Chapter 107 John Moschos, Spiritual Orchard (Meadow) - A beautiful story!!!! Well worth the lengthy read. About a mile away from the Jordan there is a monastery known as abba Gerasimus’ monastery. When we visited it the old men living there told us about abba Gerasimus. One day as he was walking by the banks of the Jordan he met a lion in the way, roaring loudly. He was holding in the air one swollen paw covered in bloody matter, caused by a sharp sliver of reed embedded in it. When the lion saw the old man he stood still and held out the wounded paw with the reed in it, as if weeping and asking to be cured. When the old man realised the plight the lion was in he took the lion’s paw, probed the wound and drew out the reed along with a quantity of pus, carefully cleaned the wound and bandaged it and sent the lion on his way. But when the lion realised he had been cured he refused to desert the old man but followed him everywhere like a disciple following a master. The old man was amazed at the gratitude which a wild beast was capable of, and looked after it from then on, feeding it on bread and soaked vegetables. Now this monastery had an ass, which they used for carrying water from the Jordan to supply the brothers’ needs. And it became the old man’s custom to let the lion guard the ass while it was grazing. The lion would go with the ass down to the banks of the Jordan and watch it while it grazed. One day, however, the lion wandered off for quite a distance, just when a camel driver from Arabia came along, saw the ass, caught it and took it away with him. Finding the ass missing the lion returned to the monastery and hung his head, obviously grief-stricken, before abba. Gerasimus, who thought that the lion must have eaten the ass. “Where is the ass?” he said. But the lion, just as human being might do, looked away and said nothing. “Well the Lord be blessed if you haven’t eaten it!” said the abba. “So everything that the ass used to do you will have to do from now on.” So the lion henceforth had to carry a harness containing four amphorae in which he carried water for the monastery. One day a soldier came to the old man to ask his blessing. When he saw the lion carrying water and learned the reason for it, he took pity on the lion, and offered the old men three coins to buy another ass for this task, so that there would be no need for the lion to do it. Soon after this transaction was completed and the lion relieved of his burden, the camel driver who had stolen the ass came back carrying wheat for sale in the holy city and he still had the ass with him. As he was crossing the Jordan he met the lion, and as soon as he had seen it he let the camels go and fled. But the lion recognised the ass, ran up to it and took the ass’ halter in his mouth just as he used to do. He joyfully led the ass and three camels back to the old man, roaring loudly, because he had found the ass which was lost. So the old man who had thought that the lion had swallowed the ass now learned that the lion had suffered a great injustice. He called the lion “Jordan”, and he never left the old man but continued to live in the monastery with the brothers for more than five years. In the providence of God the lion was not in the monastery when the old man passed to the Lord and was buried. But a little while after the lion came into the monastery and abba Sabbatius, Gerasimus’ disciple, noticed the lion looking for the old man. “Jordan,” said Sabbatius, “our father has left us both orphans and passed to the Lord. Try and get used to it, and come and take some food.” But the lion would not eat, and kept on looking about this way and that way, searching for the old man, roaring loudly, unable to bear the old man’s absence. Abba Sabbatius and the other old men stroked his neck and told him over and over again that the old man had passed to the Lord and had left us, but whatever they said they were unable to lessen his grief or his roaring. The more they tried to cherish and console him by their words, the greater his grief, the louder he roared and lamented, showing in his voice, his face and his eyes his distress at not seeing the old man. “Come with me, seeing that you don’t believe us,” said abba Sabbatius to him at last, “and I will show you where our old man has been laid.” So he led the lion to where the old man was buried, about five paces outside the church. “This is where our old man is buried,” said abba Sabbatius to the lion, as he stood above abba Gerasimus’ grave. And Abba Sabbatius prostrated himself over the old man’s grave. The lion understood what was said to him, and when he saw abba Sabbatius prostrate on the grave, weeping, he too lay down, striking head forcefully on the ground and roaring. And suddenly, there he died, on the old man’s grave.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 06:18:36 +0000
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