St.
John the Short
Saturday,
November 18, 2006
St. John the Short
( 20 Hatour / 30 October)
“ Obey those who rule over you, and be
submissive.”
)Heb
13:17)
Our Coptic Orthodox Church
celebrates the feast of the departure of Saint John the Short, on 30th
October (20th Hatour).
He is one of the pillars of
monasticism in the wilderness of Shihet in the
western desert of Egypt. He was the son of poor parents of “Tese”.
Nothing much is known about
this Saint’s childhood. He was born about 399 AD. And at the age of 18, he went
to the wilderness, about 357 AD.
Since his childhood, St. john preferred solitude, keeping quietly to himself. When he
decided to lead a monastic life, he went to Anba Bemoe in the wilderness of Shihet,
asking to be ordained a monk. The great saint, Anba Bamoe, refused due to the Saint’s young age, as he was
about 18 years old.
After much insistence Anba Bemoe, spent all night
praying asking praying asking for God’s guidance concerning the young brother.
He was directed to accept him as he was to become a fruitful seed in the desert
and would attract many disciples. And so he was ordained a monk. Trained by Anba Bemoe,
whom he obeyed all the time. He concentrated on prayer, contemplation
and study of the scripture.
It happened once that Anba Bemoe wanted to test St.
John’s steadiness, so he asked him to return home, as he could not cope with
the rough ascetic life. All St. John’s pleadings failed to convince his
teacher, so he remained for a whole week, standing outside Anba
Bemoe’s cell till he opened and let him in.
On another occasion, Anba Bemoe wanted to examine St.
John’s obedience. So he gave him a piece of dry wood and asked him to plant it
and keep on watering it until it bears fruit. St. John obeyed and did as he was
told. He used to water it twice a day, bringing water from far away spring.
After three years, the wood came to life and bore fruit. Anbe
Bemoe took some of the fruit and carried it to the
Church saying to the brethren, “Take, it and eat from the fruit of obedience.”
Therefore the tree became known as the “ Tree of
Obedience” and it was said that it remained alive till the year 1921 AD.
It happened that Anba Bemoe became seriously ill
for twelve years, during this period, St. John kept on serving his teacher
honestly till the end. Before Anba Bemoe’s departure and in the presence of all the fathers,
he took hold of St. John’s hand and said, “This is an Angel not a human being.”
St. John was a kind father
and an honest guide for many monks. He also used to travel for long distances
to show sinners the right way. An unforgettable case is how he saved Paesa, the young girl who began to live an evil life after
the death of her rich parents. St. john traveled to where she lived, guided her, and gave her his
advice. She listened to him and was eager to truly repent. She left her house
and went with St. John, but she died on the same night and left the Saint
puzzled about her salvation. While praying fervently, he heard a voice telling
him that due to her true repentance, she has been saved.
St. john
was also known for his deep contemplation, as his spirit was always fixed in
God. A man came with his camel to pick up the baskets that monks weave. He
knocked on the door and asked St. John to bring what he had woven. St. John
went inside but forgot as his mind was busy thinking of God, the man knocked
twice and three times and each time
as the Saint goes in his cell to
bring the baskets he forgets, so
