you will find holy man to tell you of God." Upon hearing
this voice, he got up directly, buckled on his sword by sheer
habit, and went to the hallowed spot. When he first entered
it, he met Isidorus, priest of the monks of Scete of whom the
brethren said that whenever he spoke to them, he invariably
repeated: “Forgive your brother, that you also may be
forgiven."^8 As his eyes fell on him, Isidorus felt alarmed.
Moses hastened to calm his fears by relating to him the cause
of his coming. Overjoyed, Isidorus immediately led him to
Abba Macari who took him under his tutelage. Moses
responded so readily and happily that he was first baptised,
then adorned with the Schema. He was also instructed to
live alone in a cell in the vicinity of his teacher. In this
seclusion, he strained all his powers after spiritual excellence
hoping thereby to atone for his past sins.
As he fasted and prayed, and meditated on God's
mercy, the Evil one did not leave him in peace; he depicted
before his horrified eyes all his past wickedness. At times,
the temptation was so fierce that he well nigh fell back. At
such trials, he would go to Isidorus for counsel. The saintly
priest would say to him: "Be not distressed, these are but
the pangs of your spiritual birth. Continue in your striving
till delivery is attained." Encouraged and comforted, Moses
would return to his cell.
- The earnest striving of the one-time-highwayman
finally triumphed, and he became so filled with Divine Grace
that the brethren chose him to be a priest over them. After
being ordained, he became Abbot to five hundred monks.
One day as he sat discoursing with them, some chance
passers-by reviled him, but he answered them not. Later on,
he was asked by his monks if he was troubled by the reviling.
Moses answered: "Although I was troubled, I did not speak,
because the perfection of a monk consists of two parts: the