#Poemen

[primavereautunni]

Il padre Poemen raccontava che il padre Giovanni Nano aveva pregato Dio e furono allontanate da lui le passioni e fu liberato da ogni sollecitudine. Si recò allora da un anziano e gli disse: "Mi trovo nella quiete, e non devo sostenere nessuna lotta". Gli disse il vecchio: "Va' e prega Dio perché sopraggiunga su di te la lotta e tu ne tragga quella contrizione ed umiltà che avevi prima. E' attraverso la lotta che l'anima progredisce". L'altro pregò Dio per questo e, quando giunse la lotta, non pregò più perché la allontanasse da lui. Chiedeva invece: "Dammi, Signore, pazienza nei combattimenti".

Vita e detti dei Padri del deserto, Città nuova 2012.

[religious-extremist]

The nature of water is soft, that of stone is hard; but if a bottle is hung above a stone, allowing the water to fall drop by drop, it wears away the stone. So it is with the Word of God; it is soft and our heart is hard, but the man who hears the word of God often, opens his heart to the heart of God.

+ St. Poemen the Great, 5th century

[orthodoxsoul]

Some old men came to Abba Poemen and said to him, “When we see brothers who are dozing at the synaxis (services), shall we rouse them so they will be watchful?” He said to them, “For my part when I see a brother dozing, I put his head on my knees and let him rest.”

Sayings of the Desert Fathers

[orthodoxydaily]

SAINT&READING: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

august 27_september 9

VENERABLE POEMEN THE GREAT (450)

Saint Pimen (Poemen) the Great was born about the year 340 in Egypt. He went to one of the Egyptian monasteries with his two brothers, Anoub and Paisius, and all three received monastic tonsure. The brothers were such strict ascetics that when their mother came to the monastery to see her children, they did not come out to her from their cells. The mother stood there for a long time and wept. Then Saint Pimen said to her through the closed door of the cell, “Do you wish to see us now, or in the future life?” Saint Pimen promised that if she would endure the sorrow of not seeing her children in this life, then surely she would see them in the next. The mother was humbled and returned home.

Fame of Saint Pimen’s deeds and virtues spread throughout the land. Once, the governor of the district wanted to see him. Saint Pimen, shunning fame, thought to himself, “If dignitaries start coming to me and show me respect, then many other people will also start coming to me and disturb my quiet, and I shall be deprived of the grace of humility, which I have acquired only with the help of God.” So he refused to see the governor, asking him not to come.

For many of the monks, Saint Pimen was a spiritual guide and instructor. They wrote down his answers to serve for the edification of others besides themselves. A certain monk asked, “If I see my brother sinning, should I conceal his fault?” The Elder answered, “If we reproach the sins of brothers, then God will reproach our sins. If you see a brother sinning, do not believe your eyes. Know that your own sin is like a beam of wood, but the sin of your brother is like a splinter (Mt. 7:3-5), and then you will not enter into distress or temptation.”

Another monk said to the saint, “I have sinned grievously and I want to spend three years at repentance. Is that enough time?” The Elder replied, “That is a long time.” The monk continued to ask how long the saint wished him to repent. Perhaps only a year? Saint Pimen said, “That is a long time.” The other brethren asked, “Should he repent for forty days?” The Elder answered, “I think that if a man repents from the depths of his heart and has a firm intention not to return to the sin, then God will accept three days of repentance.”

When asked how to get rid of persistent evil thoughts, the saint replied, “This is like a man who has fire on his left side, and a vessel full of water on his right side. If he starts burning from the fire, he takes water from the vessel and extinguishes the fire. The fire represents the evil thoughts placed in the heart of man by the Enemy of our salvation, which can enkindle sinful desires within man like a spark in a hut. The water is the force of prayer which impels a man toward God.”

Saint Pimen was strict in his fasting and sometimes would not partake of food for a week or more. He advised others to eat every day, but without eating their fill. Abba Pimen heard of a certain monk who went for a week without eating, but had lost his temper. The saint lamented that the monk was able to fast for an entire week, but was unable to abstain from anger for even a single day.

To the question of whether it is better to speak or be silent, the Elder said, “Whoever speaks on account of God, does well, and whoever is silent on account of God, that one also does well.”

He also said, “If man seems to be silent, but his heart condemns others, then he is always speaking. There may be a man who talks all day long, but he is actually silent, because he says nothing unprofitable.”

The saint said, “It is useful to observe three things: to fear God, to pray often, and to do good for one’s neighbor.”

“Wickedness never eradicates wickedness. If someone does evil to you, do good to them, and your goodness will conquer their wickedness.”

Once, after Saint Pimen and his disciples arrived at the monastery of Scetis, he learned that the Elder living there was annoyed at his arrival and was also jealous of him, because monks were leaving the Elder to see Abba Pimen.

In order to console the hermit, the saint went to him with his brethren, taking food with them as a present. The Elder refused to receive them, however. Then Saint Pimen said, “We shall not depart from here until we are permitted to see the holy Elder.” He remained standing at the door of the cell in the heat. Seeing Saint Pimen’s humility and patience, the Elder received him graciously and said, “Not only is what I have heard about you true, but I see that your works are a hundred times greater.”

He possessed such great humility that he often sighed and said, “I shall be cast down to that place where Satan was cast down!”

Once, a monk from another country came to the saint to receive his guidance. He began to speak about sublime matters difficult to grasp. The saint turned away from him and was silent. They explained to the bewildered monk that the saint did not like to speak of lofty matters. Then the monk began to ask him about the struggle with passions of soul. The saint turned to him with a joyful face, “Now you have spoken well, and I will answer.” For a long while he provided instruction on how one ought to struggle with the passions and conquer them.

Saint Pimen died at age 110, about the year 450. Soon after his death, he was acknowledged as a saint pleasing to God. He was called “the Great” as a sign of his great humility, uprightness, ascetic struggles, and self-denying service to God.

Source: All texts Orthodox Church in America_OCA

GREAT MARTYR PHANOURIOS THE NEWLY-REVEALED OF RHODES

The following account of the life of Saint Phanourios was written by St. Nikephoros of Chios and included in the Kollyvades text known as the New Leimonarion.

From whence Phanourios, the splendid athlete of the Lord and invincible martyr, came, and of what parentage he was, and even in what age he lived and under the reign of which emperors he waged his struggle and fought his fight, we have been unable to ascertain, for the account of his life has been lost owing to the vicissitudes of time, as many other things also have been lost or become obscure or unclear. This only do we know, that when the Hagarenes ruled the renowned island of Rhodes, having conquered it because of our sins, he that became ruler of the island wished to rebuild the ramparts of the city that past sieges had ravaged. On the outskirts of the fortress were several ruined dwellings that had been abandoned by reason of their association with the old fortress, which was located a furlong to the south. From these ruins the Hagarenes were wont to gather stones for their construction.

It so happened that, while excavating and reinforcing that place, they discovered a most beautiful church, which was partly buried in ruins. Excavating as far as the floor of the temple, they found many holy icons, all decayed and crumbling, yet the icon of the holy Phanourios was whole and entire; indeed, it seemed as though it had been painted but that very day. And when this all-venerable temple was uncovered, together with its sacred icons, the hierarch of that place, Nilus by name, a man of great sanctity and learning, came and read the inscription of the icon, which said, “The Holy Phanourios.”

The Saint was depicted upon the icon as follows: He was shown as a young man, arrayed as a soldier, holding a cross in his right hand, and at the upper part of the cross there was a lighted taper. Round about the perimeter of the icon were twelve scenes from the holy one’s martyrdom, which showed the Saint being examined before the magistrate; then in the midst of soldiers, who were beating him about the mouth and head with stones; then stretched out upon the ground while the soldiers flogged him; then, stripped naked while they rent his flesh with iron hooks; then incarcerated in a dungeon; and again standing before the tyrant’s tribunal; then being burned with candles; then bound to a rack; then cast amidst wild beasts; then crushed with a great rock; then standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, whilst a demon nearby wept and lamented; and finally he is shown standing erect in the midst of a fiery furnace, his hands, as it were, uplifted towards Heaven.

From these twelve scenes depicted upon the icon, the holy hierarch perceived that the Saint was a martyr. Then straightway that good and pious man sent deputations to the rulers of that place, asking that they consign to him that temple for restoration, but this they declined to do. Therefore, the hierarch traveled to Constantinople alone and there obtained a decree empowering him to rebuild the church; thus it was restored to that state in which it can be seen even to this day, outside the city. And it has become the source of many miracles, of which I shall relate one for the profit of many, that all who love and venerate the Saint may rejoice.

At that time the isle of Crete had no Orthodox hierarch, but a Latin bishop, for it was ruled then by the Venetians, who had shrewdly refused to permit an Orthodox hierarch to be consecrated whenever one died. This they did with evil intent, thinking that with time they could thus convert the Orthodox to the papal doctrines. If Orthodox men wished to obtain ordination, they had to go to Kythera. It came to pass that there went forth from Crete three deacons, traveling to Kythera to be ordained priests by the hierarch there; and when this had been accomplished, and they were returning to their own country, the Hagarenes captured them at sea and brought them to Rhodes, where they were sold as slaves to other Hagarenes. The newly consecrated priests lamented their misfortune day and night.

But in Rhodes, they heard tell of the great wonders wrought by the Great Martyr Phanourios, and straightway they made fervent supplication to the Saint, beseeching him with tears to deliver them from their bitter bondage. And this they did each separately, without knowing ought of what the others were doing, for they had each been sold to a different master. Now, in accordance with the providence of God, however, they were all three permitted by their masters to go and worship at the temple of the Saint; and, guided by God, they came all together and fell down before the sacred icon of the Saint, watering the ground with the streams of tears, entreating him to deliver them out of the hands of the Hagarenes. Then they departed, somewhat consoled, each to his own master, hoping that they would obtain mercy, which in fact did come to pass; for the holy one had compassion upon their tears and hearkened unto their supplication. That night he appeared to the Hagarenes who were the masters of the captive priests, and commanded them to permit the servants of God to go and worship in his temple lest he bring dreadful destruction upon them. But the Hagarenes, thinking the matter sorcery, loaded them with chains and made their torments more onerous.

Then the Great Martyr Phanourios went to them that night and brought them forth from their bonds, and encouraged them, saying that the following day he would, by all means, free them. He then appeared to the Hagarenes and, reproaching them with severity, said: ‘If by tomorrow you have not set your servants at liberty, you shall behold the power of God!’ Thus saying, the holy one vanished. And, O, the wonder! As many as inhabited those houses all arose blind and paralyzed, tormented with the most dreadful pangs, the least with the greatest. But, though bedridden, with the help of their kinfolk they considered what to do, and finally decided to send for the captives. And when the three priests were come, they inquired of them if they were able to heal them; and they answered: ‘We shall beseech God. Let His will be done.’

But the Saint appeared again to the Hagarenes on the third night and said to them: ‘If ye do not send to my house letters of manumission for the priests, you shall have neither the health, nor the light [of sight] which you desire.’ And when they had again conferred with their kinfolk and friends, each one composed a letter of emancipation for his own slave, which were left before the icon of the Saint. And O, the wonder! Even before the messengers sent to the temple returned, those, who before were blind and paralyzed, were healed; and marveling they set the priests free and dispatched them to their homeland amicably. The priests, though, had a copy of the icon of St. Phanourios painted and took it with them to their own country, and each year the memory of the holy one is piously celebrated amongst them. By the prayers of the Martyr may Christ God have mercy upon us. Amen!

Source: Parish of the Kazan icon of the Mother of God

2 Corinthians 5:10-15

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. 12 For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Mark 1:9-15

9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. 14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

[hieromonkcharbel]

Echoing their scriptural roots and adhering to their monastic predecessors, Barsanuphius and John advocate and advance the dual nature of discernment as both given and gained, as accepted and acquired. On the one hand, they perceive discernment as a rare gift for some; on the other, they promote it as a mandatory virtue for all (Letters 518, 621–2, 647, and 681).

The “great old man” believes that a person can reach discernment only “with God’s assistance” (Letter 646). It may take concentrated effort and prolonged prayer—“sometimes one may spend … entire days” in the process (Letter 522)—to determine whether one’s actions align with godly discernment. Abba Poemen “sat quietly alone, discerning his thoughts for hours.” And on receiving the gift of discernment, Barsanuphius advises: “Let us guard this grace with gratitude; and let us not become like swine, unable to discern precious pearls” (Letter 647). He believes that “those who have spent a long time in the monastic life … ought to be able to discern the deeper thoughts of others” (Letter 98). Thus he prayed to God to heal Abbot Seridos, whom “he regarded as a genuine son” from childhood illness, while praying that the abbot himself might be granted the gift of discernment:

So he entreated God to grant [Seridos] the gift of discernment; once this was acquired, he was able to direct souls to life with the grace from above, as well as to heal the afflicted, bring the healing medicine of the word of the Spirit, and reward those who struggle with peace. (Letter 570c)

Barsanuphius advises Theodore that a mature monk can distinguish between two or even three thoughts at the same time—between “proper” and “crooked” thoughts (Letter 265), as well as between instinctive, irregular, and aberrant thoughts—in order to “detach the thorns and prickles, thereby seizing the grapes that strengthen and gladden the heart” (Letter 124). He describes discernment as an intuitive antenna or invisible receiver, capable of recognizing and reflecting “warmth and cold” in one’s inward thoughts and outward actions (Letter 154). As a result, one learns to distinguish “whether things are right or wrong” (Letter 17), good or bad (Letters 7 and 546), calm or turbulent (Letter 474), ultimately “discovering with certainty that in the alleged good that comes from the devil, there may no trace of good at all, but only vainglory or turmoil or something similar” (Letter 405).

The “other old man” again adopts a more practical approach, persistently underlining that “we [actually] require discernment” (Letter 518). In fact, “everyone requires discernment” (Letter 22), he writes, while for any wrongdoing, “one should always blame oneself for lack of discernment” (Letter 624): “One should always do everything with discernment. Knowing one’s limits is genuine discernment. Doing anything beyond one’s measure, whether almsgiving or anything else, is absence of discernment” (Letter 621). His advice is simple and sensible: “If it is something good, do it; if it is not, then do not do it. However, in order that the good may not be done with turmoil, examine the governing thought and discern how this is arising” (Letter 478).

Where the two elders clearly and categorically concur is on the inseparable link between discernment and humility, two virtues often cited together in a single breath. Indeed, discernment they expressly define as the absolute antithesis of conceit of trust in oneself. Whether discernment is a gift or feat, humility—the virtue of deferring to and lowering oneself before everyone and everything—is what ultimately enables us to rise above trivial circumstance and petty conduct in order to behold the divine mystery in all people and all things.

The Letters of Barsanuphius and John Desert Wisdom for Everyday Life John Chryssavgis

[sophiaepsiche]

I Padri del deserto e il conosci te stesso

‘Chi conosce se stesso, conosce Dio’ (Abba Antonio)

‘La conoscenza di sé è l’inizio della salvezza’ (Abba Poemen)

‘La vera conoscenza inizia con la conoscenza di sé’ (Evagrio Pontico)

‘La conoscenza di sé è il primo passo verso l’umiltà’ (Abba Doroteo di Gaza)

‘Più conosci te stesso meno giudichi gli altri’ (Macario il Grande)

‘Osserva te stesso e non giudicare gli altri’ (Abba Mosé l’Etiope)

‘La conoscenza di sé è la porta della compassione’ (Abba Giovanni Cassiano)

‘Conoscere se stessi significa accettarsi come si è ma non rimanere come si è’ (Abba Paolo)

‘Chi non conosce se stesso vive nell’illusione’ (Abba Isacco il Siro)

‘Conoscere se stessi è più difficile che conoscere il mondo intero’ (Abba Sisoes)

‘Chi si conosce veramente conosce la propria nullità e la grandezza di Dio’ (Abba Arsenio)

‘Conosci te stesso e conoscerai l’universo e gli dei’ (Abba Nilo)

‘La conoscenza di sé è un viaggio che dura tutta la vita’ (Abba Isaia)

fonte: fra stefano

Buona celebrazione dei santi!

[sogoodcontent]

Teaching your neighbor is like reproving him.

Abba Poemen

[tabernacleheart]

A brother came to Abba Poemen and said to him, “I have many sinful temptations and am in danger from them.” The elder took him out in to the open air and said to him, “Inflate your chest and hold the winds,” but he said, “I cannot do that.” The elder said to him, “If you cannot do that, neither can you prevent sinful temptations from coming in. Your task is to withstand them.”

Desert Fathers Wisdom, from the Monastery of Christ in the Desert

[orthodoxthoughts]

Abba Poemen also said that Abba Anthony said concerning Abba Pambo, “This man feared God so greatly that he made the Spirit of God to dwell in him.”

[dramoor]

[guiltywisdom]

Let us enter into our cell and sitting there, remember our sins and the Lord will come and help us in everything.

Saint Poemen the Great of Egypt

[thesynaxarium]

Today we also celebrate the Venerable Poemen the Great. Saint Poemen was an Egyptian by birth and a great ascetic of Egypt. As a boy he visited the most renewed spiritual men. He gathered tangible knowledge from them, as a bee gathers honey from flowers. Poemen once begged the elder Paul to take him to St. Paisius. Seeing Poemen, Paisius said to Paul: “This child will save many; the hand of God is on him.” In time Poemen was tonsured a monk, and attracted two of his brothers to the monastic life as well. Once his mother came to see her sons. Poemen did not allow her to enter but asked her through the door: “Do you desire more to see us here, or there, in eternity?” The mother withdrew with joy, saying: “Since I will surely see you there, then I do not desire to see you here!” In the monastery where these three brothers dwelled (which was governed by Abba Anoub, Poemen’s eldest brother), their rule was as follows: At night they spent four hours doing manual work, four hours sleeping, and four hours reading the Psalter. During the day, they alternated work and prayer from morning to noon, did their reading from noon until Vespers, and made supper for themselves after Vespers. This was the only meal in twenty-four hours, and it usually consisted of some kind of cabbage. Poemen is said to have commented: “We ate that which was given to us. No one ever said, ‘Give me something else,’ or ‘I do not want that.’ In this way, we spent our entire life in silence and peace.” Poemen lived a life of asceticism in the fifth century, and reposed peacefully in old age. May he intercede for us always + Source: https://www.gometropolis.org/orthodox-faith/feast-days/venerable-poemen-the-great/ (at Wadi El Natrun - El Alamein Rest) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChvN1aJvGUG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jeanchrisosme]

Enseigne ta bouche à dire ce que contient ton cœur.

Abbé Poemen

[donatoantonio75]

L’umiltà è, allora, la via della vera ascesi (parola che non vuol dire "salita" – si tratta piuttosto di una discesa – ma "esercizio"). Il padre Antonio disse: Vidi tutte le reti del Maligno distese sulla terra, e dissi gemendo: "Chi mai potrà scamparne?" E udii una voce che mi disse: "L’umiltà". Disse il padre Antonio al padre Poemen: "Questa è l’opera grande dell’uomo: gettare su di sé il proprio peccato; e attendersi tentazioni fino all’ultimo respiro". Sant'Antonio Abbate https://www.instagram.com/p/CbQkFhjrTlF/?utm_medium=tumblr

[onancientpaths]

“There is no greater love than that a man lays down his life for his neighbor. When you hear someone complaining and you struggle with yourself and do not answer him back with complaints; when you are hurt and bear it patiently, not looking for revenge; then you are laying down your life for your neighbor.” - Abba Poemen (Sayings of the Desert Fathers)

[hieromonkcharbel]

Saint Poemen - Feast August 27th

Leader of a group of hermits in the desert of Skete in Egypt, living in the abandoned ruins of a pagan temple at Terenuth. Noted for his strong discipline, permitting himself and his brothers four hours of sleep a day, spending the rest of the time in chores, prayers or study. One of the very few survivors of barbarian raids in 407. Urged frequent Communion for all; had a way with words and was known for his wise sayings.