This was it the Saint He was one of the people of Egypt and one of the famous fathers of virtue, and he was known as the Spanish, because throughout his time he only wore the Spanish, which is a thick linen garment. He did not own anything at all, not even a stick or shoes, except a small Bible. In his affairs, he preferred the comfort of his neighbor to the comfort of himself. He was perfect in worship, good at reading, and recited by heart all the books of God. He roamed throughout the prairies and cities seeking to acquire virtues and do good deeds, so that he did not care about any of the affairs of the world, not even his body, and thus he attained all the virtues that became natural to him.

AndIt was said About him, he once wanted to go to Rome, so he came to the sea, and by God’s arrangement, he found a ship that wanted to go to it, so he threw himself on it, and at that time he had no bread, no dirhams, or anything at all. So they walked for five days, during which he neither ate nor drank, nor did anyone speak to him, but he sat silent. Al-Nawatiya thought that seasickness prevented him from eating, but in reality, nothing prevented him except nothingness, because he had nothing at all. They asked him: “What is your matter, O man?” Sheikh You do not eat, drink, or speak? And he said To them: “I do not have food or money, so I am fasting. As for my silence, this is the practice of the monks. They prefer silence.” They did not believe his words and searched him, and when they did not find anything on him, they became angry and rebuked him, saying: “Where did we get the rent from?” And he said for them Sheikh“Send me back from the place where I started riding with you, and then move on in peace.” And they said He said to him: “If we have traveled for five days, you want us to go back, thus delaying us by ten days without moving forward. And we do not know whether the winds are agreeing with us as they are now or not, because we have traveled a long distance due to a good wind, the likes of which we have never seen.” AndThe people did not know that God had made their path easy for him. As for him And he said To them: “If you do not return me to a place, then here I am in your hands, because I have nothing to give you.” It happened after that that they had compassion on him, had mercy on him, fed him, and treated him well.

When they arrived in Rome, he began wandering around the city asking about its prisoners and righteous people to know their behavior and how they were doing in worship. They directed him to a nun who was a prisoner of virtuous character and pure goodness. He wanted to know her history in the monastic order, so he went to her. This prisoner often prevented herself from speaking to people, and she had an old maid. The Sheikh said“Tell the prisoner to speak to me, and let her know that I have come to her for love in Christ.” And she said The old man told him: “The prisoner has no habit of speaking to anyone, and she refused to tell her. So he stayed the Saint For three days he did not leave the old woman's side. He did not eat or drink. When the prisoner felt him and saw his patience and mercy, she looked over him andShe said“What keeps you here, father, and what do you ask for?” He said To her: “Are you alive or dead?” She said“I am alive in God and dead to the world.” And he said To her: “Are you standing or sitting?” She said To him: “No, father, I am walking.” He said To her: “Where are you going?” She said“To Jesus Christ.” And he said she has the Saint“I want to make sure what you say is correct. If you do what I tell you, I will know that you are telling the truth. Come out of your prison and take off your clothes, and I will also take off my clothes, and we will walk naked, one behind the other, in the middle of the city market.” And she said To him: “My father, I have been in this prison for twenty-five years today, so how do you ask me now to get out of it and do this foolish thing?” He said she has the Saint“Don’t you claim that you have died to the world, for a dead person is confused about anything?” He who is dead to the world does not care about people’s mockery or their praise. He who dies from the world does not care about what happens to his body for the sake of the Lord. Your modesty indicates that you have not yet died from the world as you said, but rather that you are deceived and have not yet triumphed.” And she said To him: “I have not yet reached this status that you told me about.” And he said she has the Saint“Do not, after this day, think that you have conquered the body and died to the world.” And she said To him: “If we had done this, would they not have doubted us and said: If these two were not corrupt, they would not have done it”? He said she has the Saint“Everything you do for the sake of God, do not care what people say about it. If a monk is upset by insults and humiliation, this indicates that he is a secular man who has not yet become a monk.” And she said To him: “Forgive me, Father, for I have not yet reached this point.” And he said she has the Saint“Be low in your thoughts and beware of greatness,” then he left.

And it happened once that he crossed Father Serapion On a village in Egypt, he saw a prostitute standing at the door of a brothel. And he said she has Sheikh“Wait for me in the evening because I am determined to come to you to spend this night near you.” She replied: “Okay, monk, okay.” She got ready and made the bed. When evening came, he came to herHe said“Did you prepare the shrine well?” And she said“Yes, monk.” When I closed the door He said She said to her: “Wait a little, because we have a custom that I must do first,” and he began singing from the beginning of the psalms, and at the end of each psalm he would say: “O Lord, have mercy on this wretched woman and return her to repentance so that she may be saved.” Then the Lord heard, and her heart was humbled, and she stood beside him trembling, and in her fright, she fell to the ground. When he finished Sheikh All the bulbs, he set them up. She knew that he had come to save her soul. So she asked him, saying: “Have love, Father, and find a place for me to put me in, that I may please my God, and guide me how to be saved.” So he took it Sheikh To the Monastery of Virgins and handed it over to President WHe said She said to her: “Accept this sister and give her the space to think as she wants.” So I kissed her. And I stayed for a few days She said“I am a sinful woman, and I must eat once every two days.” After a few days She said“I have committed many sins, and I must eat once every four days.” And after other days She said“My sins are so many, I must eat once a week.” After that, I asked the president and she put it in a small frying pan and closed the door on it. They would give her food and work for her hands. And so she pleased God there for the rest of her life.

One time a brother asked him, “Say a word to me.” The Sheikh said“And what do you want by hearing the word when you took the food of the poor and left it in this alcove?” This is because he saw it full of books.

It happened that a brother visited him and asked him Sheikh To pray as is customary, so he apologized, saying: “I am a sinner and do not deserve monasticism.” So he wanted Sheikh To wash his feet, but he refused and did not let him and apologized with words like thisHe said“I am a sinner and I am not worthy.” Then Sheikh He prepared food, and when they sat down to eat, he took it Sheikh He preaches to him with love and says to him: “My son, if you want to benefit, sit in your frying pan, give up wandering around, and focus your attention on yourself and the work of your hands. You will not benefit from going around the same way as you benefit from sitting in your frying pan.” When the brother heard those words and this sermon, he became restless and his face changed, to the point that... Sheikh Notice it in his face. And he said for him Sheikh“While you say that I am a sinner and describe yourself as not worthy of living in this world, when I admonish you with love, I see that you have fidgeted and discolored your face until you became like a lion. If you truly want to be humble, then bear the displeasure that comes to you from others, and do not blame yourself unjustly through hypocrisy and false talk.” When the brother heard these words, he benefited from them and expressed his gratitude, saying: “Forgive me.” He returned to his cell.

And once he preached Serapion He went to Alexandria and found there a poor, naked man in the market. He stopped talking to himself, saying: “How come I am the one whoHe said About me, I am a patient monk and a worker. I am wearing a dress, and this poor man is naked. Indeed, this is Christ, and the cold hurts him. He jumped up with a brave heart, stripped of the garment he was wearing, and gave it to that poor man. Then he sat naked with the Bible in his hand. It happened that Al-Barkhas (i.e. Al-Muhtasib) was passing. When he saw him naked He said To him: “O Abba! Serapion Who disgraced you? He pointed to the BibleHe said“This is the one who exposed me.” After covering him, he got up from there and found a person who had a debt and was being arrested by the person who owed it. Since he had nothing to pay for it, he sold the Bible and paid its price to the creditor. While he was walking, a man met him on the road begging. He gave him a garment and he came back naked. So he entered his cell, and when his student saw him like this He said To him: “Teacher, where is the garment that you were wearing?” He replied, “I brought him, my son, before us where we need him.” And he said He also said: “And where is your Gospel, Father, by which we were comforted”? He said To him: “My son, he used to say to me every day: Sell everything you have and give it to the poor.”

There was a man in Egypt who had a disabled son, so he took him to Abba Serapion He left him at the door of his cell and moved away from him a little, waiting. The boy cried, when he heard Sheikh The sound of his crying came out andHe said To him: “Who brought you here?” And he said To him: “Dad.” He said To him: “Where is he?” He said“He left me and went away.” And he said To him: “Rise, run, and catch up with him.” So he got up and ran and followed him, and his father took him to his home while glorifying God.

It also happened that a man had a child, and this child died, so he took it to me Sheikh He placed it in front of him on his face, hit a rubber band, and backed away a little, but he did not know it Sheikh The boy was dead, and he thought he was prostrating to him, and waited for him to get up, but he did not get up. And he said To him: “Arise, my son, the Lord will bless you.” So the boy rose alive, so his father took him and returned to his home, giving thanks to God and his saints.

It happened once that they brought a man to the church who had been possessed by madness (with an unclean spirit) and they prayed over him but he did not come out because it was difficult. And he said Priests: “What do we do with this spirit, because none of us can cast it out without it?” Bishop Serapion. If we informed him and asked him, he would refrain from coming to church. Let us make this tortured man lie in the place where he stands to pray, and when he enters, we say to him, “Oh, we Serapion Wake up this man who is sleeping in the pledge of allegiance.” So they did so. Because when he entered Sheikh And they stood to pray, They said To him: “Oh Sheikh“Wake up this sleeping man.” And he said To him: “Get up.” And immediately he arose with a word Sheikh.