- St Alexis, the Man of God (411)
- He was born of pious and noble parents in Rome in the time of the
Emperor Honorius. His parents, Euphemianus and Agalais, set a high
standard of godly living: his father, though wealthy, sat down to dine
only once a day, at sunset. By his parents' arrangement Alexis was
married at a young age. However, without ever living with his new wife,
he fled to Edessa in Mesopotamia, where he lived in asceticism for
eighteen years, presenting himself as a beggar in order to avoid the
praise of men. When, despite his efforts, he began to be known as a
holy man, he fled the city and took ship for Laodicea. By divine
providence, the ship was blown off course and forced to land in Rome.
Taking this as a sign, Alexis, still disguised as a beggar, returned to
his parents' house, where he sat at the gates, unrecognized by any of
his family. His father, not knowing who he was, allowed him to live in a
hut in his courtyard. There Alexis spent another seventeen years,
living only on bread and water. He died clutching a piece of paper on
which he had revealed his true identity. At the time of his death, the
pope of Rome heard a voice saying "Look for the Man of God," and
revealing where he should look. It is said that the Emperor Honorius,
the Pope and a large retinue came to the house, where they found Alexis
dead in his tiny hut, his face shining like the sun. His parents and
wife were at first overcome with grief to learn that their son and
husband had been secretly living near them, but they were comforted when
they saw that his body healed the sick and exuded a fragrant myrrh.
Thus they knew that God had glorified him. His head is preserved at the
Church of St Laurus on the Peloponnese.
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source: http://www.abbamoses.com
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