![St. Maximos Kavsokalyvites1.jpg]()
Saint Maximus Kavsokalyvites was educated at the church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Lampsakos. When he was seventeen years old he left his parental home, became a monk, and put himself under the obedience of the renowned Elder Mark in Macedonia.
After the death of his teacher, st . Maximos followed a strict ascetic life under the guidance of several desert Fathers . Arriving in Constantinople, St Maximus remained constantly at the Blachernae church of the Most Holy Theotokos, as though he had taken up his abode at the entrance. From his youth, St Maximus had a great love for the Mother of God. He persistently entreated Her to grant him the gift of unceasing mental prayer. One day, as he was venerating her icon, he felt a warmth and a flame enter his heart from the icon. It did not burn him, but he felt a certain sweetness and contrition within. From that time, his heart began to repeat the Jesus Prayer of itself. In this way, the Virgin Theotokos fulfilled his request.
St Maximus fulfilled his obedience in the Lavra of St Athanasius on Mt. Athos. In order to conceal his ascetic deeds of fasting and prayer, and to avoid celebrity, he behaved like a fool. One day, he had a vision of the Mother of God, who told him to ascend the mountain. On the summit of the Holy Mountain, he prayed for three days and nights. Again, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to him surrounded by angels, and holding Her divine Son in Her arms.
Prostrating himself, the saint heard the All-Holy Virgin speak to him, "Receive the gift against demons and settle at the foot of Athos, for this is the will of My Son."
She told him that he would ascend the heights of virtue, and become a teacher and guide for many. Then, since he had not eaten for several days, a heavenly bread was given to him. As soon as he put it in his mouth, he was surrounded by divine light, and he saw the Mother of God ascending into Heaven.
St Maximus told his vision to a certain Elder living by the church of the holy Prophet Elias at Carmel. He was skeptical, but the saint turned his disbelief to good. He pretended to be slightly crazy in order to conceal his prodigious ascetic deeds, privations, his hardship and solitude. St Maximus did not live in a permanent abode, but wandered from place to place like a lunatic. Whenever he moved, he would burn his hut down.
Therefore, he was called "Kavsokalyvites," or "Hut Burner."
Those on the Holy Mountain, knowing of the extreme deprivations and sorrows of St Maximus, for a long time regarded him with contempt, even though he had attained the height and perfection of spiritual life.
When St Gregory of Sinai (August 8) arrived on Athos, he encountered the holy fool. After speaking to him, he began to call him an earthly angel. St Gregory persuaded St Maximus to stop behaving like a fool and to live in one place so that others might benefit from his spiritual experience. Heeding the words of St Gregory and the advice of other Elders, St Maximus selected a permanent dwelling in a cave near the renowned Elder Isaiah Knowing of his gift of clairvoyance, the Byzantine Emperors John Paleologos (1341-1376) and John Kantakouzenos (1341-1355) visited him and were surprised by the fulfillment of his predictions. Theophanes, the igumen of Vatopedi monastery, wrote about St Maximus: "I invoke God as my witness, that I myself saw several of his miracles. Once, for instance, I saw him travel through the air from one place to another. I listened as he made a prediction concerning me, that first I would be an igumen, and then Metropolitan of Ochrid. He even revealed to me how I would suffer for the Church."
St Maximus abandoned his solitude only just before his death, and settled near the Lavra of St Athanasius, where he surrendered his soul to the Lord at 95 years of age (+ 1354). After his death, as in life, St Maximus was glorified by many miracles."
St. Maximos and Akyndinos (amateur translation) One day some monks from the Lavra went to the Righteous one, for reasons of interest, and with them went a lay person. As soon as the Righteous one saw him from afar, he sent him away from afar calling him Most-harmless [Ακινδυνάτος1] and faithless, despite the fact that he didn't know him before, but only from that time [he saw him]. For the Saint offered much against Akyndinos2, and named him dangerously-evil [κακοκίνδυνον], demonic, a communicant with every heresy and servant of the Antichrist. Thefore heretics as this, he would drive away and anathematized them with boldness. (from the book of the Righteous St. Maximos the Hut-Burner, written by the Righteous Theophanes Bishop of Peritheoriou and later published? [μεταγραφέντα] by the Righteous St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain; amateur translation from the Greek text: http://misha.pblogs.gr/2010/01/o-latinofronas-kakokindynos-kai-o-osios-maximos.html)
1 St. Maximos calling him "Ακινδυνάτος" is using a superlative version of his name (which he knew miraculously through the Holy Spirit) most likely in a negative connotation, but I can't find a translation that accurately reflects this. 2 Gregory Akyndinos (ca. 1300-1348) "was involved in the theological dispute surrounding the doctrine of Uncreated Light between [St.] Gregory Palamas and Barlaam of Calabria in the 1340s.
A student of Palamas', he mediated between the two from 1337, warning Barlaam in 1340 that his attempts against his doctrine would be futile, but from 1341 he became critical of Palamism, denouncing it as Messalianism, and came to be Palamas' most dangerous adversary after Barlaam's return to Calabria. He was excommunicated at the council of Constantinople of 1347 and died in exile ...;" [Note: From this we can glean both the great grace given to St. Maximos, as he knew a person he had never seen before and recognized his false beliefs, and the great zeal the Saint had for true Orthodox dogma. Let it be clear that St. Maximos is not showing any hatred towards Akyndinos as a person, but dispassionate, righteous anger against the heresy that he would espouse. St. Paul gives St. Titus the same admonitions: "Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned" (Titus 3:10-11).]
Divine Vision of St. Akakios of Kavsokalyvia (amateur translation) St. Akakios [April 12th: http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=101069], as is mentioned by his successor Fr. Ionas, saw St. Maximos Kavsokalyvites during the time of the Holy Service in the Kyriakon, censing holding a priestly stole, censing around the Church and the Fathers, and following him were another forty venerable-looking and righteous ones with their epanokalymmavchos [monastic head covering]. When St. Akakios saw this, he asked St. Maximos: "Who are these, who are following you censing?" And he came and responded that they are those saved through St. Maximos the Righteous from the area of Kavsokalyvia. The history-writer of the Kyriakon of this Skete, in the Narthex of the church has depicted, in confirmation of the revelation of St. Akakios, the following Saints in turn: Sts. Athanasios the founder of Megiste Lavra, Peter the Athonite, Neilos the Righteous, Maximos the below-the-wing? [υπόπτερο], Nephon the Righteous and others kneeling, along with the Righteous Akakios the New, before the throne of the All-Holy Trinity and interceding for all of the Fathers and brothers who will complete their lives in a God-pleasing manner at that holy and blessed place, the "Garden of the Panagia".
Apolytikion in the Plagal of the First Tone (amateur translation)
From your mother's womb, O Righteous Maximos, you were chosen as a treasury by God, you were made worthy of the divine darkness as Moses, and to see things far off, as Samuel, the divine wonder of Athos, the mystic of the Theotokos, and who interecedes, O Father, for us. Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!
source
.webp)
