Today the Church commemorates Saint Athanasius the Athonite, Saint Lampados the Wonderworker and Hieromartyr Stephen, Bishop of Reggio in Calabria.
Saint Athanasius, who came from Trebizond from a wealthy family, completed his studies at the schools of Constantinople.
While in Constantinople, the desire to become a monk, to reach the edge of ascetic life and to achieve his union with Christ was born in his soul. That is why he went to Mount Kyminas in Asia Minor, where a Monastery was located and its Abbot was Michael, the so-called Malinos. Because he reached high points of virtue there and everyone honoured him, he decided to leave and go to Athos.
Then, after divine revelation, he departed and went to the depth of the Desert of Mount Athos. There, after many requests from Emperor Nikephoros Phocas, his acquaintance, he built a temple in honour of Virgin Mary. Painstakingly he built the Holy Monastery of Great Lavra, which is the oldest monastery on Mount Athos.
The way the Saint died was the crowning of his works. The roof of the temple of the Monastery needed to be rebuilt. Saint Athanasius, although in an old age, ascended to the roof, which collapsed and crushed him along with other brothers of the Monastery.
The offering of Saint Athanasius, both in spiritual exercise and in manual work, remains in the history of Orthodox monasticism as an example of a humble and hard-working monk to imitate.
By Bishop Gregorios of Mesaoria
