Continuing to greet you in Paschal fashion during these 40 Holy
Days: Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!
Some time before this St. Apollo was living in a cave in the mountain with
five brothers. He had recently come from the desert and these were his
first disciples. Pascha came, and when they had finished giving worship to God
they ate whatever they happened to have. There were a few dry loaves and
some pickled vegetables. Then Apollo said to them, “If we have faith, my
children, and are true sons of Christ, let each of us ask of God what he
desires to eat.” But they entrusted the whole matter to him, considering
themselves unworthy of such a grace. He therefore prayed with a radiant
face and they all said “Amen.” And, at once, in the night, a number of
men arrived at the cave, complete strangers to them, who said that they had
travelled a long distance. They were carrying things which the brothers
had never even heard of before, things which do not grow in Egypt: fruits of
paradise of every kind, and grapes and pomegranates and figs and walnuts, all
procured out of season, and honeycomb, and a pitcher of fresh milk, and giant
dates, and white loaves still warm although brought to them from a foreign
country. The men who brought these things delivered them simply with the
message that they had been sent by a rich magnate, and immediately departed in a
hurry. The brothers partook of these provisions until Pentecost and
satisfied their hunger with them, so that they wondered and said, “Truly these
were sent by God.”
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