OUR VENERABLE FATHER LAWRENCE THE RECLUSE

(29 JANUARY/11 FEBRUARY)

The blessed Lawrence came to the Kiev Cave Monastery just after the demonic delusion of the recluses Isaac the Fool and Nikita. Those two recluses had endured terrible temptations in their solitary struggles. When Lawrence wished to follow those two holy strugglers, the fathers forbade him to do it in the caves. Firstly, the Kiev Cave Monastery at that time suffered more from the demonic wiles than any other monastery. Moreover, they recalled how the enemy had mastered to deceive Sts Isaac and Nikita in seclusion.

‘These recluses,’ said the fathers, ‘had nearly perished and only many prayers delivered them from the disaster.’

St Lawrence asked their forgiveness and departed for the monastery of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius built by Prince Izyaslav. The monk began his struggle as a recluse there. He led an extremely strict life. The saint was greatly concerned for his own salvation and undertook heavy labours. With much fasting and restraint, he subdued his carnal passions, cutting them off with the spiritual sword of prayer. He quenched the burning demonic arrows with steady streams of tears. For his great struggles, God guarded him from the wounds of the enemy and gave him the gift of healing other people’s wounds.

Once, a man possessed by a strong and fierce demon was brought from Kiev to the recluse for healing. Wishing to glorify the grace of the Kiev Cave Monastery, St Lawrence ordered to take the demonized man there. The demon cried out, ‘Who are you sending me to? I do not dare to approach that place because of the saints living there. There are thirty monks in that monastery who I fear, though I am in battle with the others.’

St Lawrence rejoiced at the testimony of the grace abiding at the Cave Monastery. He repeated that the possessed man should be taken there at once. The saint asked the demon to name thirty monks he feared since there were 180 brothers at the Cave Monastery at that time. The demon named the thirty and said, ‘Each of these can drive me away by a single word.’

On the way to Kiev, the demon in the man tried to show his deceitful power speaking Hebrew, Latin, Greek and other languages. The friends of the ill were amazed and frightened, as they heard an unlettered man suddenly speaking foreign languages. Nevertheless, they dragged him to the monastery. However the evil spirit left the ill even before they entered the gates. The man immediately came to his senses and those with him gave thanks to the Saviour. They went to the Cave church to glorify God together.

The abbot heard of those events and came to the church with the brethren. The healed man, however, knew neither the abbot nor any of the thirty monks he had previously named. When he was asked who had healed him he pointed to the icon of Theotokos and replied, ‘As we approached the monastery, I saw thirty holy fathers coming to meet us carrying this icon, and I was healed. I knew their names but I did not know them by face.’

All the brothers gave glory to God, the Most Holy Theotokos and God’s saints. In such a way, the Cave Monastery was glorified through St Lawrence the Recluse. He, having separated from the Cave Lavra, like Barnabas from Paul, returned there to repose. Upon his demise, his wonderworking sacred relics were placed open in the caves where they remain uncorrupted to this day.