Saint Pimen the Great: how to attract grace on September 9

On September 9 the Orthodox Church remembers Pimen the Great, the Egyptian desert ascetic whose life and sayings have guided generations of Christians toward silence, humility and a disciplined spiritual life.

Born in Egypt and drawn early to the desert, Pimen spent decades visiting elder monks, learning their practices and absorbing their discipline "like a bee gathers honey," until he himself became a revered spiritual teacher. One of the elders, when asked by a companion to look at the young man, responded with a prophetic sentence: "This child will save many; God's hand is with him."

Pimen later took monastic vows and his example inspired others, including his two brothers. When their mother came to the monastery hoping to see them, Pimen refused to let her through the gate and asked from behind the door: "Do you want to see us more here or over there in eternity?" The mother answered, moved, "When I am sure I will see you there, then I do not want to see you here!"

Daily rhythm and teaching

The community where Pimen lived kept a strict and balanced schedule: by night the routine divided into four hours of manual work, four hours of sleep and four hours of psalmody; by day the brothers alternated work and prayer from morning until noon, read from noon until vespers, and in the afternoon prepared the single meal of the day — usually a small portion of greens. Pimen later reflected on that life with these words: "We ate what was offered to us; no one ever said, 'Give me something else' or 'I do not like this.' In that way we spent our whole life in silence and in peace."

Pimen, active in the fifth century, became known as a master of the "prayer of the heart" (hesychasm) and humility. His well-known rule remains sharp: "Evil is not overcome with evil. If someone does you harm, do good to him." Believers turn to him as a protector of monks, spiritual seekers and those striving for inner peace and righteous living.

On the eve and on the feast day themselves many faithful observe simple practices to invite spiritual blessing. Among customary suggestions for September 9 are pauses for silence, acts of forgiveness, simple fasting meals and a short prayer asking for peace in the family and in the heart.

Photo: press material from the event