The Monk Vitaly (saint): Life and Interesting Facts

Immortality is the state that every person dreams about, and it really exists. The source of immortality is the Resurrection of Christ. At the end of the course of life, after Christ's Resurrection, death no longer dominates a person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christians are Christ-bearers, that is, bearers and possessors of eternal life, which is given in proportion to faith and in proportion to holiness. Saints are ordinary people in flesh and blood, but the most perfect Christians, for they have sanctified themselves with exploits in the name of the risen and eternal Christ of the Savior.

Lives of Saints

Since ancient times, the feats of the monks, martyrs, saints have been recorded and sacredly preserved by devotees of piety. Gradually, many legends were collected, which are commonly called the "Lives of the Saints." In the article we will consider the life of an amazing saint named Vitaly.

This reverend Vitaly (saint) lived in the second half of the sixth century. His feat was the only one of its kind, as far as we know, neither before nor after, no one dared to repeat such actions, before they were unusual. But his example of spiritual holiness can teach a lot to any person, especially monks.

The Life of Saint Vitaly

The future monk Vitaly, from his youthful days, struggled in the monastery of the Monk Serida near the city of Gaza, near the Holy Land. Up to sixty years old Vitaly (a saint) did not leave the walls of the monastery, but then changed his life dramatically.

In old age, the monk decides to leave the walls of the monastery and settles in the city of Alexandria. At that time, Alexandria was a huge city, as they say, a metropolis, and the customs of its inhabitants were not distinguished by meekness and humility. The abbots of nearby monasteries, in very extreme cases, blessed the monks to enter the city, and this feat was equipped with the most spiritually strong monks, who would not succumb to temptation, would not fall into temptation.

And St. Vitaly writes to himself all the harlots of this city in his funeral, and settles himself in a private apartment. Since the morning, this saint is working in day-to-day work, in the evening he buys a little food (the life says "beans"), and the rest of the money he gives to one of the numerous harlots of Alexandria. That is, he buys a night with this woman. Residents of the city, upon learning of this, came into such indignation that day and night they reviled the holy man, as soon as he called him.

Feat of the Reverend

Usually people in others see those sins that they do themselves, and they are pleased that not only are they so sinful. The inhabitants of Alexandria themselves were far from holiness, and probably many of them used the services of the priestesses of love, but they could not forgive this vice to a monk who before their clean life rebuked their conscience. This case is very revealing for modern people who gladly accuse the church and its ministers, if something is noticed in imperfection or vice.

As the inhabitants of the city later learned, the monk Vitaly, a holy man, locked himself with harlots, gave these unfortunate women at least one night to forget about their dirty work, to get enough sleep or together with him to pray to the Lord. He is not one of those with whom he spent time, did not condemn, did not convict, but only regretted. And many prostitutes are on the right path. Some of them repented, got married, gave birth to children and became faithful wives, others went to the monastery and kept clean until death.

Condemnation is a sin

The Monk Vitaly prayed all night for these women, but strictly forbade them to talk about themselves strictly. With each of them he took an oath that she would not tell the truth about him. The Monk simply followed the Savior's words that the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing. The Lord commanded good deeds to be done in secret, so that they can not be glorified through them. St. Vitaly fulfilled this command to the end, he not only remained a secret, but also endured unrighteous reproaches from sinful people. St. Vitaly (the icon of which is in any Orthodox church) helps everyone who addresses him with a request to protect a loved one from a blemish or to pray for himself as a sinner.

His example shows that you can not blame anyone. The heart of man is seen only by God, and He is the judge, and the rest of the people are judging by their own measure of sinfulness. The sin of one person before another is nothing compared to the sin that a person commits before the Lord.

The act of John the Merciful

And although the Reverend concealed his exploit, this does not justify those who blamed him or openly defied him. But in the city there was still a man who did not condemn the saint. It was the Alexandrian Patriarch John the Most Merciful. When he heard rumors about the behavior of St. Vitaly, John the Most Gracious refused to believe them and cited the example of the Emperor Constantine the Great, who at the First Ecumenical Council, without reading, burned the written denunciations of some bishops and priests, saying that it was not his business to judge clergymen. Another emperor added that if he had seen a priest or a monk with a harlot with his own eyes, he would cover it with his own cloak so that no one would look.

The demoniacal youth and Vitaly (the saint)

The Monk Vitaly, the day before his death, met one young man, headed for the house of debauchery. This arrogant young man went up to St. Vitaly and hit him on the cheek for what the monk, in his opinion, disgraced the name of Christ. The saint calmly took it, but said that the young man would also receive a slap for it that all the townspeople would gather at his cry.

So it happened: when the monk came into his cell and began to pray, he died after some time, and the demon came to the boy and, striking him on the cheek, declared that it was a slap in the face from the monk Vitaly. The young man fell into such a frenzy that he rolled on the ground and screamed frenziedly. People ran to his cry, and, having recovered a little, he ran to the saint together with everyone. There they saw a saint kneeling, and in his hands a scroll with an inscription that said that the Alexandrians would not condemn anyone before the time until the Lord, the righteous judge, came.

The unfortunate young man was healed only after he touched the saint, along with him was healed of demons and one of the harlots, who violated the oath of secrecy of the Venerable Vitaly. Other women who knew the mystery of the saint and were no longer connected with it, told about the monk and restored his honor.

John the Most Merciful with great honor through the city carried the remains of a saint. He was buried by the whole city. St. Vital's day (commemoration day) is celebrated according to the Orthodox calendar on May 5.

Vitaly's patrons

The name Vitali in Latin means "vital". In addition to the holy Venerable Vitaly, the martyr Vitaly the Romans is also known, who suffered a painful death for Christ along with his brothers and mother, the holy martyr Felitata, who lived in Rome for about 164 years.

And Vitaly the Romans, and the holy Venerable Vitaly of Alexandria, as the patron saints of Vitaly (any person baptized with this name), stand guard and come to a difficult moment, it is only necessary to turn to them.

Musician Vitaliy Efremochkin

In the musical circle, the history of one musician became known, who turned to God and began to write music and songs dedicated to Him. It happened with Vitaly Efremochkin - Ukrainian musician and composer, vocalist, author of improvisations and arranger. He believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and dedicated his work to Vitaly Efremochkin. "The Holy King" is a composition he wrote not so long ago, but it became popular among believers.