July 19 | Saint Arsenius

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, we're traveling all the way back to the 4th century.

Close your eyes and imagine this. You live in luxury. You're rubbing shoulders with royalty, living in an ancient king's massive palace, and eating the absolute finest foods. You have servants, power, prestige, and endless wealth. You are one of the most respected people in the empire.

But then, one day, you decide to throw it all away. You trade your comfortable silk clothes for rough rags, your bustling palace for a dusty, isolated cave, and your fancy royal feasts for chunks of hard bread tossed on the floor. Why on earth would anyone do that? Well, today's saint, Saint Arsenius, is going to challenge everything you think you know about success, happiness, and finding peace. His story starts in Rome, around the year 350.

Arsenius wasn't just some ordinary guy. He was born into a very wealthy, noble Roman family. Because of his high status, his parents made sure he got a top-tier education. He was so brilliant and well-respected that when the mighty Roman emperor Theodosius the Great needed a tutor for his own children, people immediately recommended Arsenius.

For eleven whole years, Arsenius lived the high life. He lived right there in the king's palace in Constantinople, teaching the royal kids and living an incredibly comfortable, well-off life. But slowly, something started tugging at his heart. Arsenius felt a deep, growing desire for something completely different. Absolute solitude. He wanted to escape the distractions. So he could truly be alone with God.

So, he packed up, left the capital city of Constantinople, and headed straight for the harsh, unforgiving desert in Alexandria, Egypt. When he got there, he sought out a group of monks led by a holy man named Saint John the Dwarf. But Saint John had heard all about Arsenius and his fancy palace lifestyle, and he was pretty wary. Was this rich guy really rich? Tough enough for the rugged desert?

To test him, St. John did something super embarrassing. At dinner time, John invited all the other monks to sit down at the table, except Arsenius. He left Arsenius just standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Halfway through the meal, John carelessly chucked a chunk of bread onto the floor at Arsenius. Arsenius simply took the bread, sat down right there on the table, and sat down right there on the table. Dusty floor and ate it. John was thrilled to see this incredible humility and finally took Arsenius under his direction.

Even though he was now accepted, Arsenius still had some of his old upper-class habits. For example, he used to sit cross-legged, which the monks considered immodest and way too relaxed for a monk. Instead of just yelling at him, Saint John came up with a clever trick. He told all the other monks to sit cross-legged, just like Arsenius, during a gathering.

Arsenius immediately took the hint, realized how out of place his worldly habit looked, and corrected his posture. From then on, Arsenius went all in on his desert life. He devoted himself entirely to prayer in everything he did. In the evenings, he would turn his back to the setting sun and sit in prayer straight through the dark night until the sun rose and hit his face the next morning.

He also took up making mats out of palm leaves to support himself. But remember the extreme luxury he used to live in? To punish himself for his past excessive lifestyle, he refused to change the water he used to moisten the palm leaves. He only added more water when it got low, which meant the stagnant water eventually caused an absolutely nasty odor.

Imagine weaving rough mats by hand while smelling foul water. Day after day. Arsenius also spent his days weeping for his own shortcomings and the shortcomings of the world, something known as the gift of tears. He eventually moved into an isolated cave and refused to see any visitors. He explained that while he deeply loved the people he was with, he simply couldn't take himself away from God. He lived this incredibly focused, solitary life for 55 years until he died in Troy, Egypt in the year 445.

So, what can we take away from this intense desert monk? Are you supposed to go find some smelly water and sit in a cave? Thankfully, no. We live in a world that is louder than ever, filled with smartphones, video games, group chats, and jam-packed schedules.

Your challenge today is to practice intentional solitude. Find just five or ten minutes today to turn... Everything off. Put your phone in another room, turn off the music and the screens, find a quiet spot in your bedroom or outside, and just sit in the silence with God. When you feel the urge to check a notification, remember Saint Arsenius, who left the greatest city in the world just to have a few quiet moments of peace. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.