Pope Kyrillos on Reading and Praying

His Holiness, the Pope, continues to advise his spiritual son (a monk), to make of him a beacon for the entire world. "When you come back from work, take off your clothes, wash your face and rest a little. If you want to have some recreation, you can go outside far from noise, and ponder the works of the Creator and the beauty of nature. Thank and praise the Lord. Do not reflect too much on the affairs of life. Do not worry about anything. Cast your burdens upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you. Do not stay too late outside; it is better not to be out after eight o'clock. Do not be outside your room after ten o'clock if possible, so that you can find time to read a little and to pray. This is not difficult advice so do not ignore it and say, 'I do not have time for such things.'

"If you have trained yourself in these things, you will reap the fruits or rewards thereof. Once you have tried it, you will find it so easy. It is natural that in the beginning, the enemy of righteousness will try to make the matter difficult for you, but day after day, you will find that it is very easy and you will want to increase this practice. Brother, as you care for your body, you should also care for your soul. It is your duty to do so."

+Pope Kyrillos VI, Christian Behaviour p. 11.

Pope Kyrillos VI on Spiritual Reading

Pope Kyrillos VI lives in this manner. He read the Holy Bible daily until the day of his death. He also would read the saints' books especially the sayings of St. Isaac. Nothing prevented him from his readings, whether other work, fatigue or sickness. His speech was always from the Holy Scriptures and the sayings of St. Isaac whenever he spoke to his disciples, the monks, or visitors. He said, "I was tonsured a monk, and from that day on, I began learning the laws of monasticism from the fathers. I studied the saints' books, especially the book of the great saint, St. Isaac. I felt the blessings of God increasing on a daily basis."

He wrote to one of his spiritual sons, a monk, "Persist in and honour reading, if possible more than prayer. Reading is the spring of intelligent prayer. For, as I had previously told you, reading for a good purpose will show you how to walk on the virtuous path. Whoever reads the books to understand the path of virtue, this path will be opened before him."

+Christian Behaviour, p. 40

Bidding Farewell - Life of Fr. Benyamin the Hermit

When his health began to improve he insisted on returning to his cave, and the doctors who treated him permitted him to leave the hospital to return to the monastery but not back to his cave. Nevertheless, when he arrived at the monastery he insisted on returning to his cave and he did.

The last time for him to return to the hospital was due to him collapsing and hitting his head on the ground, leaving him unconscious for days. When he began to regain his consciousness little by little he tried to get up and walk to the cave’s door to find someone to help him. God willed that some of the Fathers were making their way to see him; they found him standing in front of his cave as if he was lost and they found out what happened from him. He was standing trying to grab the attention of another hermit far from him, many kilometers away!!!

In the hospital to which he was transferred to immediately, he quickly received the results of the x-rays which showed that he had internal bleeding in his brain, between the membranes. This is what caused his ongoing suffering and severe headaches, the time was too late for any surgical intervention and his gums were injured. He was continuously bleeding until he went into a coma.

In spite of all of this Fr. Benyamin still carried out his spiritual rule, especially the Agpeya prayers and his Bible readings, committed to this even in the remaining days of his life. Even in carrying out what he can from the readings with the help of the Fathers the monks. He also confessed and partook of the Holy Mysteries more than once in that period.

The psalm that he loved and constantly recited was, “Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens.” (Psalm 122). The last book that he was reading was “The Way to the Kingdom”, the doctor who treated him kept and held on to the book after him.

He distributed most of his own personal books as gifts to all those who were around him, as if he felt that he no longer needed them.

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The Demons and the Monk - Life of Fr. Benyamin the Hermit

Fr. Benyamin the Hermit

  The visitors sensed that he spoke with difficulty especially in the beginning where he would be silent for a while before he started talking to them with the least amount of words.

When he wanted to return to praying with a low voice he sought the guidance of his spiritual father which showed the great care the Father gave to his spiritual life.

In Salam Hospital which he spend his last few days in, he would be bothered by the crowds of people (visitors who were relatives of hospital patients). Because of this, he started behaving differently to make them leave his room. He would begin weeping when this would happen and when those close to him asked him of his scandalous behavior, they found out that he wasn’t at rest with the behavior of the visitors (how they flocked to him in crowds).

Some of the Fathers who knew him well said that he received his guests cheerfully and with joy, but he would end up taking away the time he spent with them from his sleep so as not to reduce from his rule and struggle.

Despite his great labors near the end of his life, he would pray the Divine Liturgy standing in all humility and reverence, refusing to receive the Holy Mysteries on his sickbed and always insisted on attending the liturgy when he wanted to partake of the Communion saying, “I must live the Eucharistic journey.”

His Warfare with the Devil:

He endured many fights from the demons who tried to make him doubt the path he has taken. Like everyone else, he suffered, was bothered, and endured grief and faintheartedness. He told some of the Fathers that many times he felt the weight of this warfare, as if the devil stood menacingly before him and sometimes face to face.

He once said that sometimes during prayer he felt as if someone was trying to shut his mouth to stop him from praying, telling us at other times when he stood for prayer he

felt as if something was weighing down on him preventing him from standing. Also, when he felt that his thoughts began to scatter in his mind, as a result of the demons’ wars he would yell in a loud voice “Liars, liars…” like how Christ described them, the enemy, the devil the liar and the father of it (John 8:44)... to dispel the war of thoughts.

Some of the Fathers heard him when he was in his cell in the monastery during the period of his illness, yelling at night in a frightening way, calling for God and the saints. He lived in the monastery near a blind monk, the monk would move quietly towards his cell and when he knocked on the door of the cell with his stick, the demons would disperse and the fight would fade.

The Crucified Monk - Life of Fr. Benyamin the Hermit

Fr. Benyamin the Hermit

`The Crucified Monk` Icon

His Readings:

Next to his daily readings of the Holy Bible, Fr. Benyamin used to read the whole Gospel of St. John as part of the hermit rite, in addition to Paradise of the Fathers and others books of the sayings of the Fathers like those of Mar Isaac. Sometimes he would go to the monastery’s library to borrow a book and would finish it before returning it back.

It is worth mentioning that during Fr. Benyamin’s last period of illness, he would be unable to focus on the readings. He would read chapters 13 to 17 from the Gospel of St. John as he wanted, and would constantly contemplate them. They were the chapters of the Lord Christ’s farewell discourse to His disciples before His crucifixion.


His Moving to Baramos Monastery:

After some time of thinking and praying and in light of other factors, Fr. Benyamin asked H.H. the Pope to allow him to join the monastic community of the Baramos Monastery so that he may continue his life of silence in the same cave.

He was able to go back starting Saturday 22/09/1984 (12^th of Tout, 1701), returning to the Baramos Monastery until his departure.

Other Features of his struggle in his Life:

We will give some of the features of his personal spiritual life:

His Love for Silence: Rarely did he speak, but with a bright smile of his peaceful and meek face, he would sit with his visitors looking the opposite direction or towards the floor. The one who sat with him would feel as if he was sitting with an innocent child! One of the hermit fathers who lived near him said that he was very simple and innocent, without any malice or guile and lived a modest life. Other Fathers said of him that he never condemned or hurt anyone but supported the distressed and endured patiently. Those who upset him and those Fathers who praised him for his virtues and spoke of his great ascetic endeavor, made him feel ashamed to be compared to the great saints.

Fr. Benyamin in front of his cave

For a long time he committed himself to absolute silence under the guidance of his spiritual father, even in his cave he would pray and praise silently without making a sound. This period of absolute silence extended over four years in which he prayed and praised in thought alone which gave him a greater depths in calmness. Many days would pass by without anyone hearing a sound from him, but when some Fathers visited he would stop his practice of silence and would talk with them normally out of love and to conceal this practice.

TO BE CONTINUED…


 

The Warrior Monk - Life of Fr. Benyamin the Hermit

His tears were his spiritual passion, gushing and passionate, and he was affected greatly by the pain of others as he was one body with them. The monk would close the door of his cell to open to the door of his heart to the world (The Church is the body of Christ).

When Fr. Benyamin heard that the Father who was serving him was ill, he wept for him and began asking each of the monks about him until he recovered.

He was very committed to his spiritual rule and tasks (for prayer, etc.),and when he wanted to add something new to his rule like prayer, he would begin little by little (even if it’s only 5 or 10 minutes in the day). He would regularly observe this exercise until it was established and he was consistent in it. Then he would add to it gradually during a long period, and this shows his great concern with carrying out his spiritual rule without haste, and also shows how he prioritized his time.

Those who were with him during his last illness, said that he prayed in his sleep. His lips moved in prayer even in his extreme weakness, he did not reduce from his prayer rule.

Fr. Elisha El-Baramosy who stayed with him during his last days until his departure, said that he used to ask him to start praying from the Agpeya so that he can join him in the psalms, the litanies and the rest prayers of the Agpeya.

When one of the Fathers asked him about the mealtime, he answered him saying that the monk must pray the Ninth Hour first and then he can eat afterwards, if he chooses to do so. This is how he was very serious…and keen.

I keep on falling...there is no hope!

Fr. Mina the Hermit (Pope Kyrillos VI)

The relationship a monk has with his spiritual father is one of humility and obedience. The monks and nuns have a special relationship with their spiritual father or mother. It is no different with the disciples of Fr. Mina the Hermit (later Pope Kyrillos VI) who trusted that their father would guide them on their path towards Christ. Fr. Mina instructed them in the monastic path and cared for their salvation, and glory to God, we have his letters which can also help us in our lives here in the world. Fr. Mina gives them lots of practical advice like when to sign themselves with the sign of the cross, to how they should walk and what prayers to say while walking. To us living in the world we can be stubborn and troubled with pride when we hear these words of Fr. Mina, but we must be reminded that he was often addressing monks and even the most simple action he teaches his disciples to do, can bear lots of fruit if only we ask God to heal us from our blindness and to open our eyes to His mysteries.

Not only monastics must be disciplined, but we also must be disciplined in everything we do! Before reading some of what this holy father taught, I would like to start with some of his words which provides us with the answer as to why we must be watchful and disciplined in all our actions.

“Everything should have order and discipline, because our God is a God of order and discipline. When this is so, there will be blessing and grace. Consider the miracle Jesus did when He fed the multitudes on five loaves and two fish, and see how Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Make them sit down by fifties in a company’. Is this not an indication of order and discipline? It is imperative to follow order in eating, drinking, as you sit, in your clothing, in your behavior, in your laughter, in your prayer, while fasting, in your hymns, in your speech, in all your dealings.” (Christian Behavior, p. 7)

Let this serve for us a reminder to be obedient to our spiritual fathers, to ask them for a prayer rule, how to fast, how to serve, when and what to pray, etc. Let’s not grow lazy when we are asked to do something by our spiritual father or mother, every time you fall…get up! Remember these words of Pope Kyrillos VI:

“If you have trained yourself in these things, you will reap fruits or rewards thereof. Once you have tried it, you will find it so easy. It is natural that in the beginning, the enemy of righteousness will try to make the matter difficult for you, but day after day, you will find that it is very easy and you will want to increase this practice. Brother, as you care for your body, you should also care for your soul. It is your duty to do so.”



And if you try to do what your spiritual father or confessor tells you to do but fail and end up falling into despair and thinking that your condition is helpless and can’t be fixed, then remember also these words by another holy saint, St. John Climacus, otherwise known as St. John of the Ladder:

“Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who guards you will honour your patience."

Be patient, fight the good fight!

A monk was once asked, what do you do there in the monastery? He replied, ‘We fall and get up, fall and get up, fall and get up again.’