OUR SAINT VENERABLE FATHER THEODOSIUS THE ABBOT OF THE CAVES (Kiev Pechersk Lavra)

(3/16 MAY)

St Theodosius was the second great luminary in the firmament of Rus’ and the holy wonderworker of the Cave Lavra.

The blessed chronicler Nestor records the following about the birth of St Theodosius:

There is a small town called Vasiliev or Vasilkov near the city of Kiev. St Theodosius was born there to deeply religious Christian parents. On the eighth day after his birth, the parents took the baby to the local priest to give him a name. The priest foresaw with his heart eyes that the child would be consecrated to God from his early years, and gave him the name of Theodosius, the God’s Gift. On the fortieth day of his life, the child was baptised. He grew up in his parents’ home and God’s grace shone forth in him. By God’s will, the parents were commanded by the prince to move to a distant city of Kursk. The pious child’s life continued to shine there too.

The youth grew in body and in spirit in God’s wisdom and love. He asked his parents to arrange learning of Church books for him and they did so. He learned the Holy Scriptures so quickly that everyone was amazed at his wisdom and intelligence. Moreover, he attended church services daily and listened to the Scriptures with great attention. Theodosius did not play games with other children; he was satisfied wearing poor rags instead of rich garments.

His father died when the blessed youth was only thirteen. Since then, he worked even more, going with his servants into the fields and working at every task with great humility. His mother was disappointed by Theodosius, she forbade him to work, ordered him to wear bright clothing and go out with other children to play games. She lamented to him, ‘You are debasing yourself and your kin.’

St Theodosius did not heed to his mother’s exhortations however. He looked as if he were one of the poor and his mother beat him many times in anger. Theodosius’ mind was constantly focused on the matter of salvation. He had heard of the holy places where our Lord had lived in the flesh and did the work of our salvation. He desired to go there and worship. He often prayed to God about that. Once, some pilgrims returning to Kursk told the blessed youth of their journey to the Holy Land. They were planning to go there again if there were God’s will for that. The blessed begged them to take him along if they went to the holy places again and they promised to do so. Sometime later, the pilgrims set out for the Holy Land again. St Theodosius got up early and went with them without letting his mother know about that. Only three days later, his mother discovered that he had not gone to the fields but had set out for Jerusalem instead. She took her younger son with her and they rushed after Theodosius. When she caught up the group, she seized the youth by hair in wrath and anger, threw him to the ground and began kicking him. She reproached the pilgrims for taking him and brought her son home bound like a criminal. Once she had him home, the enraged mother beat her son until he was weak, bound him and locked in a room. The prisoner was shackled for several days. He prayed and thanked God for everything. In some time, the mother relented at her son; she lovingly pleaded him not to leave her again. The youth promised to stay at home until it was good for him. Mother released him and the blessed resumed his ascetic struggles attending church for the Divine Liturgy daily.

St Theodosius decided to buy wheat, grind it with his own hands and bake prosphoras for the Liturgy. He gave some of them to the church, and sold the rest to buy more wheat for the prosphoras. He gave the rest of the money to the poor. He continued baking prosphoras for more than two years.

By the arch foe’s instigation, some of his peers began to ridicule and reproach the saint for his God-pleasing labour. He tolerated the persecution in silence and joy. Later, the devil instigated the mother against Theodosius again; she forbade him to bake prosphoras. She did not want to see her son working at such ‘debasing’ tasks. Mother pleaded her son, ‘My child! I beseech you, stop doing this work. You are debasing your kin, and I cannot hear reproaches from everyone. Besides, such work is not good for a young man of your age.’

He tried to reason her, citing the Holy Scriptures. She was so amazed at his wisdom that, for a while, she left him in peace. After a year, however, she renewed her treats and blows. One night, Theodosius left home and went to a nearby town. His mother found out that he was staying at the priest’s home. She went there in a great anger, beat the son severely and brought him home warning that if he left once more she would have him led into the city bound in chains. (The woman acted under the influence of the evil-one who hated and feared the great ascetic struggles of the saint). Meanwhile, the governor of Kursk saw the youth’s great humility and respected him. He gave St Theodosius expensive clothing to wear, though the youth promptly gave them away to the poor. The governor gave him even better clothing, but the youth did the same. That was repeated several times, and the governor felt even more respect and love for him for his humility.

St Theodosius had a blacksmith forge an iron belt for him. He began wearing it, despite the fact that it was tight fitting. On a certain festive day, his mother made him put on new bright clothing, since he was to serve the leaders of the city at the governor’s house. She noticed blood on his clothes and, thus, she saw the iron belt on his body. The woman became enraged and tore the bell off beating her son again. The blessed youth dressed again and served with meekness.

Once, his mother had to be away for several days; so the blessed youth left home secretly having nothing with him except for the clothes on his body and some bread. He had heard of Kiev monks, so he set out for Kiev. Since he did not know the way, he prayed that God would send someone to show him. Soon, some merchants came along. When Theodosius heard that they were going to Kiev, he rejoiced and followed them at a distance. In three weeks, they walked from Kursk to Kiev. Theodosius visited all the monasteries, but none of them would accept him. Then the Lord led him to the place where God had called him — to St Anthony’s cave. St Theodosius went there and fell down before the great elder With tears, beseeching him to accept him as a monk. St Anthony replied, ‘Oh child! Do you see this grievous, cramped cave? You will have to endure many deprivations.’

God-inspired Theodosius replied with conviction,

‘Honourable father, the Provider of all, Jesus Christ, has led me to your holy place and, therefore, I will do everything that you order.’

The great elder Anthony allowed him to stay and ordered the blessed Nikon to tonsure Theodosius. That took place in 1032. Theodosius was 23 years old. From that time, he devoted himself entirely to God and his God-bearing elder Anthony. He spent his time in hard work, keeping Vigil at night and glorifying God. He lived in restraint, fasting and work.

Meanwhile, Theodosius’ mother searched for him in Kursk and in the vicinity. Finding no trace of her son, she wept for him as if he were dead. She sent a word everywhere offering a generous reward to anyone who would bring her son back. Finally, some people who had come from Kiev told her of Theodosius. She set out for a lengthy trip in search of her son. When the woman arrived in Kiev, she learned that he was in St Anthony’s cave.

She bowed to the ground before the saint, received a blessing and after a long conversation finally explained why she had come. St Anthony assured her that her son was alive and he lived in a cave. She asked if she could see him and was told to come back the following morning. St Anthony went into the cave and told the blessed Theodosius of his mother; but he did not want to see her. When she came the next morning and heard from St Anthony that she could not see her beloved son, she became distraught, threatening to kill herself before the cave. At this, St Anthony went into the cave and besought Theodosius to see her. In order to avoid offending his elder, Theodosius came out. His mother was grief-stricken when she saw how his face had changed from great restraint and toil. She fell on his shoulder and wept bitterly. She begged him to return home with her, but the blessed youth responded, ‘Mother! If you wish to see me, stay in Kiev and get tonsured at a convent. Thus, you could l come here sometimes and see me, and at the same time, you will save your soul. If you do not, I tell you truly, you will never see me again.’

For many days he repeated the same but she refused to listen to him. The youth persistently prayed to God to turn her heart to Himself. The Lord hearkened to the prayers of His saint. In several days, his mother came to the cave and said, ‘I will do what you tell me to do. I have come to realize the insignificance of this transitory life and, with God’s help, I am going to a convent to be tonsured there. I am not going to return to my city, but will spend the rest of my life here.’

St Theodosius rejoiced and shared the news with St Anthony. The elder glorified God and taught the mother many beneficial spiritual things. She went to the convent of St Nicholas and spent many years there, finally reposing in peace.

When Nikon departed with a Bulgarian monk of St Mina Monastery, St Anthony had ordained Theodosius the priest, and he daily served the Divine Liturgy for the brethren who had numbered twelve monks by then. The elder appointed Barlaam as an abbot of the brethren and moved to a cave on another hill himself. Sts Theodosius and Barlaam remained in the first cave, and later they built a small church over the cave which was named after the Dormition of the Theotokos. It is known to God alone what sorrows and grieves the brethren experienced and what feats they accomplished. They only ate some rye bread and water, adding some oil on Saturdays and Sundays. They worked permanently making handicrafts to be sold in the city, so that they could buy grain for that money. Every day they gathered in the church for morning psalmody and then each worked at his own task until the Hours and the Divine Liturgy. Next, they ate some bread and returned each to his own work until Vespers and Compline. St Theodosius exceeded everyone in feats and fasting. While the brothers were sleeping, he milled the grain himself. Sometimes, he spent entire nights in prayer. He often sat outside spinning and reading the Psalter, ignoring hundreds of gnats and mosquitoes biting his body. He was always the first to come to the church and nothing could distract him during the Divine Services. He was the last to leave the church.

When the abbot Barlaam was transferred to the Monastery of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius, the brothers unanimously asked St Anthony to appoint Theodosius their abbot. St Anthony blessed him for that and Theodosius became an abbot of the twenty monks. He became the first of the brothers but in his humility he was the least of all and served them all. The cave became very crowded, but St Theodosius never fell into distress. He always comforted the brethren teaching them to care more of the soul than of the body. Thus, the Lord provided them all they needed. St Theodosius found a convenient place not far from the cave and, with St Anthony’s blessing, he asked Prince Izyaslav for this land in order to build a new monastery. Soon, a large wooden church of the Dormition of the Theotokos was built with several cells and a wall. The brothers moved there in 1062. From that time on, the monastery began to increase greatly.

St Theodosius began to think of new Rules for a sedate monastic life. By God’s grace, Theodosius met a monk named Michael. He arrived from the Monastery of Studios, Greece, to accompany Metropolitan George. St Theodosius, wrote to the monk Ephraim, who was visiting the holy places at that time; he instructed him to go to Studios Monastery and write down the entire Rules of the monastery in detail. Ephraim brought the Rules for St Theodosius who read it to all the brothers. Thereafter, the Cave Monastery functioned according to the Studios Rules. All the North Slavic monasteries accepted the Rules and, thus, there was a uniform order in all the monasteries of Rus’. St Theodosius accepted novices in the following manner. He warmly received anyone wishing to become a monk, for he remembered how he himself had been refused tonsure by monasteries when he first came to Kiev. At first, the prospective novice wore his own clothes until he became accustomed to the monastic life; later, he could put on a cassock. After he was tested in all obedience, he was allowed to wear a mantle. When the saint observed a pure angelic life of a monk, he blessed him to wear the Great Angelic Schema.

St Theodosius often walked by the monk’s cells at night, and having heard the monks talking instead of praying, he would hit the door with his hand. In the morning, he would talk to them obliquely. If some knew he was talking about them, they repented, but if their hearts were hardened, they tried to make themselves appear innocent pretending that he was talking of someone else. St Theodosius imposed a penance on such monks or even dismissed them.

Once, Sofrony, the abbot of Archangel Michael Monastery, was walking to his monastery at night; he saw a wondrous light above St Theodosius’ monastery and glorified God for His Grace. Many times, other people saw the light and they came there to see St Theodosius and to confess their sins to him. They often brought some part of their property for the monastic needs. Prince Izyaslav especially reverenced St Theodosius and came to see him often.

The saint had ordered the gatekeeper to lock the gates at certain times, so that the brothers could rest in peace after their toils and prayers. Once Prince Izyaslav arrived when the gates, were closed, and the gatekeeper would not open them saying, ‘By the abbot’s order I will not open the gates even if the prince himself were to come.’

When Izyaslav informed him that he was the prince, the gatekeeper still would not admit him and went to ask for the saint’s permission first. St Theodosius came out to meet the prince. From that time on, Izyaslav revered the saint even more, considering him to be one of the ancient holy fathers.

St Theodosius revealed his humility in both word and deed. He often worked at the monastic bakery. Once, on the eve of the Dormition, the bakery ran out of water, and no one wanted to bring some. The saint began carrying water himself; the other brothers were ashamed and brought much water. Some other time, there was not enough wood for cooking. When the saint was asked to send someone for it, he replied, ‘I am idle, I’ll work.’ The monks saw their abbot chopping wood on their way after the meal. Ashamed, they all joined the saint and chopped much wood.

The saint’s attire was poor — a hair shirt with a cloak over it. Once, he was visiting the prince, whose house was far from Kiev. When it was time for St Theodosius to return, the prince sent a carriage to take him home. Observing Theodosius’ poor clothes the coachman said, ‘Monk, you are idle every day while I work; now, you sit on the horse and I will sleep in the carriage.’ The saint humbly obeyed and rode the horse all night. In the morning, some dignitaries came along and recognized the saint. They got off their horses and bowed to him. The driver was amazed. Later, they encountered more noblemen, and the same scene repeated. The driver became uneasy. They came to the monastery, and all the brothers came out and bowed to the ground before their abbot. The saint took the driver inside and had him eat and drink and then sent him home. The man related the story of the saint’s great humility.

St Theodosius insisted that every monk received blessing for every deed from a senior monk. Prince Izyaslav once asked St Theodosius why his simple food tasted so sweet, while his own rich food, prepared by special cooks, never tasted that good. The saint replied, ‘I will tell you, my lord. When our monks wish to cook or bake bread they follow the rule: first the serving brother comes to the abbot’s cell and gets his blessing. Then, prostrating himself thrice before the sanctuary, he lights a candle from the holy sanctuary and with this flame he lights the fire in the stove. If one wishes to pour water into a kettle, he asks for a blessing from a senior brother. So, everything is done with a blessing here, while your servants, I suppose, argue, grumble and slander one another while cooking. Thus, your food is not

that tasty.’ Izyaslav replied, ‘Yes, father, you are right.’

If St Theodosius happened to learn that food had been prepared without God’s blessing, with arguments and enmity, he would not allow his blessed herd to eat it. He sometimes ordered to throw it into the river or into the fire. He taught lessons of non—possession to the brethren; thus, he often went around their cells and threw extra food or clothing into a stove. One of the monks earned some money outside the monastery. The saint told him to throw it into a burning stove in order to make him a real monk. That money was the fruit of the monk’s disobedience.

St Theodosius always showed tender love for the poor, He built a hostel and a church of St Stephen-the-First-Martyr near the monastery. Many poor, blind, lame or ill people lived there. They received food from the monastery. Every Saturday, he sent a load of bread to those in prison. Once, some thieves were caught stealing from the monastery. They were tied-up and brought to the abbot. The saint felt sorry for the thieves and ordered to release them from the ropes. He gave them enough food and drinks, and taught the thieves not to do evil and work to earn their living. The saint let the men go giving them things they needed.

The Lord guarded St Theodosius’ monastery from harm. Once, some thieves wanted to break into the church and steal valuables. But, every time they drew near to the church, they heard chanting and assumed that the brethren had gathered in the church. They approached the church several times, but every time the angelic singing stopped them. Finally, the monks came to the church for the morning prayers. The thieves, in frustration, decided to storm the church, kill the monks and steal the valuables. However, another miracle occurred. As the thieves rushed to the church, it rose up into the air, so that the attackers could not reach it. The saint and the brethren seemed not to notice anything. In fear, the thieves ran away, vowing to do no harm in future. In some time, their leader and three of his comrades came back to the monastery and, in repentance, told everything to St Theodosius. They all glorified God and thanked Him.

Monk Ilarion, who had been rewriting books at St Theodosius’ cell, told the following story. One night, the abbot and Ilarion were busy working. The monastery treasurer came in to tell St Theodosius that there was no money to buy bread for the brothers’ meals the following day. The saint replied, ‘It is evening now and morning is still far off. Therefore, go and pray to God. He Himself can take care of us in His own way.’ The treasurer left and the saint prayed in his cell. In some time, a bright youth in warrior’s attire appeared, placed a gold coin on the table and vanished. The saint thanked God in tears. There were many incidents like that. St Theodosius was well known for his miracles concerning the well-being and needs of the brethren.

St Theodosius often prayed entire nights but, in his humility, he pretended as if he slept. He never slept lying down, and when he had to sleep he did it seated. For the Great Lent, the saint always went to the caves and closed himself up alone until the Holy Week, coming out to instruct the monks on the preceding Friday. He had to endure many grieves and sufferings from evil spirits when he was in the cave. They caused him woes but he defeated them by prayers and fasting. Not only was he able to drive away invisible enemies, but he also had courage before the visible ones. When Izyaslav was driven out of Kiev by his younger brother Svyatoslav of Chernigov and Vsevolod of Pereyaslav, St Theodosius openly reproached them in boldness. Vsevolod returned to Pereyaslav, but Svyatoslav took over the elder brother’s throne. St Theodosius spoke out against such usurpation of the throne. Many times he wrote and talked to Svyatoslav on the matter. He refused to commemorate Svyatoslav in the litanies, but always commemorated Izyaslav instead.

When the number of brethren had increased, St Theodosius prayed to God about building of a larger monastery with a stone church. God provided What was necessary and the new monastery was erected.

When St Theodosius felt his approaching repose, he called all the brethren together and instructed them at length. Prince Svyatoslav also came and was instructed by the saint. The saint had been staying in bed and praying for the salvation of his soul for three days. Then he rose up and spoke to the brothers, ‘My brothers and fathers! The Lord has revealed my demise to me. Therefore, who do you wish to be your abbot‘?’

In grief and sorrow, the brothers elected the monk Stephen. St Theodosius blessed the new abbot for the monastery. Then, teaching the brothers still more, he foretold the time of his repose — on Saturday at sunrise. When that morning came, he kissed each of the brothers and gave up his soul. It was the year 1074, the third day of May. Since then, the saint has worked an endless stream of miracles.

St Theodosius became famous for his numerous miracles both during his life and after his repose, to the glory and honour of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen!