As a zealous young monk, Saint Nicetas fell victim to the wiles of the Devil who inflamed him with vainglorious thoughts of becoming a recluse without the blessing of his abbot. Having shut himself up in a cave, one day he heard a voice, and, thinking he has been vouchsafed a divine vision, called out for the Lord to reveal himself. The Devil then appeared to him as angel of light and ordered him to stop praying saying that he (the “angel”) would pray in his stead. Furthermore, he commanded that he should read only from the Old Testament. The deceived and disobedient Nicetas prostrated himself before the vision and promised to obey. Some time later, the Devil began appearing regularly to provide his thrall with knowledge of things happening in the world that he could not otherwise have known. Thinking they were prophecies, he began proclaiming them to those visiting the monastery. As a result the monk’s fame increased and the Enemy of mankind was able to cast his net ever wider. When the elders of the monastery noticed that Nicetas never spoke to his visitors from the New Testament, they investigated the matter further in prayer and realized that he had fallen prey to the evil one. Breaking down the door to his cave, they routed the Devil by their prayer and called forth Nicetas like Lazarus from the tomb. Upon emerging, God granted him the consolation of a child-like mind, wiping away all trace of his fall, and leaving him only with an impression of the necessity of obedience. From that firm foundation, the abbot and elders built him into the very example of monastic humility and repentance using as their tools the common life of the brotherhood. He advanced so far in the path of holiness that he was eventually made the Bishop of Novgorod where he was the source of many blessings for his flock both before and after his death.
Category: Holy Scripture
Indicates saints who used Holy Scripture in their defeat of the demons.
Martyr Gordios of Cappadocia
A Roman Centurion, the holy Martyr Gordios became incensed when he saw the way that his fellow countrymen who were Christians were being treated during Diocletian’s persecution. Deserting his post in protest, the Saint fled into the wilderness where he determined to cleanse his nous from the taint of the atrocities he witnessed through fasting, prayer, vigil, and meditation on Holy Scripture. Having undergone true martial training in the desert, the Martyr returned to Cappadocia during a feast to the so-called god Mars, and proclaimed his allegiance to the One True God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Dragged before the Governor, Saint Gordius boldly repeated his confession and expressed His desire to suffer for the faith. Threatened with the vilest torments a depraved mind could conceive, the Soldier of Christ stood fast, lamenting only that he had could give his life but once for the Lord. The Devil then sought to undermine his resolve by inspiring his family and friends to visit him in prison, playing on the bonds of affection. The Martyr resisted the temptation through the remembrance of death and exhorted his loved ones to care only for the eternal and not the temporal. Having persevered to the end, Saint Gordios received the crown of Martyrdom by beheading.