11/24 September

St. Euphrosynus, a monk in one of the monasteries of Palestine, carried out the obedience of working as a cook in the kitchen. While laboring for the brethren, St. Euphrosynus focused his thoughts upon God, and constantly fasted and prayed. He always remembered that the monk’s first obligation was his obedience, and he therefore meekly obeyed his elder brethren. His patience was astounding: although he was often subjected to words of reproach, he never complained, and calmly endured all difficulties.

With the internal virtue he kept hidden from others, St. Euphrosynus pleased the Lord, Who chose to reveal to the monastic brethren the spiritual loftiness of their modest brother. One of the presbyters of the monastery had prayed that God might show him the blessings prepared for the righteous in the age to come. In a dream, the priest saw what awaited in Paradise, and with fear and joy was able to sense Its ineffable beauty. There he also saw the monk Euphrosynus, the cook from his monastery. Surprised by this meeting, the priest asked Euphrosynus how he had come to be there. The saint replied that he was there by the great grace of God. The priest then asked Euphrosynus whether he had the authority to give him something of the beautiful things that surrounded them. Venerable St. Euphrosynus invited the priest to choose what he would like to have, and the priest pointed to the wonderful apples that grew in the heavenly garden. The Venerable One picked three apples, wrapped them in a cloth, and gave them to him. Awakening just before Matins, the priest at first thought that his vision had been an ordinary dream. However, he suddenly noticed that next to him were the heavenly fruits, wrapped in a cloth and exuding a marvelous fragrance. Finding St. Euphrosynus in the church, he asked him to state under oath where he had been that night. The Saint replied that he had been where the priest had been. Then the Venerable One said that, in granting the priest’s prayer, the Lord had shown him Paradise and had offered the fruits of Paradise through “the poor and unworthy servant of God Euphrosynus.” After Matins, the priest told the monastery brethren of everything that had happened, pointed out the spiritual loftiness of Monk Euphrosyos, the hidden saint of God within their midst, and he showed them the fragrant, heavenly fruits. Profoundly moved by what they had heard, the monks went into the kitchen to bow down before the St. Euphrosynus. However, he could not be found there, for, avoiding human glory, he had left the monastery. Where he hid himself remained a mystery, but the monks always remembered that their brother, Venerable St. Euphrosynus, had had Paradise opened to him, and that they - those saved by God’s grace - would meet him there. They reverently kept the heavenly apples, and would distribute pieces of them as a blessing and a source of healing.