Righteous, blameless, avoiding all evil, O father, you were venerable and gentle, serving God in holiness, wherefore the Trinity dwells in your heart, whom you now enjoy more clearly with radiant wonder.
(Troparion, Ode 9 of the Canon to Saint Sisoy the Great)
19 July — feast of Venerable Sisoy the Great.
Among the revered fathers who toiled in Egypt’s deserts, Abba Sisoy shone for his deep humility. This virtue he not only treasured but, through his angelic way of life, taught to all who gathered around him.
While still a youth, he turned his back on worldly ways and went to strive in the Scetis desert, with Abba Hor as his teacher. As Nitria grew crowded, much like a large town filled with many men devoted to spiritual discipline, Sisoy and his disciple Abraham sought quieter refuge in Clisuma (Suez). After the passing of the revered Anthony the Great, Abba Sisoy made his way to the place of Anthony’s earlier efforts and settled in his cave. Saint Sisoes would often say, “A fox has made its home in the lion’s den.” When asked if he had reached the spiritual height of Abba Anthony, he answered with modesty: “If I possessed even a single thought of Abba Anthony, I would burst into flame, yet I know one man who can, though with great effort, carry the wisdom of Abba Anthony.”
Abba Sisoy thought very little of himself. No matter how strict his lifestyle grew, he viewed himself as self-indulgent and wanting too much, and he hoped others believed this of him too. Once, some hermits came to see him, asking for a little guidance. The Abba made his excuses and let them speak with his follower instead. But while they were talking, and in reply to a question from the visitors, the revered father called out from his open window that Sisoy was a glutton, eating far more than he ever needed. The monks knew how strict his self-denial truly was. They were amazed by this display of humility and went back to their own small rooms, feeling very content with their visit.
Drawn by tales of his holy ways, three hermits once came to see the elder. They began to put their worries to him. “Father,” one asked, “what must I do to escape the fire of hell?” The elder offered no reply. “And I, father,” another put in, “how can I avoid the gnashing of teeth and the undying worm of hell?” The third man then enquired, “And what of me? I am gripped by a deathly fear whenever I picture that utter darkness.”
At this, Abba Sisoy spoke. “Truth be told, brothers,” he said, “such matters have never crossed my mind. I simply know that God is so good, and I trust He will have mercy on me.” The monks had hoped for a clearer, more detailed answer, and so they departed, a little downcast. But the saint could not bear to see them go away unhappy. He called them back and, with the deepest humility, said, “You are blessed, brothers, and I admire your goodness. You spoke to me of the pains of hell, and I see your minds are so full of these things. This must surely steer you away from wrongdoing. But me! What am I to do with a heart so unfeeling that I do not even consider a place of reckoning after death for those who do wrong? This lack of feeling, I am sure, is why I fall into so much error.”
The visitors, astonished by this plain humility, begged his forgiveness. They returned to their homes, declaring that all they had heard of his humble nature was absolutely true.
Venerable Sisoy the Great. Fresco from Dionysiou Monastery, Athos, 1547 (artist: Zorzis Foukas)
The saint’s self-criticism was equally striking. Now and then, a fellow monk would arrive from Pispir carrying supplies. One time, ten full months passed without such a visit. As Sisoy roamed the mountain, he chanced upon a hunter. This man came from the Paran desert in Sinai and had gone eleven months without setting eyes on another soul. The aged hermit returned to his cell and beat his chest, exclaiming, “And you imagined you had achieved something special! In truth, you have not even equalled this layman!”
Righteous Sisoy held fasting dear, and prayer so captured his thoughts that food would often slip his memory for days on end. When Abraham, his young follower, gently pointed this out, the Abba, quite taken aback, asked simply, “Have we not eaten then, my child?” Abraham confirmed they had not. “Well then,” Sisoy declared, “bring a little something, and let us have a meal.”
One day, the brethren questioned him: “If a brother falls into sin, is a full year enough for penance?” “That is a hard judgement,” Sisoy replied. They pressed him further: “Does that mean, then, that six months would do for a sinner to repent?” “Still too much time,” the elder answered. “Perhaps,” the group enquired again, “are forty days enough for him to turn from his wrongdoing?” “Much too long,” the Abba stated once more. He then said: “I trust in the mercy of God, who loves us all. If someone turns from sin with their whole heart, God will welcome this change within three days.”
One brother then asked the elder once more, “Father, what am I to do? I have strayed into sin.” “Mend your ways, my son,” the elder replied, “and you will find salvation.” “But after trying to mend them, I have strayed again,” the brother said, his voice heavy. “Then mend them once more,” the elder gently advised. “But for how long?” the brother asked. “How long must I keep stumbling and getting back up?” “Until your final day comes,” the elder told him, “and it finds you walking either in goodness or in wrongdoing. So, you must always keep striving to do good, that your end might find you in that very state.”
St Sisoy the Great at the Tomb of Alexander The Great. Fresco from Varlaam Monastery In Meteora, Greece, 1556
“Ah, death, death!” cried the Venerable Sisoy the Great, as he stood before the tomb of Alexander the Great. “Alexander, the whole world was not enough for you, yet now two handfuls of earth are all you have!” This saint always kept the thought of death before him, and by this, he overcame the world’s empty promises. He always held fast to his humility, a grace that shone with a special light as his own time drew near. It was made clear to this righteous man that his hour had come. The brothers gathered about their teacher, who lay on his deathbed. The holy man’s face grew radiant, and he said: “Behold, Abba Anthony has come.”
Then, after a brief pause, he said again: “Behold, the assembly of the prophets has come.” His face shone even more, and he said: “Behold, the assembly of the apostles has come.” And his face shone with a double brightness, as he spoke with those no one else could see.
The brothers pleaded with him: “Father, tell us: with whom do you speak?” And he told them: “Angels have come to take me, but I am asking them to leave me for a short while, so that I may truly repent.” “You have no need of such searching of heart, father,” said his companions. To this, the elder replied: “In truth, I do not know if I have even begun that work in myself.” But everyone knew he was a man of complete goodness. After this, Abba Sisoy’s face became so radiant, it was like the sun, and all who watched were filled with awe. Then the revered man said: “Behold, the Lord Himself is coming! Look, all of you!” At that moment, a voice was heard, saying: “Bring Me the chosen vessel from the desert!”
With these words, the Venerable Sisoy commended his spirit to the Lord. In that same instant, lightning flashed, and a sweet perfume filled his cell.
Great indeed was Saint Sisoy in fasting, humility, kindness, and love for others. Having drawn his earthly life to such a blessed close, the venerable saint passed into the life that never ends. Now he lives with Christ, delighting in His presence with those very companies of saints he saw at his own passing. Through the prayers of our venerable father Sisoy, may we also be found worthy of this same happiness, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
***
It was the nineteenth of July in 1788, the feast of Venerable Sisoy. As fate would have it, on that very same day, the Russian fleet won a splendid victory at sea against the Swedes. In gratitude, the Russian Imperial Navy bestowed his name upon several mighty vessels: three ships of the line and a formidable squadron battleship.
Squadron battleship of the Baltic Fleet “Sisoy the Great”. Commissioned in August 1896.
As one who lived like the bodiless hosts and shared the lot of all the saints, you armed yourself, wise one, with fasting and watchful prayer. For this you received from God the gift to heal sickness and drive away evil spirits. Therefore, we cry out to you: Rejoice, our father Sisoy, venerable and wise.
Kontakion, Tone 8
Material prepared by the team of obitel-minsk.ru
Photographs from the internet
Sources:
1. Lives of the Saints in Russian, set out according to the guidance of the Menaion of Saint Demetrius of Rostov / 12 volumes. — Moscow: "Kovcheg", 2010.
2. Poselyanin E. Complete Collection of Lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Greek-Russian Church. St Petersburg, [n.d.].
3. Menaion. July, part 1, published by the Moscow Patriarchate, pp. 333, 334, 336.
