Saint Euphrosynus the Cook.
Our righteous Father Euphrosynus was born of peasant parents and consequently was reared without schooling. He entered a certain monastery, was robed with the holy Schema of a monk, and served the fathers. But since he was of coarse country upbringing, he remained in the difficult obedience of serving in the kitchen, being scorned and mocked by some of the monks who had forgotten the purpose for which they left the world. Yet the blessed man endured this contempt with a courageous heart, with wisdom and tranquility of mind, not being troubled in the least.
There was in that monastery a certain pious priest who made fervent entreaty that it might be revealed to him the good things which they that love God shall enjoy. One night, while the priest was asleep, it seemed as though he were in a certain garden. With amazement and ecstasy he beheld utterly delightful things; he also saw Euphrosynus the monastery cook, who stood in the midst of the garden and partook of the many good things of that place. He came nearer and asked the blessed one whom this garden belonged to, and how he had come to be there.
Euphrosynus replied, “This garden is the abode of God’s elect, and by the great goodness of my God I have my dwelling here.”
Then the priest asked, “But what do you do in this garden?”
He answered, “I have dominion over all the things that you see here, and I rejoice and am filled with gladness at the vision and noetic enjoyment of them.”
Again the priest said, “Can you give me something of these good things?”
“Yes, by the grace of my God, take whatever you wish.”
Then the priest pointed to some apples and asked Euphrosynus if he might have some of them. Taking some of the apples, the Saint put them in the priest’s outer garment and said, “Take what you have asked, and delight in them.”
At that moment the wood was sounded for the fathers to arise for midnight service. Then the priest, having awakened, considered the vision a dream, but when he stretched out his hands to take his outer garment, he discovered in reality the apples that Euphrosynus had given him in the vision, and he wondered at the marvelous fragrance which still remained with them undiminished. Arising from his bed, he set the apples aside and hastened to church. There he saw Euphrosynus. He approached him and besought him with oaths to reveal where he had been that night.
The blessed one replied, “Forgive me, Father, but tonight I went nowhere at all, but just now I came to church for the service.”
The priest answered, “For this reason I charged you with oaths, so that you would be obliged to make manifest the great works of God – will you not tell me the truth?”
The humble-minded Euphrosynus then answered the priest, “I was there where are found the good things which they who love God will inherit, which you have sought for many years to behold. There you saw me partaking of the blessings of that garden; for God, wishing to make known to your holiness the blessings of the Just, has worked such a miracle through me, worthless as I am.”
The priest said, “And what, Father Euphrosynus, did you give me from that garden?”
“Those delightful and sweet-smelling apples that you just now put on your bed. But Father, forgive me, for I am a worm and not a man.”
At the end of Matins, the priest related to all the brethren his vision and showed them the apples from Paradise. The brethren could smell their ineffable sweetness and felt great spiritual joy in their hearts, marvelling at all the priest told them. But when they hurried to the kitchen to reverence the blessed Euphrosynus, they found that he, fleeing from the glory of men, had already secretly departed from the monastery and was nowhere to be found.
The brethren divided the apples among them and gave portions to many as a blessing, and especially for healing, because whoever partook of these apples was cured of his infirmities.
Saint Euphrosynus is the patron Saint of cooks.
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