St.
Bishoy
Saturday,
November 18, 2006
St. Bishoy
( 8 Abib/
15 July )
For the
Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the
LORD looks at the heart." (1Sam 16:7)
St. Bishoy was born to Christian parents in Shensa,
Egypt. He had six brothers. The angel of The Lord
appeared to his mother, in a dream, and said to her, "The Lord asks for
one of your sons to serve Him."
The mother answered, "Take anyone." , the angel took hold of St. Bishoy's hand and said, "this
is the one that God has Chosen."
Later
on, the angel of God appeared to St. Bishoy and
called him into the desert. He responded to the call and went to the wilderness
of Sheheet where he became a monk under the guidance
of Anba Bemwa.
He observed a strict and holy
solitary life in the desert and deserved to have several visions of The Lord
Jesus Christ.
St.
Bishoy became famous by his love to entertain and
look after the strangers. It happened once that The Lord Jesus Christ appeared
to him in the image of an old man travelling in the desert. St. Bishoy hosted Him and washed His feet. The Lord revealed
Himself to thr saint and called him "My beloved Bishoy". The Lord also told St. Bishoy
that whatever he asks in His Name will be given to him.
In another occasion, The Lord appeared to St. Bishoy and gave him a fixed date when He will appear. St. Bishoy hurried to his brothers, the monks, and told them
about The Lord's expected appearance.
At the right time, they all hurried to the place that
God specified. On their way, an old man met them and asked the reason for their
hurry. They told him about the expected appearance of God. So he begged them to
carry him, as he was sick, to see God with them as well. They refused and
apologised due to lack of time.
St. Bishoy passed by the
same old man, and being a lover of strangers, he carried him on his shoulders.
It was revealed later that the old man was The Lord Jesus Himself and nobody
else saw Him except St. Bishoy. It was the saint's
reward for loving and serving strangers and keeping God's commandments.
St. Bishoy passed away on 8th
Abib. There is a monastery built after his name,
which still exists in Wadi El Natroun till today.
