Every July 18, the Catholic Church remembers Saint Arsenius, an anchorite monk who lived between the 4th and 5th centuries, famous for his wisdom and virtue. He is considered one of the so-called ‘Desert Fathers’, the spiritual movement made up of monks, hermits and anchorites who, after the Constantinian peace, abandoned the cities of the Empire and retired to the desert to lead a life of prayer and asceticism. .
Saint Arsenius became known for his gift of counseling those who had lost their way in the spiritual life. Many people used to go to meet him. Some of them traveled for weeks and even months to reach his cell, in order to find comfort or light in his words. During his lifetime he received the nickname ‘the Great’.
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“I will follow you wherever you go” (Lk 9, 57)
It is believed that Arsenius was born in Rome around the year 350. He possibly belonged to a noble family and was educated with care and neatness. In the year 383, Emperor Theodosius I the Great called him to be tutor to his sons Arcadius and Honorius, following the advice of Pope Saint Damasus I, and he lived for just over ten years in the imperial palace.
At the age of 40, after a profound spiritual crisis, Arsenio understood that God was asking him for a total change of life: “Get away from dealing with people and go to solitude.” Thus, he left Constantinople – where he was at that time – and secretly embarked in the direction of Alexandria, until he reached the desert of Scetis.
Tested
Arsenio appeared at the local monastery around the year 400. The abbot, aware of his nobility and refinement, subjected him to a very demanding regime with the purpose of testing his vocation. The first night, the abbot threw his food on the ground and told him: “Eat!” Arsenio thanked the abbot and knelt to collect the food from him. Everyone was impressed by his good temperament and humility.
It was not strange in those days for these types of practices to occur as ways to test the will and desire of a person who said they wanted to live only for God. Arsenius, in this sense, clearly demonstrated that he was fit for a life of mortification and sacrifice, and was admitted to the monastic life.
Dead to the things of the world
Saint Arsenius would become known for his penitent spirit and obedient soul. It was common for him to spend the night in prayer, mortifying himself through fasting and manual work. He used to write and repeat “sentences” (short instructive phrases) that were of great help to his brothers or to those who listened to him.
On one occasion he was told that a Roman senator had left him a large fortune. The saint gave it up to give it to the poor. Referring to the donor he exclaimed: “Before he died in his body, I died in my ambitions and greed. I do not want worldly riches that prevent me from acquiring the riches of heaven.”
Saint Arsenius died in Troe (Egypt) in the year 445.
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If you want to know more about this saint, we recommend this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Arsenio,_San.
Central Editorial
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