St. Pambo, Hermit of Egypt July 18th An Egyptian ascetic on the Nitrian mountain, Abba Pambo was a contemporary of Saint Anthony the Great and himself great in monastic asceticism. Born about A.D. 303, he was one of the first to join Amoun in Nitria. He was illiterate until he was taught the Scriptures as a monk and ordained priest in 340. He had two characteristics by which he was especially known; by long training, he sealed his lips, so that no unnecessary word passed them, and he never ate any bread other than that which he gained by his own labour, plaiting rushes. He was like an angel of God and, in old age, his face shone as did the face of Moses in ancient times, so that the monks could not look on it. He did not give a quick answer even to a simple question, without prayer and pondering in his heart. This wonderful saint had clear discernment into the destiny of the living and the dead. He entered into rest in the Lord in the year 374.] In the End Times, the poor man’s rights will not be defended… “And I’ll tell you this, my child, that the days will come when the Christians will add to and will take away from, and will alter the books of the Holy Evangelists, and of the Holy Apostles, and of the Divine Prophets, and of the Holy Fathers. They will tone down the Holy Scriptures and will compose Troparia, hymns, and writings technologically. Their nous will be spilled out among them, and will become alienated from its Heavenly Prototype. For this reason the Holy Fathers had previously encouraged the monks of the desert to write down the lives of the Fathers not onto parchment, but onto paper, because the coming generation will change them to suit their own personal tastes. So you see, the evil that comes will be horrible“. Then the disciple said: “So then, Geronda, the traditions are going to be changed and the practices of the Christians? Maybe there won’t exist enough priests in the Church when these unfortunate times come“? And the Holy Father continued: “In these times the love for God in most souls will grow cold and a great sadness will fall onto the world. One nation shall face-off against another. Peoples will move away from their own places. Rulers will be confused. The clergy will be thrown into anarchy, and the monks will be inclined more to negligence. The church leaders will consider useless anything concerned with salvation, as much for their own souls as for the souls of their flocks, and they will despise any such concern. All will show eagerness and energy for every matter regarding their dining table and their appetites. They will be lazy in their prayers and casual in their criticisms. As for the lives and teachings of the Holy Fathers, they will not have any interest to imitate them, nor even to hear them. But rather they will complain and say that “if we had lived in those times, then we’d have behaved like that. And the Bishops shall give way to the powerful of the world, giving answers on different matters only after taking gifts from everywhere and consulting the rational logic of the academics. The poor man’s rights will not be defended; they will afflict widows and harass orphans. Debauchery will permeate these people. Most won’t believe in God; they will hate each other and devour one another like beasts. The one will steal from the other; they will be drunk and will walk about as blind“. The disciple again asked: What can we do in such a state? And Elder Pambo answered: “My child, in these times whoever will save his soul and prompt others to be saved will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven“. The hermits of the Egyptian deserts, included many unique personalities, and many stories are recorded of their wise words and deeds. One of the most notable of the “desert fathers” in the fourth century Egypt was this Saint Pambo. Pambo first came to the monasteries of the Nitrian desert seeking guidance from Egypt‟s pioneer abbot, Saint Anthony. ”What shall I do”? he asked Anthony. Old Anthony replied, “Be not confident of thy own righteousness; grieve not over a thing that is past; and be continent of thy tongue and belly“. Pambo undertook the typical discipline of the hermits around him. He was strong on self-denial. He wore cast-off clothing [although his personal bearing was so majestic that nobody noticed the meanness of his garb]. He fasted. He prayed for long periods. He also engaged, of course, in self-supporting manual labour, weaving mats and baskets out of palm-fronds. But he took a special fancy to Anthony‟s advice to control his speech – “be continent of tongue“. In fact, when he was given his very first reading lesson, his monk-teacher began with Psalm 39, line one: “I said, I will watch my ways, so as not to sin with my tongue“. “That will do for today“, said Pambo. He rose abruptly to ponder this single verse and its implications. Thinking it through took him six months! Then he returned to his teacher for lesson number two. Some people speak little because they have little to say. Pambo had much to say, but spoke with great economy. Other spiritual people realized this, and came to him for advice that they knew would be carefully considered, even if a bit gruffly spoken. The famous writer Rufinus visited him for counsel. So did Saint Athanasius the Archbishop and Saint Melania the Abbess. Once, when somebody gave him some money for the poor, the donor suggested that he count it. “No”, said Abbot Pambo, “God does not ask how much, but how you do it“. End of conversation. Pambo was not, however, like some hermits who held that the hermit‟s life is the only way to save one‟s soul. Two monks were once disputing which would be the better man – he who gave away all his fortune and entered a monastery, or he who did not become a monk but expended his all on corporal works of mercy. Pambo answered, “Before God both are perfect. There are other roads to perfection besides being a monk“. Two other hermits gave him a list of their many acts of self-denial and almsgiving. “Will these save our souls“? Said Pambo: “I do the same things, but I do not thereby become a good monk. Seek never to offend your neighbour, and you will be saved“. Pambo found that his formula of hard work and deliberate speech served him well. The day he died he was plaiting a basket for one of his disciples. He said to his gathered monks [in perhaps his longest speech ever]: “Since I came into the desert, I have eaten nothing that I have not earned by work, and do not remember that I have ever said anything for which I had need to be sorry afterwards. Nevertheless I must now go to God, before I have even begun to serve Him“. Saint Melania was present at his death, took care of his funeral, and bore off the unfinished basket as a relic to remind her of this man who never spoke an unnecessary, [and therefore, regrettable] word. Hermit or not, we must all be cautious about what we say. The Bible must have had people, like Pambo, in mind when it said: “A wise man is silent till the right time comes, but a boasting fool ignores the proper time” [Sir.20: 6]. „Saint Pambo, help me to know when to shut my mouth‟. .