Pastoral Rule, Dialogues & Letters 96

GREGORY: But he of whom I made mention above, Eleutherius, father of the monastery of the blessed Evangelist Mark, which is situated in the environs of the city of Spoleto, dwelt long with me in this city in my monastery, and there died. His disciples used to relate that he had by praying raised a dead man to life. He was a man of such great simplicity and compunction, that there was no doubt that those tears, poured forth from so humble and simple a mind, could obtain many things before almighty God. Of him therefore I relate a certain miracle, which, being questioned, he himself also simply confessed to me. For on a certain day, while he was making a journey, evening having come, when there was no place for him to lodge, he came to a monastery of virgins,

in which there was a certain little boy, whom a malignant spirit had been accustomed to vex every night. But the holy nuns, when they had received the man of God, begged him, saying: 'With you, Father, let this boy remain this night.' He kindly received him, and permitted him to lie with him that same night. But when morning came, the holy nuns began vigilantly to inquire of the same Father, whether the boy whom they had given him had done anything to him that same night. He, wondering why they inquired thus, answered: 'Nothing.'

Then they made known to him the case of that same boy, and revealed that the malignant spirit departed from him on no night, earnestly requesting that he would take him with him to the monastery, since they themselves could no longer bear to see his vexation. The old man consented, and led the boy to the monastery. When he had been for a long time in the monastery, and the ancient enemy had by no means presumed to approach him, the mind of that same old man was touched, through joy, immoderately concerning the boy's deliverance. For in the presence of the assembled brethren he said: 'Brethren, the devil was making sport with me among those sisters; but truly when it came to the servants of God, he did not presume to approach this boy.'

After which word, at the same hour and moment, the same boy, the devil invading him, was vexed in the presence of all the brethren; and seeing this, the old man forthwith gave himself to lamentation. When the brethren wished to console him as he mourned long, he answered, saying: 'Believe me, that today bread enters into the mouth of none of you, unless this boy be snatched from the demon.' Then he prostrated himself in prayer with all the brethren, and it was prayed even until the boy was healed of his vexation. And he was so perfectly healed, that thereafter the malignant spirit had no more daring to approach him. PETER: I believe that a slight elation had crept over him, and therefore almighty God willed that his disciples be helpers of that deed. GREGORY: So it is;

for because he alone could not bear the weight of the miracle, he divided it with the brethren, and so bore it. Of how great virtue this man was I have experienced in my own self. For when at a certain time, being placed in the monastery, I suffered a cutting of my vitals, and by frequent distresses through the moments of the hours I drew near to my departure (which distress the physicians call in Greek speech syncope), and unless the brethren frequently refreshed me with food, my vital spirit seemed utterly to be cut off from me, the Paschal day came on. And when on the most sacred Sabbath, on which all, even little children, fast, I could not fast, I began to fail more from sorrow than from infirmity. But the sad mind quickly found counsel:

namely that I should lead the same man of God secretly into the oratory, and beseech him that he would obtain for me, by his prayers before the almighty Lord, that on that day strength for fasting might be given me; which was also done. For as soon as we had entered the oratory, being humbly entreated by me, he gave himself with tears to prayer, and after a little while, the prayer completed, went out. But at the voice of his benediction, my stomach received such great strength, that food and sickness were utterly taken away from my memory. I began to marvel who I was, who I had been, because even when the infirmity came back to my mind, I recognized nothing in myself of those things which I had remembered. And when my mind was occupied in the arrangement of the monastery, I utterly forgot my sickness.

But if, as I said before, the sickness returned to my memory, since I felt myself to be so strong, I marveled that I had not eaten. Coming toward evening, I found myself of such great strength, that if I had wished, I could have deferred the fast until the next day. And so it came to pass that in myself I proved those things also concerning him to be true, in which I myself had by no means been present. PETER: Since you have said that the same man was of great compunction, I desire to learn more fully the very power of tears. Wherefore I ask that you would expound to me how many are the kinds of compunction.