Elder Spyridon lived in a
remote cell in the Kafsokalyvia of Mount Athos and had as his only companion
and assistant a donkey, Benjamin. Benjamin carried the wood for the winter and
the few provisions from the arsana (the harbor).
The Elder spoke to him as if
he were a human being.
“Benjamin, my child, be
patient, the climb is over,” he would tell him on the difficult paths. And the
animal, as if it understood, lowered its head and strengthened its step.
Once, a young and hasty
novice visited the Elder. Seeing the Elder unloading Benjamin with such care
and stroking his ears, the young man said:
— “Elder, you are wasting
too much time with the animal. It is a donkey, feed it its food and come and
let us read the service.”
The Elder looked at him
seriously and said:
“My child, this animal has
taught me prayer better than many books. Look at it. It carries the load all
day long without grumbling, it eats whatever I give it with pleasure and, when
the sun or rain hits it, it stands still and endures. If we monks had the
patience and humility of a donkey, we would have become saints long ago.”
It is said that when the
Elder became seriously ill and could no longer leave his cell, Benjamin stood
outside his window and would not leave to graze. When the Elder fell asleep,
the animal began to utter a cry so pitiful that the monks from the surrounding
cells immediately realized that something bad had happened.
At the Elder’s funeral,
Benjamin followed the procession to the small cemetery and remained there,
motionless, until the burial was completed. The fathers say that God gives the
ascetics’ animals a “spiritual sense” as a reward for their labor.
Many times, in fact, the
donkeys stand almost "equal" next to the fathers when they have a
table. When the time comes to eat, the monk will never sit down to eat unless
he is sure that his animal is next to him, in the shade, and has the best food
in front of him.
Many times, the fathers
share their own bread or rusk with their donkey, feeding it in its mouth.
"Blessed one,"
they say to him, "you have carried the burden of the day, you must eat
first."
