Sands of Salvation: The Strength of Abba Moses

The Strength of Abba Moses

Sands of Salvation: The Strength of Abba Moses Text and illustrations copyright © 2022 Gabriel Wilson

A special thanks to Father Turbo Qualls, the Spiritual Formation Chair of the Fellowship of St. Moses the Black, whose oversight on this project was invaluable.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Icon credits:

Introduction: St. Moses the Ethiopian, Alypius Emanuel Burke, @alypiusloft

Historical Note: St. Moses the Ethiopian, Anna Sophia Poloz: www.etsy.com/ shop/AnnaPolozIcons ; St. Moses icon, Stephane Rene, copticiconography.org ; St. Moses, 1217 ad, basilica of St. Nicholas, Manastir, Macedonia / Mark Pearson (eyes digitally restored).

Ancient Faith Publishing

A division of Ancient Faith Ministries PO Box 748 Chesterton, IN 46304

store.ancientfaith.com

ISBN: 978-1-955890-22-9

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022945992

A special thanks to my coloring buddies, Mara and Winnie.

GW

Sample pages only. Purchase the full book at http://store.ancientfaith.com/sands-of-salvation-the-strength-of-abba-moses/

What is in a name? Everything! A child is given a name at birth, and that name re mains for life. However, it’s also true that many of us receive other names or nicknames—or even titles—which become a

part of our identity. In the book of Revela tion it says:

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name

It is in the light of this scripture that we can see the reasoning behind the name Saint Moses the Strong!

Most people know of this great saint by the names St. Moses the Black, St. Moses the Ethiopian, or even by Abba Moses. All of these names are appropriate and have their unique context, but it is in the title of “the Strong” that we can truly see what is most important about St. Moses—his faith, his asceticism, and his love of God—all of which were strong! In the life of St. Mo ses, we have the well-known account of his strength:

Once, four of the robbers of his former band descended upon the cell of St Moses. He had lost none of his great physical strength, so he tied them all up.Throwing them over his shoulder, he brought them to the monastery, where he asked the Elders what to do with them.The Elders ordered that they be set free.The robbers, learning that they had chanced upon their former ringleader, and that he had dealt kindly with them, followed his example: they repented and became monks. Later, when the rest of the band of robbers heard about the repentance of St Moses, then they also gave up their thievery and became fervent monks.

In this account we see that it simply wasn’t his physical strength that we should marvel at. Rather, it is the strength of his spiritual life that led to the repentance of the robbers. It is in the hope of bringing forward these amazing and inspiring aspects of St. Moses’ life that this work uses the title of Strong. For even though the other titles are appro priate, it is in the name St. Moses the Strong that the most important and God-fearing aspects of St. Moses’ life are revealed!

In XC, Fr. Turbo Qualls

“Throw your weakness before God, and the Lord will become your strength.”

SAINT MOSES THE strong