Byzantine Saints: Venerable Arsenius the Great (8 May)

About this sermon

St. Arsenius the Great, commemorated on May 8th, left behind the glory of imperial Rome to pursue the silence and holiness of the desert. Once the tutor of the sons of Emperor Theodosius, St. Arsenius abandoned wealth, honor, and worldly wisdom after hearing the voice of God say: “Flee from men and you shall be saved.” In this powerful account of one of the greatest Desert Fathers, discover the life of the saint who embraced humility, ceaseless prayer, silence, and repentance in the deserts of Sketis. Learn why St. Arsenius became one of the most revered ascetics in Christian history and how his teachings on silence, humility, and the Holy Scriptures still speak to Christians today. “Many take upon themselves great deeds of repentance… but it is rare for someone to guard his soul from pride.” This narration explores: • The early life of St. Arsenius in Rome • His service in the imperial court of Constantinople • His escape to the Egyptian desert • His discipleship under Abba John the Dwarf • His life of silence and asceticism • His wisdom sayings and spiritual counsel • The famous quote: “I have often regretted the words I have spoken, but I have never regretted my silence.” 0:00 Introduction 0:26 Birth of St. Arsenius in Rome 0:33 Education in rhetoric and philosophy 0:39 Rejecting worldly wisdom for God 0:52 Service as a deacon in Rome 0:59 Emperor Theodosius summons Arsenius 1:08 Tutor to Arcadius and Honorius 1:24 Arrival in Constantinople 1:40 Teaching imperial sons in wisdom and piety 1:56 Arsenius longs for monastic life 2:04 “Flee from men and you shall be saved” 2:18 Escape to the Egyptian desert 2:25 Arrival at Sketis monastery 2:36 Tested by Abba John the Dwarf 2:58 Tonsured into monasticism 3:08 “Hide from people and dwell in silence” 3:18 Life of solitude and silence 3:30 Why Arsenius avoided society 3:55 Counsel to visiting monks 4:08 Prayer surrounded by divine flame 4:17 Humility through foul-smelling water 4:41 Fear of the stench of hell 4:49 Moving constantly to avoid fame 5:04 Teachings against pride and judgment 5:20 Advice on reading Holy Scripture 5:47 “Rouse yourself, Arsenius” 5:54 “I never regretted my silence” 6:02 Gift of tears and prayer 6:08 Fifty-five years of ascetic struggle 6:22 Repose of St. Arsenius the Great 6:38 Final disciples and conclusion https://www.oca.org/saints/lives 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SensusFidelium.TV - https://sensusfidelium.tv/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StArsenius #ArseniusTheGreat #DesertFathers #OrthodoxSaints #EasternOrthodox #ChristianSaints #ChurchFathers #Orthodoxy #ChristianHistory #Asceticism #Monasticism #AncientChristianity #SaintOfThe