Sabas was a startlingly perceptive child. He was raised mainly by his aunt and uncle and received such rough treatment from them that he ran away several times. In 447, when he was eight years old, he placed himself in the care of another uncle. This uncle was good to him, but began quarreling with the first uncle about who would manage Sabas’s money for him until he was of age.
Disgusted with the quarreling and avarice among his relatives, Sabas ran away from all of them and sought shelter in a monastery. There, he discovered the sweetness of living for Christ. The monks allowed him to join them and were quickly impressed by his holiness, which was far advanced despite his youth.
One day, he was assigned to help the baker in the monastery kitchen. This monk had gotten one of his habits wet and hung it in the oven to dry. Forgetting the garment was in there, he built a fire in the oven and went back to preparing dough.
The monk was horrified when he realized what he had done. Sabas, however, reassured him, climbed into the blazing oven, and brought out the habit—which was as unscathed as he was.
When the young monk was 18 years old, he felt called to be a hermit. His mentor—St. Euthymius—told him to remain in the monastery a little longer. 12 years later, he allowed Sabas to be a hermit five days a week.
After St. Euthymius died, Sabas went to live in the desert. Like many other hermits, his solitude was short-lived due to his great holiness. Followers crowded around him, begging him to lead them in the eremitical life. In the end, Sabas had to accept them.
For the next 50 years, Sabas shepherded his flock of hermits, resisted the efforts of his family to bring him back into the world, built three hospitals and a few monasteries, traveled to Constantinople twice to aid eastern Christians, and withdrew yearly to spend Lent in solitude. He died in 532 at the age of 93.
For those of us called to live the Christian life out in the whirlwind of the secular world, finding quiet time for God is just as difficult as it was for Sabas (maybe more so!). But don’t let that worry you—you can prepare thoroughly and meaningfully with Advent for Busy Catholics. This compact pamphlet offers a brief meditation for each week in Advent, helping you refocus during that spare minute in your day. Available today at The Catholic Company!
