Saint John the Silent

Bishop, Monk of Saint Sabas (454-558)

Feast – May 13

Saint John the Silent also known as St John the Hesychast, named for his love of solitude was born around 454 in the city of Nicopolis, Armenia into the noble Christian family of mainly generals and governors, son of a military commander named Enkratius and his wife Euphemia.

His parents, good Christians gave their son a holy education. The boy study Holy Scripture and become to love solitude and prayer with all his heart. After their death in 471, St. John distributed part of inheritance among his relatives, with rest he built a church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos (Mother of God) and a monastery. Here, with ten congenial companions, he began a life of hard work, mortification and self-denial.

Not only to shun the danger of sinning by the tongue, but also out of sincere humility and contempt for himself and love for interior recollection and prayer, Saint John very seldom spoke. When he was obliged to do so, it was always in very few words, and with discretion.

He obtained a reputation for leadership and sanctity. At the request of the citizens of Colonia, the Metropolitan of Sebaste consecrated the twenty-eight-year-old John as Bishop of Colonia (Taxara) in Armenia. He was greatly afflicted but obliged by the Archbishop of Sebaste to quit his retreat in 482.

Having assumed the episcopal throne, St. John always preserved the same spirit and continued his strict ascetic manner of life. Inspired by St. John, his brother Pergamios and nephew Theodore came to live in a Christian manner. In his tenth year as bishop, the governorship of Armenia was assumed by Pazinikos, the husband of the saint’s sister, Maria. The new governor began to interfere in spiritual and ecclesiastical matters, and there was unrest in the Church.

In 490, St. John went to Constantinople to secure the emperor’s Zeno intervention to quell a local persecution. As soon as matters had been properly arranged, uncertain of his future vocation, overwhelmed by worldly quarrels and desiring a secluded life, St. John secretly left his diocese and sailed to Jerusalem. St. John was praying one night, with tears he besought God to show him a place where he might live and find salvation, he saw a bright cross form in the air, and heard a voice say to him, “If thou desirest to be saved, follow this light.” He saw it move and point out to the Laura (monastery) of St. Sabas, not far away, which at that time contained one hundred and fifty fervent monks. St. John was then thirty-eight years old. St. John, concealing his episcopal rank, was accepted in the community as a simple novice. Under the guidance of St. Sabas, he toiled obediently for more than four years at every task he was assigned. When a guesthouse was built at the Laura, St. John served the workers, serving food and assisting in the construction of the building. When a cenobitic monastery for novices was being built, he was once again assigned to help the workers.

St. Sabas subjected his novice to tests of hard labor and service. Judging St. John to be a serious candidate for holiness, around 494 he finally allowed him to embrace the solitary life of uninterrupted contemplation, the life of a hermit. For five days a week he contemplated God, fasted, mortified his flesh, and never left his cell except on Saturdays and Sundays when he join the other hermits for public mass.

After living there unknown for several years, St. Sabas, judging his monk worthy to be promoted to the priesthood, presented him to the Patriarch Elias of Jerusalem.

They traveled to Calvary for the ordination but upon their arrival St. John requested a private audience with the patriarch. After having obtained a promise of secrecy, he said, “Holy Father, I have something to impart to you in private; after which, if you judge me worthy, I will receive holy orders.” They spoke in private after a promise of secrecy. “Father, I have been ordained bishop; but on account of the multitude of my sins have fled, and am come into this desert to wait the visit of the Lord.”

The patriarch was startled but promised not to reveal the matter and told St. Sabas that St. John could not be ordained. St. Sabas was afraid that he had committed a crime. However, through the ministry of an Angel, God revealed to St. Sabas while he was at prayer, that his monk was a bishop.
St. John, finding himself discovered, wished to leave the monastery but St. Sabas prevailed on him to remain, by a promise to never divulge the secret.
In 503 AD., certain turbulent disciples forced St. Sabas to leave his Laura. St. John, desiring ever greater solitude and increased abstinence, went into a neighboring wilderness where he spent six years in silence, conversing only with God and eating only the wild roots and herbs which the desert provided.

At that time John’s disciple, Rouba, lived with him. Rouba, expecting fine food, wanted to celebrate Easter at the monastery. St. John said, “Let us stay calm, brother, and have faith that he who nourished 600,000 in the desert for forty years will himself provide us with not only necessary nourishment but a surplus as well.” Unconvinced, the brother departed to the monastery. After his departure a man totally unknown came to St. John with hot white loaves, wine, oil, fresh cheeses and eggs, and a jar of honey. He unloaded and went away. St. John rejoiced in spirit at this divine visitation, while Rouba after losing his way returned on the third day hungry and exhausted. When he found such good things in the cave, he recognized his own lack of faith and stubbornness and prostrated himself shamefacedly before St. John begging to receive forgiveness. The elder, raised him up and admonished him, saying: “Recognize precisely that God is able to prepare a table in the desert.”

He survived a devastating incursion of the Saracens and did not perish, only because the Lord sent him a defender: a ferocious lion. When the enemy tried to harm the saint, the lion attacked them and they scattered in fright.
When St. Sabas was brought back to his community in 510 AD, he found St. John in the desert and convinced him to return to the monastery. St. John had become used to speaking only with God and found only bitterness and emptiness in anything else. He treasured obscurity and humility, so he wanted to live unknown to men but, he was unable to do so. When St. John reached age seventy, his holy spiritual Father St. Sabas died. St. Sabas appeared to him in a vision, and having consoled him, he foretold that there would be much toil ahead in the struggle against heresy. St. John even had to leave his solitude to strengthen the brethren in the struggle with the Origenists.

Cyril of Scythopolis who wrote about St. John’s life, first met St. John when he was ninety and Cyril was sixteen. Cyril had asked him what to do with his life. St. John recommended he join the Laura of St. Euthymius but Cyril did not listen. Instead, he went to a small monastery on the Jordan’s banks. He fell ill there and deeply regretted not listening to St. John. While there, St. John appeared to him in a dream and after scolding him for not obeying said that if he returned to St. Euthymius’ monastery, he would get well and find his salvation. The next day he did so and was well again.

Through his constant ascetic efforts, by his untiring prayer and humble wisdom, St. John acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit. At his prayers, many miracles took place, and he was able to discern the secret thoughts of people. He healed the sick and those possessed by demons. Even during his lifetime he saved those who invoked his name from certain destruction. Once, he scattered fig seeds on barren rock, and a beautiful and fruitful tree sprang up. In time, the tree grew so much that it overshadowed the saint’s cell.

By his example and counsels, he guided many fervent souls to God and continued to emulate, as much as this mortal state would allow, the glorious employment of the heavenly spirits in their uninterrupted exercise of love and praise. St. John died in 558 AD at the age of one hundred and four.

References and Excerpts

[1] C. Online, “St. John the Silent – Saints & Angels,” Catholic Online. [Online]. Available: https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4055. [Accessed: 14-May-2019].

[2] “Saint John the Silent, Bishop, Monk of Saint Sabas.” [Online]. Available: http://sanctoral.com/en/saints/saint_john_the_silent.html. [Accessed: 14-May-2019].

[3] “St. John the Silent of St. Sabbas Monastery.” [Online]. Available: https://oca.org/saints/lives/2019/12/03/103468-st-john-the-silent-of-st-sabbas-monastery. [Accessed: 14-May-2019].

[4] “CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: John the Silent.” [Online]. Available: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08495a.htm. [Accessed: 14-May-2019].

[5] “Saint John the Silent.” [Online]. Available: https://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/saints/saints-stories-for-all-ages/saint-john-the-silent. [Accessed: 14-May-2019].

[6] “Saint John the Silent,” CatholicSaints.Info, 01-Aug-2012.

[7] “John the Silent,” Wikipedia. 26-Apr-2019.