The Life of Saint Okeen (2): On the Mountain near Nisibis
On the Mountain East of the City
The leaders of the city heard the words of Saint Mar Okeen and said to him, “If this is your work, come into the city with us and live among us, for many among us are in need of your deeds.” The saint said to them, “Leave us today, my beloved, for it is the Lord’s Day, Sunday, and we cannot spend it going into the city. But if God wills, tomorrow we will come to you.”
That night the saint left the place with his disciples and went up to Mount “Darla,” east of the city. On the top of the mountain they found a cave, and they lived in it for thirty years, persevering in spiritual labors and in keeping the divine commandments. Many people from different lands heard of them and sensed in them the sweet fragrance of Christ. They came and lived with them, all submitting to the guidance of Saint Okeen, and their number grew until they were three hundred and fifty men, united in divine love without deceit or hypocrisy. Each of them strove earnestly to show a good life and a virtuous way of living, and they never ceased washing the hands and feet of the strangers who came to them. The Lord Christ was pleased with their works and their way of life, and gave them power to heal the sick, to cast out demons, and to do every good work in His name.
An Angel Sends Him Out to Preach
After that time God showed Saint Mar Okeen an angel standing before him, saying, “Gird your loins like a mighty man and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom here, for God has heard your prayers and supplications before Him on their behalf. Rise today, you and your brothers, and show yourselves to all people. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” After this the saint and the brothers with him came down, and they made disciples and taught in the cities, the villages and all the countryside, and God worked many wonders through them.
Water Jars at the Crossroads
The disciples of Saint Okeen used to buy jars and fill them with water, then set them at the crossroads so that all travelers and passers-by could drink. They did this with great zeal and diligence, faithfully keeping the jars filled to refresh strangers and all who came to them. This was their work and their way of life.
The Disciple and the Load of Wheat
One day one of Saint Okeen’s disciples went to fill his jar at the river. There he came upon a man whose load of wheat had fallen on the road; his companions had left him and gone on, and he stayed waiting for someone to come and help him lift it. When he saw the saint’s disciple coming, he asked him, “Help me lift my load.” The disciple came and the two lifted the load together. That load was fifteen qafiz (an old measure of grain), which five men could not lift. When the man saw this he marveled greatly at the disciple, and at how the two of them had lifted the load without the help of other men.
When the man entered the city, his master rebuked him, saying, “Why did you fall behind your companions?” The man told his master what had happened, how he had met that righteous man, and how by the power of his prayer the load had been lifted without effort. And the two of them glorified God. Many wonders were worked through the disciples of Saint Okeen.
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Sources
- The Life of Saint Mar Okeen, by His Grace Anba Matthaeus, Bishop and Abbot of the Monastery of the Virgin Mary (El-Sourian)