Dans un Monastère Palestinien, dans la région de Césarée, vivait un Saint Moine, nommé Zosime.
Il était entré dans ce monastère dès son enfance, il mena une vie sainte dans l'ascèse et la prière.
A l'âge de 53 ans, il fut troublé par des pensées : " peut-on trouver dans des régions sauvages et désertiques, quelque Sainte Personne, qui me surpasse spirituellement en sobriété et en dévotion ?".
A peine avait-il évoqué ces pensées, qu'un Ange de Dieu lui apparu et lui dit: " Toi, Zosime, par comparaison avec des standards humains, tu n'as pas trop mal mené ta vie ascétique de moine. Mais n'oublie pas que des humains, il n'y en a aucun qui soit un vrai Juste (Romains, 3:10). Ainsi, pour que tu puisses réaliser et comprendre combien sont nombreux les hommes et les femmes qui ont montré d'autre formes plus élevées de Salut, sors de ton monastère, comme Abraham est sorti de la maison de son Père (Génèse 12:1) et rends-Toi dans le monastère qui est situé au bord du Jourdain.
Le Père Zosime quitta immédiatement sonn monastère et suivit l'Ange de Dieu jusque dans le Monastère du Jourdain, et il s'y installa.
Là il y rencontra des anciens moines, qui resplendissaient dans leurs efforts ascétiques et leur sainteté. alors le Père Zosime commença à imiter les saints moines dans leurs activités spirituelles.
Le temps passa, et la période du Saint Grand Carême de 40 jours approcha. Dans le Monastère du Jourdain, il y avait une coutume, et c'est la raison pour laquelle Dieu laissa Zosime en ces lieux.
Thus passed much time, and the holy Forty-Day Lent approached. At the monastery there existed a custom, on account of which also God had led the Monk Zosima thither. On the First Sunday (i.e. Forgiveness Sunday) starting the Great Lent the hegumen served the Divine-liturgy, all communed the All-Pure Body and Blood of Christ, and they partook afterwards of a small repast and then gathered again in church.
Having made prayer and a due number of poklon-prostrations, the elders, having asked forgiveness one of another, took blessing from the hegumen and during the common singing of the Psalm "The Lord is my Light and my Saviour: whom shalt I fear? The Lord is Defender of my life: from what shalt I be afraid?" (Ps. 26 [27]: 1), they opened the monastery gate and went off into the wilderness.
Each of them took with him a modest amount of food, such as needed it, while some however took nothing into the wilderness and fed on roots. The monks went about beyond the Jordan and spread out as far as possible, so that no one might see, how anyone fasted or asceticised.
When Great Lent drew to a close, the monks returned to the monastery on Palm Sunday with the fruit of their labour (Rom. 6: 21-22), having tested out their own conscience (1 Pet. 3: 16). And as regards this, no one asked anything, how anyone had toiled or made their effort.
Having made prayer and a due number of poklon-prostrations, the elders, having asked forgiveness one of another, took blessing from the hegumen and during the common singing of the Psalm "The Lord is my Light and my Saviour: whom shalt I fear? The Lord is Defender of my life: from what shalt I be afraid?" (Ps. 26 [27]: 1), they opened the monastery gate and went off into the wilderness.
Each of them took with him a modest amount of food, such as needed it, while some however took nothing into the wilderness and fed on roots. The monks went about beyond the Jordan and spread out as far as possible, so that no one might see, how anyone fasted or asceticised.
When Great Lent drew to a close, the monks returned to the monastery on Palm Sunday with the fruit of their labour (Rom. 6: 21-22), having tested out their own conscience (1 Pet. 3: 16). And as regards this, no one asked anything, how anyone had toiled or made their effort.
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