Vitalius

ON ST. VITALIUS, OR VITALIS, MONK OF GAZA, AT ALEXANDRIA.

Beginning of the seventh century.

The Menaea of the Greeks mark the feast of the most holy monk Vitalius, or Vitalis, on this day in these words: "St. Vitalius rests in peace." From the things narrated in the life of St. John the Almoner on January 23 concerning his admirable zeal (not to be rashly imitated), The feast of St. Vitalius. it is clear that he was ^a man of truly exceptional virtue. We regret that his entire life has not been committed to writing. What survives, at least, we have judged should be transcribed here from the life of the same Patriarch John, which we shall give in ^a double version -- by Leontius, Bishop of Neapolis in Cyprus, and by Simeon Metaphrastes -- on January 23.

LIFE, BY THE AUTHOR LEONTIUS THE BISHOP,

in the Life of St. John the Almoner.

From the Life of St. John the Almoner.

[1] A certain great elder, about sixty years of age, hearing such things about the Blessed man, wished to test him -- whether he could be persuaded by words and easily inclined to scandal, and, as might happen, whether he would condemn someone. Having first lived in the monastery of Abbot Seridon, he went out and came to Alexandria, and adopted ^a manner of life reprehensible to men St. Vitalius induces prostitutes to continence for one night by paying them. but pleasing to God, who gives (as David says) to each according to their heart. Ps. 19:5. Entering therefore the city, he wrote down all the prostitutes who were known, and began to work small jobs and to receive one siliqua per day. When the sun set, he ate lupines worth one copper coin, and entered the dwelling of one of the prostitutes, and gave her the copper coins and said: "Grant me this night, and do not fornicate." And he remained beside her that night, watching over her lest she fornicate. He stood therefore from evening in one corner of the cell where the woman slept, chanting psalms, praying for her, and making genuflections until dawn; and upon leaving, he received ^a promise from her that she would tell no one of his manner of life.

[2] So he always acted, until one of them revealed his way of life -- that he did not enter their dwellings to fornicate, but to save them. The elder prayed, and the woman began to be vexed by ^a demon, so that through her the others would be afraid and would not reveal him throughout his whole life. Some therefore said to the woman who was vexed by ^a demon: She who revealed it is punished. "What happened? God has repaid you because you lied. For he enters to fornicate, this wretched man, and there is nothing else." For indeed St. Vitalius (for this was his name), wishing to flee the glory of men and to recall souls from darkness, would say in the hearing of all when he labored at his work and finished in the evening: "Let us go now; Lady So-and-so is expecting us." Where then was his dignity? Many therefore accused him and mocked him, and he would say: "Do I not clothe ^a body like everyone? Or is God angry with monks alone? Truly they too are men like everyone." Some therefore said to him: "Take yourself ^a wife, Abba, and change your clothing, so that God is not blasphemed through you, and you will bear the judgment of the souls that are scandalized." But he answered them again, and said, showing himself as if angered: "Truly I will not obey you. Go away from me. Vitalius endures calumny. Now I shall do nothing else to keep you from being scandalized except take ^a wife, so that I may have care of ^a household and make miserable days. Whoever wants to be scandalized, let him be scandalized and dash his head against the wall. What do you want from me? Are you appointed judges over me by God? Go; take care of yourselves. You will not render an account for me. There is one judge, and the holy day of judgment, which will render to each according to his works." He said these things crying aloud.

[3] Certain of the Church's Defensors, hearing these things from him many times, reported to the Patriarch what was happening. But God, knowing that the Patriarch would not wish to offend Abbot Vitalius, hardened his heart He is accused before the bishop. so that he would not believe them. For he remembered the aforementioned eunuch. And he sharply rebuked those who brought the accusation against Abbot Vitalius, saying to them: "Cease accusing monks. Do you not know what happened to the holy Emperor Constantine, as the writings that are read about him record? For some, not fearing God, when the holy Synod was being held at Nicaea, began to submit written accusations of shameful rumors to that blessed Emperor against one another -- some being clerics, The bishop does not dare to judge him. some monks. And the holy man of God, Constantine, bringing the accuser and the accused face to face, heard both. And when he found many of the accusations of such informers to be true, bringing ^a burning candle, he set fire to all the written slanders that had been submitted, saying: 'Truly, if I had seen with my own eyes ^a priest of God, or any of those clad in the monastic habit, sinning, I would spread out my cloak and cover him, lest he be seen by anyone.' For against that servant of God too -- the eunuch, that is -- you thought such things, and sent me off the right path, and I committed ^a great sin against my soul." Confounding them greatly, he dismissed them.

[4] But the servant of God, Vitalius, did not cease from his own work. He prayed therefore Vitalius prays that others may not be scandalized. that God would reveal to some after his death in dreams, so that it might not be imputed as sin to those who were scandalized by him -- because they said the thing he was doing was full of scandal -- and that no man should bear the judgment of sin for whatever he had spoken. He converts many. Many therefore of such women were led to compunction by his work, and especially when they saw him at night stretching out his hands and praying for each of them; on account of which some of them ceased from fornication, some took husbands and lived chastely, and some even, abandoning the world in every way, led ^a solitary life. No one, however, knew until his death that by his admonition and prayer the unchaste women ceased from fornication.

[5] Whence on ^a certain day, as he was leaving one such woman's dwelling at dawn, ^a certain impure man met him who was entering to fornicate with her. And when he saw St. Vitalius coming out from her, he gave him ^a slap in the face, He is struck with ^a slap. saying to him: "How long, O most wicked mocker of Christ, will you not amend yourself from these wicked ways of yours?" He said to him: "Believe me, you will receive ^a slap from me, the lowly one, such that all Alexandria will gather at your cries." He dies. A short time having passed, St. Vitalius fell asleep in peace in his cell, no one knowing at all. For he had ^a very small cell above the place called the Gate of the Sun. Whence also very often, when the assembly was celebrated near his cell in the church of Metra, some of these little women, coming together, would say to one another: "Let us go, let us go! Abbot Vitalius is having his assembly again." And when they came, he would cure them.

[6] When he had therefore fallen asleep, as was said, in his own cell with no one knowing, immediately ^a certain demon, in the form of ^a hideous Ethiopian, stood before the man who had given the slap to Abbot Vitalius, The striker is possessed by ^a devil, and freed by his merits. and gave him ^a slap, saying: "Receive the slap that Abbot Vitalius has sent you." And falling, he immediately began to foam. Therefore, according to the prophecy of Vitalius, nearly all Alexandria gathered at the violence he was suffering from the demon; and especially because some heard the sound of the slap given to him, as though at the distance of ^a single arrow's flight. After some hours, the one who was suffering came to his senses, tore the clothing from his breast, and ran to the cell, crying and saying: "I have sinned against you, servant of God Vitalis; have mercy on me." And all who heard ran with him. When he reached the Saint's cell, the demon came out again, casting him down in the sight of all. And when those who had run with him entered, they found the Saint kneeling and praying and commending his soul to the Lord; and on the pavement was ^a writing of this kind: "Men of Alexandria, do not judge anything before the time, until the Lord comes." And the man who was vexed by ^a demon confessed what he had done to the Saint and what the Saint had said to him. All these things were then recounted to the most Blessed Patriarch John; and going down with the clergy, he came to the body of St. Vitalius; and when he saw the inscription, he said: "Truly the humble John has escaped this through God, for the slap that the one who suffers received, I would have received."

[7] Then therefore all the prostitutes, both those who had renounced their ways and those who had taken husbands, Crowds at the funeral of Vitalius. preceded the bier with candles and lamps, weeping and saying: "We have lost our salvation and our teacher." For they were now recounting his manner of life to all, and saying: "It was not for any shameful purpose that he came to us; and we never once saw him sleeping on his side, or holding any one of us by the hand." And when some rebuked them and said: "Why did you not tell all these things to everyone, instead of allowing the whole city to be scandalized by him?" they then recounted the episode concerning the woman who suffered demonic vexation, The striker becomes ^a monk. "and because we feared this, we kept silent." When therefore he was buried with great honor, the man who had been corrected and healed by him remained, keeping his memorial. Afterward he also renounced the world and entered the monastery of Abbot Seridon at Gaza, and took the cell of Abbot Vitalius according to his faith, and remained in it until his death. And the most holy Patriarch gave many thanks to God, because He had not permitted him to sin against His servant Vitalius. And many from that time forward in Alexandria profited themselves, and received monks with hospitality, and were warned that no one should be condemned by them, as had happened.

[8] Moreover, the honorable name of St. Vitalius also wrought healings after death through divine grace, Miracles of Vitalius. by whose prayers may the Lord grant us ^a good manner of life and mercy on the day when He shall reveal the hidden things of men and make bare the counsels of hearts.