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Saint John the Silent 12/16/2013
Saint John was born at Nicopolis in Pontus of father Eucratius and mother Euphemia. When he was eighteen years old, he became a monk and led a severe and resolute ascetic struggle cleansing his heart in tears, fasting and prayer. After ten years, he was consecrated Bishop of Colonia. With his example of devout life he brought to the faith in Christ his brother Pergamius and his uncle Theodore who were high officials at the court of the Emperors Zenon and Justinian. Observing the wickedness and disorder of this world, which he was not able to cure, he decided to leave the Episcopal throne. Dressed as an ordinary monk, he arrived at the Lavra of Saint Sabas near Jerusalem and lived there for many years not revealing his identity and obediently and diligently performing all the tasks assigned to him by the abbot. Because of this Saint Sabas suggested to the Patriarch Elias to ordain him priest. When the Patriarch was about to ordain him, Saint John confessed that he had already been ordained Bishop. Then he withdrew to a cell and spent long years in silence and prayer. Afterwards he left for the desert, where he lived for nine years solely on wild vegetables, and then returned to the monastery. He advised the faithful against the Origen’s heresy and contributed a great deal to its extinction and condemnation. He had the gifts of prescience and of discernment of thoughts and of healing various sicknesses. Having defeated his own self, he could easily defeat evil spirits. Great in humility, in divine strength and wisdom, this servant of Christ fell asleep in peace in the year 558, when he was a hundred and four years of age.
