Monastic service, so glorified by the names of many saints who refused the temptations of the corruptible world for the sake of acquiring eternal life, is rooted in ancient times. It originated in the early centuries of Christianity, and the first monastic communities appeared among the sultry sands of Egypt. One of those who in the 4th century glorified the Lord with feats of high asceticism was the Monk Moses Murin.
Black robber
History has not preserved the exact date of birth of the future saint, but it is known that he was born in Ethiopia around 330 and, like all his countrymen, had black skin. He was baptized and was called Moses. The nickname Murin, with which the monk entered the history of the church, is derived from the word "Moor", that is, a black inhabitant of North Africa.
As the Holy Scripture tells, his path to the crown of holiness was long and thorny. Even in childhood, deprived of a Christian upbringing, he was mired in vices and gradually sank to the point that in adulthood, being in the service of a worthy master, he committed murder. Having hardly escaped due punishment, he joined a gang of robbers, since anger andcruelty.
Thunderstorm of caravan routes
Very soon, Moses Murin took a leading position among the robbers and became their chieftain. The reason for this was the natural firmness of character and inflexibility in achieving the goal, which distinguished him from the general mass. Under the leadership of Moses, the gang committed many daring robberies, and most of the trading cities in the Nile Delta were marked with traces of their bloody crimes.
The rumor about his "exploits" spread throughout the country, and the merchants, going on the road, prayed to God to save their caravan routes from the ruthless robbers and their black chieftain. Sometimes it helped, but more often they disappeared forever in the sultry haze of the deserts, and only the hot wind covered the bloodied bodies abandoned by the road with sand.
Spiritual insight
For a long time the Lord allowed this lawlessness to happen, but one day He opened his spiritual eyes to Moses, and he saw with horror all the darkness into which he was cast down by his criminal life. In the blink of an eye, the streams of blood shed by him appeared before him, and his ears were filled with groans and curses of innocent victims. The great sinner fell into the abyss of despair, and only by the grace of God did he find the strength in himself for later life, firmly deciding to dedicate the rest of it to repentance and atonement for his sins.
As already mentioned, Moses Murin had extraordinary fortitude and inflexibility, but in a former life these good qualities served low goals and were turned into evil. Now, overshadowed by the Grace of God, yesterday's sinner applied them for the revival of hisdesecrated and desecrated soul.
The beginning of the path of repentance
Forever breaking with a sinful and full of vice life, the future Saint Moses Murin shut himself up from the world in one of the remote monasteries, indulging in fasting and prayers, interrupted only by tears of sincere and heartfelt repentance. Trampling his former pride, he practiced humility, fulfilling the obediences imposed on him by the rector, and striving to be useful to the brethren in everything.
Thus, over time, the dashing robber went into oblivion and appeared in the lands of the Egyptian monk of God Moses Murin. The life compiled after his death tells how beneficial the example of such a spiritual rebirth turned out to be for most of the former robbers. Like their leader, they also broke with the past, embarked on the path of repentance, and devoted themselves to the service of God.
In the power of demonic temptations
But before rewarding His chosen ones with crowns of glory, the Lord often allows the evil one to subject them to temptations, tempering the strong even more and weeding out the weak in spirit. Moses was also destined to endure such trials. The enemy of the human race sent to him one of his most insidious servants - the prodigal demon. This wicked one began to confuse the pure and immaculate thoughts of the monk with sinful dreams and inflame his flesh with the hellish fire of lust.
Even those rare hours of sleep that the monk had, he darkened, sending him instead of pious visions, images full of abomination and voluptuousness. Holy saints and faces of angels that once filled itnight dreams, gave way to lustful and unbridled virgins, beckoning the monk with their shameless gestures. To top it off, his sinful flesh completely refused to heed the voice of reason and clearly pandered to the evil demon.
Instructions of the wise old man
And the pure soul of a monk would have perished, plunged into the stinking abyss of sin, but the Lord instructed him to go for advice to a distant skete, where one of the great pillars of the early Christian church, presbyter Isidore, labored in the feat of the strictest asceticism. After listening to everything that Moses Murin, embarrassed, told him, the wise old man reassured him, explaining that all novice monks who have recently entered the monastic path go through such sufferings.
Demons overcome them, sending their ungodly visions, hoping thereby to incline them to sin. But they are powerless before those who oppose them with prayer and fasting. Therefore, without falling into despondency, one should return to the cell and continue serving God as much as possible, replacing carnal food with spiritual food.
Revisit to Presbyter Isidore
The servant of God Moses, exactly fulfilling the prescription of the elder, again closed himself in the cell, limiting himself to only a stale crust of bread, which he eats once a day after sunset. On fasting days, he did not eat food at all. However, the enemy redoubled his efforts. Having finally subjugated the flesh of the sufferer, he sent sinful obsessions into his consciousness even during the daytime hours.
And again went for advice to the elder Moses Murin. The life of the saint describes this second meeting in detail. Presbyter Isidore, after listening to the monk, led him to the roof of his cell and, turning his face to the west, pointed to the multitude of demons that had gathered in a crowd and were preparing to fight against the sons of God. Then, turning to the east, he showed an innumerable angelic army, ready to resist them in the struggle for human souls.
With this, he showed Moses a sign that the army sent by God is incomparably more numerous and stronger than the fiends of hell and, undoubtedly, will come to the aid in his daily battle. The elder's practical advice boiled down to the fact that since the enemy sends his vile visions to the monk mainly during sleep, it is necessary to deprive him of this opportunity, devoting the night hours to tireless vigil and prayer.
Night vigils and prayers
Returning from the elder, St. Moses Murin exactly fulfilled everything that he prescribed. Now, having tasted his meager food at nightfall, he did not go to bed, but got up to pray, incessantly bowing, making the sign of the cross. He spent the whole night like this. This brought him unspeakable torment, since nature lived according to its own laws and required sleep, though not long, but nightly.
So six years have passed. Over time, Moses got used to it and, strengthened by the Grace of God, stood idle in prayerful vigil until the first rays of the sun. However, the demon managed to adapt to his new way of life. The mind of the ascetic, inflamed from insomnia, he filled with even greater persistence with vile dreams and voluptuous images.
New weapons in the fight against the evil one
Not daring againdisturb the peace of the elder Isidore, St. Moses Murin turned for help to the abbot of the monastery in which he labored all this time. After listening to him, the wise shepherd remembered his youth and his own struggle with the flesh. He recommended that the sufferer, every time an unclean spirit approaches him, torment his nature with overwork, whether in broad daylight or under cover of night.
From that time on, Moses Murin began to go around the cells of the brethren every night and, having collected water-carriers placed near the doors, set off with them to the source, which was at a fair distance. It was hard work. All night long, Moses, bent under the weight of his burden, dragged water, while doing a prayer.
Victory over the wiles of the devil
This enemy of the human race could no longer bear. Ashamed, he departed forever from the righteous. Departing in complete impotence, the demon stabbed him in the back with some kind of tree that was tucked under his arm. Unable to get the monk's soul, he took out his anger on his flesh, which, moreover, always treacherously indulged sin.
The life of St. Moses Murin has preserved for us the description of his last meeting with the elder Isidore. It happened shortly after the holy monk finally got rid of demonic obsessions. Experienced in battles with the spirits of darkness, Father Isidore told him that this attack was allowed by God solely so that Moses, embarking on the path of monastic service, would not be proud of his quick successes and would not imagine himself a righteous man, but in everything he would rely only on the help of the Almighty.
Death of the holy righteous man
After this, many good and charitable deeds were done by the Monk Moses Murin. More than once he showed the brethren an example of humility and meekness, combining this with the wisdom gained in reading the Holy Scriptures. But the days of his earthly life were steadily coming to an end.
Once, already being the abbot of the monastery, he gathered the brethren around him and told that he foresaw an attack on them by a gang of robbers soon. Knowing from experience how ruthless these people are, he ordered the monks to pack everything they needed for the journey and leave the monastery.
However, when everything was ready and the brethren were already standing at the gate, he refused to follow them, referring to the fact that the words of Jesus Christ should be fulfilled on him: "All who take the sword will perish by the sword." He spent his youth with a sword in his hands, and it's time to pay for it. Soon, he was killed by robbers who broke into the monastery.
All-Christian veneration of Saint Moses Murin
Thus, at the age of seventy-five, the Monk Moses Murin ended his earthly life, whose icon shows us the image of a gray-haired black old man holding a scroll in his hands - a symbol of wisdom.
Despite the fact that he is considered a saint of the Ethiopian church, his veneration spread throughout the Christian world, and the memory is celebrated on August 28 according to the Julian calendar. In our churches, prayer to the Monk Moses Murin is offered on September 10 in accordance with the Gregorian chronology. On the eve of this day, a composition composed in his honor is read.akathist.
Prayer to Moses Murin from drunkenness
Believing people know that the Lord gives His saints a special grace to help in what they themselves succeeded in the days of earthly life. From everything that made up the plot of our story, it is clear that for many years the main efforts of Saint Moses were aimed at curbing the passions with which the enemy of the human race tried to entangle him, and in this he gained fame.
Consequently, in the fight against passions, he can help everyone who turns to him in their prayers. And it's not about which one we're talking about. It so happened that in Russia the evil one chose drunkenness to tempt people. This does not mean that other sins are alien to us, but this one is somehow especially rooted.
Unable to find sufficient strength to fight the disease, many of those who are prone to it, but want to get rid of it, resort to the help of Heavenly Intercessors. It is in this case that prayer to Moses Murin from drunkenness is unusually effective. It is only important that it be pronounced with hope in the mercy of God, and that the desire to be cured be sincere.
The same fully applies to other prayers offered by us. They are heard only if the prayer rejects from himself the slightest shadow of doubt about the possibility of fulfilling what is asked for. The Lord said: “According to your faith, it will be for you,” therefore, it is the power of faith that makes our appeals to the saints gracious, and prayer to Moses Murin is no exception.
