St. Nikita of Novgorod. Photo: ru.pinterest.com In the Kiev Caves Monastery, during the time of Abbot Nikon, there was a young ascetic named Nikita. He asked the abbot for permission to live in seclusion. The abbot did not bless it and said, “My child, you are young, and there is no benefit for you in sitting idle; it is better for you to labor together with your brethren, and you will not lose your reward. You have yourself seen our brother Isaac the Recluse, how he was deceived by demons in his seclusion, and only the great grace of God saved him.” Nikita replied, “I will never be led astray by such things, but I strongly desire to stand against the wiles of the demons, and I ask God to grant me the gift of working miracles, like Isaac the Recluse, who still performs miracles to this day.” The abbot said to him again, “Your desire is beyond your strength; be careful, my child, that you do not fall after exalting yourself. I command you to serve your brethren, and for your obedience, you will be crowned by God.” But Nikita did not listen to his abbot’s advice and warnings. He locked himself in a cell, firmly barring the door, and lived alone, devoting himself to prayer, not going out anywhere.
However, after a short time, the recluse Nikita did not escape the snares of the devil, the tempter. One day during his prayer, he heard another voice praying with him. He felt an extraordinary fragrance and, being deceived by it, said, “If he were not an angel, he would not be praying with me,” and he began to ask the Lord to appear to him visibly. Then a voice came to him, “I will not appear to you because you are young, lest, being exalted, you fall.” The recluse said with tears, “I will never be deceived, Lord, and I will fulfill whatever You command me.” Then the soul-destroying serpent, having gained power over him, said, “It is impossible for a man living in the flesh to see Me, but I will end My angel to be with you, and you should obey his will.” Suddenly, a demon appeared before him in the form of an angel. Nikita bowed to him as to an angel. The demon said to him, “Now you shall no longer pray, but read books, and in this way, you will converse with God. You shall give helpful words to all who come to you, and I will always pray for your salvation.”
Believing this and being deceived, the recluse stopped praying and began reading books; he always saw the demon praying for him and rejoiced, thinking that the angel was praying on his behalf. Nikita became clairvoyant and wise. Whatever he said or prophesied came to pass. Princes and nobles began to come to him to hear his teachings. But everything he said was revealed to him by the demon. No one could compare to Nikita in his knowledge of the books of the Old Testament; he knew them by heart. But as for the Gospels and the apostolic books, he not only did not read them, he did not even want to see or hear about them. It became clear to everyone that Nikita was deluded by the devil. Then the holy fathers of the monastery, shining in virtue, came to the deceived one, and with their prayers cast the demon out of him. They brought him out of his seclusion and asked him to recite something from the books of the Old Testament. But he swore that he had never read those books; it turned out that now he could not even read a single word. The holy fathers were barely able to teach him to read. Then, brought to full consciousness by the prayers of the holy fathers, he confessed his sin, wept bitterly over it, subjected himself to strict fasting and obedience, and lived such a pure and humble life that he surpassed others in virtue. For his great virtues, the Lord elevated him to the rank of the bishop of Novgorod. While he was bishop, St. Nikita through his prayer brought rain from heaven during a drought, extinguished a fire in the city, and performed many other miracles. He was the bishop of Novgorod for thirteen years, and on January 31, 1108, he departed to the Lord, into Eternal Life. The Lord glorified his body with incorruption and miracle-working.
Now let us consider how much there is here to teach us. The devil, the tempter, commanded the recluse Nikita to read books and abandon prayer. From this, it is clear that the devil cannot endure Christian prayer. Why does he not endure it? Because prayer—I mean true prayer, which is practiced by the ascetics of Christ and which all of us should practice—is an important work. St. Macarius of Egypt teaches, “The head of every virtue and the pinnacle of good deeds is to always remain in prayer.” Indeed, whoever prays with true prayer strives always to have in his soul a firm faith in God and the fear of God, crosses himself, and bows with a contrite heart, has a meek and humble soul, reads prayers always with reverence, fully aware of his unworthiness before God. Whoever prays with true prayer sincerely repents of his sins with a broken heart and, asking God for the forgiveness of his sins, forgives his enemies and offenders all offenses, loves everyone, is not attached to anything earthly, thinks only of God, and always strives to live according to the will of the Lord. Such a devout person is a good and faithful servant of the Lord, worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom. Such worshippers are not harmed by demons, and they flee from them. Their cross and prayer, their faith and humility conquer and drive away all demonic power.
Would you like to be convinced of this by examples? Here are some examples. A certain sorcerer sent demons to torment St. Theodore the Sykeote, but they could not approach him because prayer was on his lips—they waited for the night, but even at night, while he slept, fire came out of the saint’s mouth and drove away the demons. St. Niphon once saw a monk walking and praying, and from his mouth came a fiery flame that reached the heavens; an angel walked with him, holding a fiery spear in his hands, with which he drove away the demons from the monk. This is why the devil, the tempter, forbade St. Nikita to pray to God—not only so that he would not fear Nikita, but so that he would lead him away from faith in Christ God and from other virtues that come from prayer, thus separating him from God and the Kingdom of Christ.
To be continued…
