Feast Day: February 4th
The Life of Saint Isidore: Abandoning riches, the glamour of his heritage and the pleasures of life, he went to Mount Pelusium, where he took on the Monastic Schema, and occupied himself in Prayer and conversing Noetically with God. From there he taught the inhabited world and illumined them with his Divine words. Sinners he turned to repentance. The virtuous he upheld in their virtue. The disobedient he turned obedient. And with his stern rebukes, he reminded and admonished even emperors on behalf of the ecumene. In general, all those who asked him questions concerning Holy Scripture, he gave most wise solutions and interpretations…
+
Prayers
Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone: In thy wisdom thou didst gloriously adorn the Church of Christ with thy many homilies, O Venerable Isidore, thou wast purified by abstinence, deed and Divine Vision and didst shine forth in the world. Through thy words, O Father, we are guided and initiated into a more excellent life.
Kontakion in the Fourth Tone: O Isidore, thou wast another morning star, and the Church is illumined by the brilliance of thy words. She cries out to thee: Rejoice, O Divinely wise and Blessed Isidore.
“To conquer demons, do not argue with them – flee to Christ. Let humility be your sword, and Prayer your shield, and no attack will overcome you.”
“When I was younger and remained in my Cell I set no limit to Prayer; the night was for me as much the time of Prayer as the day.”
“It is more important to teach by a life of doing good than to preach in eloquent terms.”
“First do and then teach, according to the example of Our Lord Jesus.”
“If one desires that his virtues appear great, let him consider them small, and they will surely manifest themselves as great.”
“One day I went to the market place to sell some small goods; when I saw anger approaching me, I left the things and fled.”
“The reason why the reception of the Divine Sacraments is called Communion is that the Sacraments join us to God and make us members and participants of His Kingdom.”
“To live without speaking is better than to speak without living. For the former who lives rightly does good even by his silence, but the latter does no good even when he speaks.”
“Just as the fishermen hide the hook with bait and covertly hook the fish, similarly, the crafty allies of the heresies cover their evil teachings and corrupt understanding with pietism and hook the more simple- minded, bringing them to Spiritual death.”
+
It was said of Abba Isidore, Priest of Scetis, that when anyone had a brother who was sick, or careless or irritable, and wanted to send him away, he said, ‘Bring him here to me. Then he took charge of him and by his longsuffering he cured him.
A brother asked him, ‘Why are the demons so frightened of you?’ The old man said to him, ‘Because I have practised Asceticism the day I became a Monk, and not allowed anger to reach my lips.’
He also said that for forty years he had been tempted to sin in thought but that he had never consented either to covetousness or to anger.
Abba Poemen used to say this about Abba Isidore: every night he plaited a bundle of palms, and the brethren pleaded with him saying, ‘Rest a little, for you are getting old.’ But he said to them, ‘Even if Isidore were burned, and his ashes thrown to the winds, I would not allow myself any relaxation because the Son of God came here for our sake.’
The same Abba said concerning Abba Isidore that his thoughts said to him, ‘You are a great man.’ He said to them, ‘Am I to be compared with Abba Anthony; am I become like Abba Pambo, or like the other Fathers who pleased God?’ When he said this he was at peace. When the demons who are at war with men tried to make him afraid, suggesting that, after all this, he would still go to hell, he replied, ‘Even if I am sent there, I shall find you beneath me.’
Abba Isidore went one day to see Abba Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria and when he returned to Scetis the brethren asked him, ‘What is going on in the city?’ But he said to them, ‘Truly, brothers, I did not see the face of anyone there, except that of the archbishop.’ Hearing this they were very anxious and said to him, ‘Has there been a disaster there, then, Abba?’ He said, ‘Not at all, but the thought of looking at anyone did not get the better of me.’ At these words they were filled with admiration, and strengthened in their intention of guarding the eyes from all distraction.
Icons
