CONCERNING ANOTHER ANCHORITE OF THE SAME MONASTERY
Thomas of Agaion told us this: I was coming away from Agaion after the feast, and as the winter was very severe, I came to the monastery of Abba Theodosios at Skopelos. Whilst I was there, this is what happened. There was an anchorite in that region who survived on nothing but wild vegetation. On the holy Lord’s Day, he would come and partake of the holy mysteries.
On one occasion, the anchorite came, and something offended him; so, for five weeks, he did not make his customary appearance at the monastery—which saddened those who lived there. Then, whilst I was there, he came one Sunday, and the fathers of the monastery rejoiced at the sight of him. They made an act of obeisance to him, and he did likewise to them—and thus, there was peace between them.
He partook of the holy body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, placed himself in the midst of the church, and promptly died, without knowing a moment’s illness. Then the fathers of the monastery realized that the anchorite had known of his impending death. It was because of this that he had come, so that he would not have anything against anybody when he went to the Lord.