upper Egypt). His parents were
pagans and he received an excellent secular education. From youth he had the
traits of good character, he was prudent of sensible in mind. When Pacholios
reached age 20, he was called up into the army of the emperor Constantine
(apparently, in the year 315). They settled the new conscripts into the edifice
of a city prison under a guard of sentries. The local Christians came with
supplies of food, they fed the soldiers and they took sincere care of them.
When the youth learned, that these people acted thus for the sake of their God,
fulfilling His commandment about love for neighbour, this made a deep
impression upon his pure soul. Pacholios made a vow to become a Christian.
Having returned from the army after the victory, Pacholios accepted holy
Baptism, resettled himself into the lonely settlement of Shenesit and
immediately he began to lead a strict ascetic life. Sensing the need for
spiritual guidance, he turned to the Thebaid wilderness dweller Palamon. He was
fondly accepted by the elder, and he began to proceed through monastic efforts
on the example of his instructor.
One time, after 10
years of wilderness life, the Monk Pacholios was making his way through the
desert, when he halted at the ruins of the former village of Tabennis and here
he heard a Voice, ordering him to form at this place a monastery. Pachomios
reported about this to the elder Palamon, and they both considered the words
heard to be a command from God. They set out to Tabennis and began by building
there a small monastic hovel. The holy elder Palamon blessed the beginning
foundations of the monastery and made a prediction of its future glory. But
soon also the Monk Palamon expired to the Lord. An Angel of God then appeared
to Saint Pacholios in the form of a schemamonk and entrusted to him an
ustav-rule of monastic life. And soon his own elder brother John came and
settled there together with him.
The Monk Pachomios
underwent many a temptation and assault from the enemy of the race of man, but
the Monk Pachomios bravely warded off all the temptations by his prayer to God
and endurance.
Gradually there began
a gathering of followers to the Monk Pachomios. Their teacher impressed
everyone by his love for work, whereby he managed to accomplish all kinds of
monastic tasks: he cultivated a garden, he conversed with those that arrived
seeking guidance, and he tended to the sick. The Monk Pachomios introduced a
monastic rule of "life-in-common", making everything the same for
everyone in food and attire. The monks of the monastery were to toil at the
obediences assigned them for the common good of the monastery. Among the
various obediences was the re-copying of books. The monks were not to possess
their own money nor to accept anything from their kinsfolk. The Monk Pachomios
considered that an obedience, fulfilled with zeal, was higher than fasting or
prayer, and he demanded from the monks an exact observance of the monastic
rule, strictly chastising flaggards.
To the Monk Pachomios
one time came his sister Maria, who for a long time had wanted to see her brother.
But the strict ascetic refused seeing her and via the gate-keeper he gave her
the blessing to enter upon the path of monastic life, promising his help with
this. Maria wept, but did as her brother had ordered. The Tabennis monks built
her an hut on the opposite side of the River Nile. And to Maria also there
began to gather nuns, and soon there was formed a women's monastery with a
strict monastic rule, provided by the Monk Pachomios.
The number of monks
at the monastery grew quickly, and it necessitated the building of 7 more
monasteries in the vicinity. The number of monks reached 7,000, – all under
the guidance of the Monk Pachomios, who visited at all the monasteries and
administered them. But at the same time Saint Pachomios remained a deeply humble
monk, who was always ready to comply with and accept the remarks of each
brother.
Severe and strict
towards himself, the Monk Pachomios had great kindness and condescension
towards the spiritually immature deficiencies of monks. One of the monks was ardent
for the deed of martyrdom, but the Monk Pachomios swayed him from this yearning
and instructed him quietly to fulfill his monastic obedience, taming the pride
in himself and training him in humility. One time a monk would not heed his
advice and went off from the monastery, during which time he was set upon by
brigands, who under the threat of death forced him to offer sacrifice to the
pagan gods. Filled with despair, the monk returned to the monastery. The Monk
Pachomios ordered him to pray intensely night and day, keep strict fast and
live in complete solitude. The monk followed his advice, and this saved his
soul from despair.
The monk taught to
avoid against judging others and he himself feared to be judgemental of anyone
even in thought.
It was with an
especial love that the Monk Pachomios concerned himself over the sick monks. He
visited them, he cheered up the disheartened, he urged them to be thankful to
God and put their hope in His holy will. For the sick he lightened the fasting,
if this should aid in their recovery of health. One time in the absence of the
monk, the cook did not prepare the monks any cooked food, on the presumption
that the brethren loved to fast. Instead of doing his obedience, this monk
plaited 500 mats, something which the Monk Pachomios had not encouraged. In
punishment for the disobedience, all the mats prepared by the cook were ordered
burnt.
The Monk Pachomios
always taught the monks to have hope only upon the help and mercy of God. At
the monastery it happened that there was an insufficiency of grain. The saint
spent the whole night at prayer, and in the morning there came from the main
city a large quantity of bread for the monastery, at no expense. The Lord
granted the Monk Pachomios the gift of wonderworking and healing the sick.
The Lord revealed to
him the ultimate fate of monasticism. The monk learned, that successive monks
would not have such zeal in their efforts as did the first, and they would walk
in the darkness of not having experienced guides. Prostrating himself upon the
ground, the Monk Pachomios wept bitterly, calling out to the Lord and imploring
mercy for them. In answer he heard a Voice: "Pachomios, be mindful of the
mercy of God. About the monks to come, know that they shalt receive recompense,
since that they too shalt have occasion to suffer the life burdensome for the
monk".
Towards the end of
his life the Monk Pachomios likewise fell ill from a pestilence that afflicted
the region. His closest and beloved disciple, the Monk Theodore (Comm. 17 May),
tended to him with a filial love. The Monk Pachomios died in about the year 348
at age 53, and he was buried on an hill near the monastery.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.