08/12/2025
Do you know this Saint?
St. Moses the Black?
Well here is his story
BEFORE CHRIST: THE ROBBER LIFE
Moses was a straight savage.
He was an Ethiopian slave in Egypt, but got kicked out for being violent and wild.
He became the leader of a gang of 75 robbers, terrorizing villages, stealing, killing, and hiding in the desert like a warlord.
The man was feared by many.
THE TURNING POINT
While hiding from authorities, he took shelter near a desert monastery in Scetis.
He was struck by the peace, the holiness, and the lives of the monks.
Something snapped in him , real conviction, not performative guilt.
He confessed everything, renounced violence, and begged to become a monk.
The monks didn’t believe him at first. (Rightfully so.) But Abba Isidore took a chance on him.
Moses cut off every tie to his past, entered extreme fasting, prayer, obedience, and silence.
MONASTIC LIFE
He battled temptation hard , lust, anger, pride. His old life didn’t leave quietly.
But he didn’t fake holiness. When he sinned or messed up, he wept in humility and kept going.
He became known for his compassion, wisdom, and brutal honesty.
One time, the monks tried to bring him to judge another brother. He showed up carrying a leaking jug of water, saying:
“My sins run out behind me, and I dare to judge someone else?”
⚔️ THE MARTYRDOM
Later in life, a group of Berber raiders came to attack the monastery.
The brothers wanted to defend themselves. Moses said no violence, even though he could’ve wrecked them.
He let them kill him standing as a martyr and peacemaker to the end.
He died with 7 other monks, fulfilling the prophecy he’d made about dying by the sword.
WHY HE STILL HITS TODAY
He’s the real deal:
A violent man who chose peace.
A sinner who didn’t pretend perfection.
A man of strength who laid it all down.
He didn’t ask for an easy redemption , he worked for it, every day, on his face in the desert.
Orthodoxy doesn’t glorify perfect men — it glorifies repentant ones.
Moses is proof that nobody’s too far gone.
WHEN TO CALL ON SAINT MOSES THE BLACK:
When you’re battling addiction, lust, or rage
When your past feels too dark to be redeemed
When you're trying to change for real
When you need humility, not hype
When you're tempted to judge others
When you want to lay down violence and pick up peace
